Comments for WOOLWINE HOUSE BLUEBIRD TRAIL

Comment on CLUTCH OF 3 WHITE EGGS HATCHED AUGUST 4, 2011 – 5 DAYS LATER THAN EXPECTED. by Woolwine House Bluebird Trail

Woolwine House Bluebird Trail — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:15:14 +0000

Hi, Cindy! I agree….not sure if LUCK is the word, but it certainly keeps things interesting. I continue to learn so much year after year! It’s fun to discover something new along my trail. If the news is not so good, I learn from it, try to share it with others, and keep good records and summaries to use in the future, and do all I can so it won’t happen again. Sometimes things happen, no matter how hard we try. That is why monitoring nestboxes is important. I can’t believe I’ve been bluebirding now for 6 years. Before that, I only knew a little about there being a species of a bird called the “bluebird”.

Comment on CLUTCH OF 3 WHITE EGGS HATCHED AUGUST 4, 2011 – 5 DAYS LATER THAN EXPECTED. by Cindy brown

Cindy brown — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 17:39:45 +0000

Amazing photos! You are so lucky to have white Bluebird eggs!

Comment on CUTE PHOTOS OF A BLUEBIRD FAMILY EATING TOGETHER….SHARED BY A SUBSCRIBER. by Cindy Brown

Cindy Brown — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:18:26 +0000

Great Photos….Went to our place in Roberts Cove, LA and cleaned out our boxes. They are ready for next spring!

Comment on MY PLAN: COMBATING the BLOWFLY PROBLEM FOR 2010 by Woolwine House Bluebird Trail

Woolwine House Bluebird Trail — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 22:05:05 +0000

Hi, Michael. I wrote to you privately about this recently, but long-story short for the benefit of others reading here, just increase the short puffs of the DE powder (ORGANIC food-grade DE, not commercial pool grade) underneath the nest by the wood floor and distribute evenly in sections–a couple short puffs here and there and lift the tip up to the center of the nest and insert and a few more puffs in the center of the nest should do it–in center and to the sides a little bit in the nest materiasl where the larvae may try to sneak by avoiding center. I have found MOST larvae do go to the base of the nest, but some stay inside it. We don’t want hatchlings, or the male or female adult birds for that matter, to get any of the DE dust in their eyes or on their wings. Be sure to cover the nest FIRST before applying DE with some type of soft, clean cloth, completely covering the nest and eggs–keeps any of the DE dust from going inside the box and settling down on the nest and eggs. I suggest doing this BEFORE hatching. After the DE dust has settled and before removing the cloth that is laid over the top of the nest, just take your soft brush (I use a soft, small paintbrush) and dust away any excess DE powder on the edge of the nest material and on any sections of the wood and underneath the box AWAY from the box, then remove the cloth by pulling forward towards you and out of the box and immediately put that cloth into a plastic bag and close it, and then quickly close the box and leave. The female, who is incubating those eggs, should return shortly. I’ve had no loss of baby birds from this technique of applying the organic DE powder. I try to balance “not too much” application (no overdoing it!)but just enough to kill MOST (won’t be all) larvae. After I remove the nest after fledging, I inspect it, even dissecting it, to see how many larvae COULD have caused damage to the baby birds. GOAL: Kill larvae before they are large enough to latch onto hatchlings at night after the parents stop feeding. I hope to make a video on how I actually do this sometime in the future and posting it. It has been a time-saver for me, and a live-saver for the baby birds. ADDITIONAL NOTE: Sometimes the larvae survive and still get to the baby birds. As long as they can maintain strength to lift their heads and consume food, they will grow, develop the bones and feathers, and WILL fledge when they are ready…possibly a few days later than the average fledge age. When I monitor, I do watch their development. I estimate fledging dates to development. The earliest I’ve seen on my trail for healthy baby bluebirds is Day 15. The latest I’ve seen is Day 21. The average on my own trail in my locale is Day 17-18, weather permitting. If it’s raining or very cold or they see potential danger to their youngsters, the parents delay coaxing their kids out of the box.

