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The bluebirds are leaving the nest box as the day continues

6 years ago

A pair of bluebird has become Interested in and started building in a best box. The male stood guard as the female went out and placed nesting material in the box, but after the first visit the female left for the final time and hasn't returned, the male stood guard for a few hours and now he has left too, he has returned a few times but without the female. Has she abandoned the best box or what?

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Sparrows Nesting in BlueBird Box
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Comments (6)
Thanks, Karen, for the excellent site. Wow! I had no idea that sparrows were so predatory! For now, we put a piece of duct tape over the hole. I noticed the sparrows hanging around and on top of it. Hopefully, they will go elsewhere. Is it actually possible to drive them from the property permanently? I'm wondering if the nesting box is even a good place for bluebirds. It's close to our house - will that deter them? There are shrubs around it which may attract the sparrows. I have a lot to learn about bluebirds and the SIALIS site is a good place to start.
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no bluebirds for 5 days! they were nesting
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Comments (3)
Kathy. Could be many things but the first thing that comes to mind is it is normal behavior for them to wait a few days to over a week after a nest is complete before they lay eggs. Go check the box, If you have HOSPs or House Wrens there may be bad news in there, but the heat would not kill a female on eggs, she would not need to incubate much, just sneak in and turn the eggs. Let us know what you find when you check the box and we will go from there. ALSO if you have not already read....www.sialis.org for lots of info.
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Bluebirds and House Sparrow checking out the same nest box
Q
Comments (11)
Congrats on eggs! Would definitely put up a sparrow spooker now. It's the best known way to keep HOSP from invading. You can make one because it takes about a week to order through mail. The fishing line can stay on all season, but the spooker only needs to stay up from 1st egg to fledge. Sialis site is the best resource. Has helped me many times! Like vamanos mentioned above, the only sure way to avoid HOSP invasion is to trap them. You can get a van Ert trap put into the box the HOSP are interested in & trap them one by one. The DRTS is an even more serious way to trap. Again, Sialis outlines all of this. Biggest piece of advise: don't let HOSP nest with you or you'll never get rid of them. As you probably know, they are not native & have caused many problems with our native birds (i.e.- EABL, CACH, etc). By law you are able to trap them/dispose of them & remove their nests, eggs, & young. I know it sounds harsh, but it's a personal choice. Best f luck! Nicole
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Bluebird Nest with Eggs, Female Bluebird has died
Q
Comments (1)
The male will not incubate the eggs. Its best to get rid of the eggs and hopefully he will find another mate and use the same nesting spot.
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