Comment on MY PLAN: COMBATING the BLOWFLY PROBLEM FOR 2010 by Michael

Michael — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 13:30:41 +0000

Good Morning,
I was reading your article and we have also tried DE to manage blowflys. Our success has been less than stellar. We live in Michigan and have been hit pretty hard by these nasty little things. It is our conclusion that the larve are not affected by the use of DE. If you are having success or if you have found something that works for you, we would love to hear from you.

Thank you very much,

Michael & Kelley

Comment on PHOTOS OF AN INCUBATING FEMALE BLUEBIRD: DID SHE TRUST ME? by Cindy Brown

Cindy Brown — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:12:41 +0000

Amazing photos!

Comment on THE LOVELY TREE SWALLOW — A NATIVE CAVITY-NESTING BIRD USING OUR NESTBOXES. by Woolwine House Bluebird Trail

Woolwine House Bluebird Trail — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 13:05:16 +0000

Thanks for your remarks on the tree swallow, Sue. Regarding the dead babies and only one making it, more than likely it was due to blowfly infestation in the nest and the other babies were anemic from loss of blood and not strong enough to take in the food. The other baby may have had more strength to take in food and was able to grow muscles and feathers to be able to fledge in spite of having larvae on his body at night. This is where monitoring nestboxes helps the birds. If you want more information on this, please see my tabbed paged PROBLEMS or contact me further for more information. You can also go to the best bluebird site out there, http://www.sialis.org, and look up blowfly…specifically this link will direct you to that page: http://www.sialis.org/forumlinks.htm#blow . It would take too much space on this reply to this post to explain what we monitors due to combat the problem of the blowfly and how we can easily deal with it in the nestbox so the nestlings can fledge. I deal with this for all of my boxes on my trail. As an learning new bluebirder when I started my trail in 2008, I lost baby bluebirds to this situation. At the time, I had no idea what happened. This is all part of learning about managing nestboxes I also had snake predation–before predator guards were used–ants, gnats, wasps (still deal with wasps in some boxes), house wren issues, and house sparrows at one location near town where my two-hole test is now located. The blowfly problem took place in ALMOST every nestbox. I attended the North American Bluebird Society’s annual convention in Grantville, PA, in 2009 and learned more about this problem in nestboxes and all the options of dealing with it. In nature, we cannot do anything about this problem. Being a landlord to a manmade nestbox gives us the opportunity to help the birds along. I hope this information in reply to your post helps.

Comment on THE LOVELY TREE SWALLOW — A NATIVE CAVITY-NESTING BIRD USING OUR NESTBOXES. by Sue Boyd

Sue Boyd — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:43:44 +0000

Thanks for the article on the Tree Swallow as I think they are amazing & fun to watch. Last year was the first year we had a swallow in a nest box. Only one made it out and we found the rest dead in the box. This year I think the same is happening but I could be wrong. There always seems to be one little swallow “hogging” up the hole and gets all of the food. I know there are at least two in the box alive because I’ve taken pictures of them. Also, a “gang” of swallows keep coming to the box at certain times of the day. I’m wondering if they are sibblings in a way. They seem like they are trying to coax the little fellow out although he still looks a little small for me. The pictures are wonderful on here today.

Comment on BLUEBIRD PREDATORS! THE DREADED HOUSE SPARROWS by Woolwine House Bluebird Trail

Woolwine House Bluebird Trail — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 01:26:08 +0000

Hi, Carolyn. I’m so sorry to hear you lost bluebird babies. For me to know more about the situation, can you explain in more detail of your nestbox setup (use of any predator guards and what they are), how is the nestbox installed and where, approximate age of the babies that were taken, any sign of scratch marks, such as from a raccoon claw, or any nesting material coming out of the entry hole, any sign of blood droplets? Did you look on the ground by the box for the babies? Did you find dead babies inside the nestbox, but one survived and fledged later? If you prefer, I can Email you privately on this. Let me know. If we discuss here, it will be educational for others to read on this site. I want to help you troubleshoot what happened, but I need more information. I hope to hear back from you.

Comment on BLUEBIRD PREDATORS! THE DREADED HOUSE SPARROWS by Carolyn Rothenberger

Carolyn Rothenberger — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 22:47:07 +0000

We had had good luck with our Bluebirds for the past 3 years until now~ this year something killed all but one of our babies~ thank goodness he escaped. Four days later they are rebuilding and I am so worried that whatever killed them will do so again. Is there anything we can do to keep this from happening?

Comment on Advisory: House Sparrows by Woolwine House Bluebird Trail

Woolwine House Bluebird Trail — Sun, 22 May 2011 20:37:19 +0000

Thanks for the note here about your sparrow problem. If you positively ID’d them as the House Sparrow, the non-native, overpopulated sparrow species we bluebirds are constantly fighting against, it is my recommendation to not allow them to procreate in your nestboxes. Many bluebirds get sparrow traps and either destroy them or trap them in bulk in the larger traps made for this purpose and take them live to raptor rehabbers. You can use the passive method of making sure the nests are House Sparrow nests being built and remove those nests once the eggs are laid. Do not allow the House Sparrow to breed in your nestboxes. House Sparrows are nastier and will attempt to kill adult bluebirds, their babies, peck any eggs, or even kill an incubating bluebird or tree swallow female that is refusing to leave a nest of eggs due to her wanting to protect her nest of eggs or babies. Then the House Sparrow will build its own nest over the corpses of the killed birds. Not fun stuff to see. Do all you can to eliminate the House Sparrow. The male House Sparrow will bond to a box; not to a female. If you remove a nest of eggs, he might find another female to fertilize to use that box! Fight them, if you can, and keep them from bringing more House Sparrow babies in an already overpopulated non-native species that is taking natural and manmade cavities from our native birds. Good luck. Feel free to ask more questions here, if you wish.
House Wrens, another “brown” bird that likes nestboxes, can also cause havoc for bluebirds, however, they are a protected species and should not be evicted from nestboxes. The only “nests” we are allowed to remove are dummy nests built by the wrens to keep other birds from using the boxes. They usually stuff these boxes with sticks (easy to ID) and to the ROOF of the box. If you see sticks that stop just below the entry hole, more than likely it’s a live House Wren nest, and they should not be evicted since it’s a native bird. Don’t remove the sticks if you think it’s a dummy nest until you can determine for sure it is truly a dummy nest (sometimes this is hard to determine). I use a telescoping mechanic’s mirror with a flashlight illuminating up towards the ceiling of the nest box to see if I see soft grasses or hairs on the bottom of the nest inside those sticks or any cottony material to hold the sticks together to determine a real nest to a dummy nest. House Wrens will peck bluebird eggs….or….they have been known to throw out bluebird babies on the ground so they can use the box. It certainly not the nicest thing to see. It’s their aggressive, territorial way of behavior, for a nesting location. House Wrens are prolific. House Sparrows are even more prolific…usually the first to claim a nestbox in the spring and have sometimes 5 broods per season!

Comment on Advisory: House Sparrows by J&S Borsos

J&S Borsos — Sun, 22 May 2011 13:50:47 +0000

We have just been invaded by the sparrows who are playing havoc with the swallows that we built houses for. Rats indeed.

Comment on BLUEBIRD PREDATORS! THE DREADED HOUSE SPARROWS by Woolwine House Bluebird Trail

Woolwine House Bluebird Trail — Sun, 15 May 2011 15:05:58 +0000

Hi, Jeff. It is basically reacting to its own reflection. Here is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology page on why this happens. Be sure to read the whole article. Good luck. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1184

Comment on BLUEBIRD PREDATORS! THE DREADED HOUSE SPARROWS by jeff

jeff — Sun, 15 May 2011 13:16:29 +0000

Dang blubird will not quit attacking my windows. Whats his issue?

Comment on FIRST BLUEBIRDS 2011 FLEDGED on the WHBBT! by Woolwine House Bluebird Trail

Woolwine House Bluebird Trail — Mon, 09 May 2011 18:08:10 +0000

Hi, Kitty! Thanks for your nice note. This is my 4th year of having a bluebird trail (first year commenced in February 2008). Surprisingly, I still find out new things about bluebirding and learn from other expert bluebirders how to deal with problems along the way. I see more and more successes as the years go by. My first bluebird nestbox existed the year we moved to this house and property, which was Spring 2006. That was the year a black rat snake got to the babies in the existing old weathered nestbox on a 4×4 wood post with no predator guards. The bluebird couple tried again, but the young hatchlings on July 1st died in a few hours from that old nestbox facing WEST into the sun on a 100 degree day. The box had inadequate ventilation, no afternoon shade, etc. It was after that 2nd failed brood that I took that faulty setup down for good and started bluebirding the right way–after much research. Thanks again for the note!

Comment on FIRST BLUEBIRDS 2011 FLEDGED on the WHBBT! by Woolwine House Bluebird Trail

Woolwine House Bluebird Trail — Mon, 09 May 2011 18:03:10 +0000

Hi, Marianne. You can find organic DE at garden centers, Home Depot, Lowe’s HI, and similar such as Ace Hardware stores, Southern States, and the like…..and online, which is how I got mine. If you go online, go to Google or another search engine and type in Organic Diatomaceous Earth. You can purchase it in smaller quantities, such as one or two pounds. A video is a good idea; however, I need someone to help me make the video and then I’d have to input it on my blog. Be patient with me on this. In the meantime, I can write to you privately with instructions how to safely apply puffs of DE into a nest. I do so about a week before hatching. I will also follow up here on this blog shortly. Be sure to ask for “organic” DE, and NOT DE used for pools and spas, which has chemicals added to it. It’s very easy to apply and safely for the birds. What you DO NOT WANT is any of the DE to be on the top side of the nest or anywhere inside the nestbox so that it does not get into the parents eyes or the youngster’s eyes. I use a mustard-ketchup type suqeeze container with the tip (the kind you see in diners) to puff the DE…3 puffs underneath the nest next to the floor and inside the nest in CENTER another 3 puffs in different locations. This usually does the trick. Do respond here if you have more questions or need more details!

Comment on FIRST BLUEBIRDS 2011 FLEDGED on the WHBBT! by Kitty Durmaj

Kitty Durmaj — Sat, 07 May 2011 02:09:02 +0000

Chris, it’s really amazing what you’re doing but not at all surprised at your knowledge of bluebirding. How rewarding a fulfilling to see those little bluebirds. I’m sure they’re very happy that you’ve taken such good care.

Comment on FIRST BLUEBIRDS 2011 FLEDGED on the WHBBT! by Marianne

Marianne — Wed, 04 May 2011 00:33:29 +0000

Where does one obtain Diatomaceous Earth?

Exactly how do you puff it in?

Could you possibly make a short video to post on youtube showing the puffing technique and equipment used?

Thanks!

Comment on Deter Predators by Woolwine House Bluebird Trail

Woolwine House Bluebird Trail — Tue, 03 May 2011 22:04:04 +0000

I know it will not deter the House Wren, as I’ve seen them use one of my boxes and bring up a brood with the Noel hardware cloth guard over the entry hole with no problems. Whether it deters House Sparrows remains to be seen. I’ve heard from other bluebirders they think it has deterred them. It needs to be tested. I can certainly write to some of our Virginia Bluebird Society monitors/coordinators, and ask them about it and try to get back here to update this post in the near future with another reply. If anyone reading this knows, feel feel to post a reply here. Thanks!

Comment on Deter Predators by Woolwine House Bluebird Trail

Woolwine House Bluebird Trail — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:40:21 +0000

I’ve not heard of the milk carton approach. However, if you need really good info on how to deter the House Wren , I suggest the best bluebirds website out there, compliments of Bet Zimmerman at: http://www.sialis.org/wrens.htm(Remember, it’s a protected native species; so by federal law, we monitors are not allowed to remove nests and eggs and young of the HOWR–we ARE ALLOWED, however, to remove “dummy nests” — this is when the HOWR fills up a nestbox with just sticks to the the ceiling so no other bird species can use that nestbox–a territorial thing the HOWR does. It takes some learning to distinguish the differences between a dummy nest and a REAL HOWR nest. Believe me, I know, as I’ve made the mistake of taking a HOWR nest out that wasn’t a dummy nest! Thankfully, I was able to fix my own problem without harming the birds–I learned quite a bit that day! Learning about all native cavity-nesting birds is what’s good about monitoring. I do know that the HOWR can cause havoc on other birds’ nests, including throwing out the babies of another species. I have a video posted on my site about it….under PROBLEMS.