Bluebird Nest Destroyed

and all the babies are gone!
I went out early this morning and saw Dad and Mom Bluebird flying back and forth in front of the box. They both would land at the entrance, only to fly away again. This behavior continued a minute or so and I knew something was wrong. As I got closer I could see that the nest material was blocking the entrance hole. I opened the front and found the nest to be completely decimated and the babies nowhere to be found.
I removed the nest material... was this the right thing to do? I didn't know if they would re-build using the same materials. They remained nearby and eventually went in to check the box out. Since that time they have come back to the feeder several times, but only remain long enough to eat and then leave for hours at a time.
Have any of you had experience with this happening? Do you think they will come back and build another nest? This is an experienced pair who had three successful clutches last year in this location. And speaking of location, should we move the box to a pole and baffle it? It must have been a snake, because there was only one feather nearby from Mom and we don't see raccoons around here... even as roadkill!
I would really appreciate your thoughts. It's a sad day in north FL!!! :(

Barb

So sorry to hear of your loss, Barb. I doubt it was a snake. They rarely disturb the nest. While house sparrows will often kill the young, they rarely remove the corpses. I would suspect a cat.

Dave

So sorry to hear Barb, I know how heartbreaking this can be. I would suggest that you definitely move the box to a pole with a baffle. They will probably rebuild in that box since they have had success in the past. Best of luck.

Barb, So sorry to hear this, Do you have many Wrens around?? I had the same thing happen last year and I was so mad! I have actually seen wrens and nuthatches going after the bluebird nests! And yes, To answere your other question, They will nest again in the same box ( Mine did anyway) I use the scarecrow motion detecter for cats when the Blubirds are nesting, But, It's hard to find a deterrent for other birds that attack the nest, There is a tube that you attach to the nesting hole that helps in this situation ( But, I forgot what it's called) I'll take a photo of one for you that I have. I have built peterson bluebird houses which actually have a slant to the front so the tubes don't work well for me ( A problem I need to fix) ... One more thing, Do you have any chipmunks?? They are notorious for going after baby birds! It's hard, But, Try and keep and eye on your nestboxes when you can and watch and see what might be getting in there.

Hi Barb

Sorry I was so brief before. I had a project going and didn't have time to type more.
You were right to clean out the nestbox. She very likely will build again in a week or so. If you didn't clean it out she would most likely build on top of the old nesting material, which would put the next clutch closer to the opening. Bluebirds recover from their grief much faster than we do.

What type of nestbox do you have? Does it have a 1 1/2 inch opening? If the opening is larger there are several birds such as starlings that can reach pretty far in. Where is your nestbox mounted now? Like Rose suggested, I would definitely mount it on a pole and make a baffle. And make sure you position it far enough away from any fence, wall or tree so that a cat or any other critter will not be able to jump to it.

If you are not familiar with Bet Zimmerman's site, please go there and read all the topics that pertain to your situation. For Bluebirders it should be the first site on your favorites list. Here is a link. www.sialis.com

Also, I participate is several excusively bluebirding forums where some real experts hang out. They are very willing, and far more qualified to offer advice. If you are interested, send me a D-mail and I will provide links.

I know this hurts, but don't beat yourself up over it. Resolve to learn from it. The best thing you can do now is objectively evaluate the box and location so you can create a safest possible place for them.


This message was edited Mar 20, 2009 9:36 PM

Barb, I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope that your little Bluebird couple builds again.

What a heart breaker!

I had jays destroy the first oriole nest I had here, and I was really bummed about it. Sorry you had to experience this.

Sorry to hear that Barb!

Morning all. Thanks for your kind words. It was such a shock to go in and find the four babies gone. This was the first clutch I had started the Cornell Nestwatch recording of and to note the arrival of each little blue egg, then wait through the incubating... then see that all the eggs hatched into live young. Really tugs on the old heartstrings. :(
Dave, the reason I suspected a snake was because we had seen Mom remove a very small - 6" approx - black snake from the nest last year in between clutches. There are several feral cats around here, though, and we've had them climb the fence to come into the yard because of the bird feeders and subsequent increased population of birds.
The first pic shows the location of the house on the fence... bad choice on our part. A pole with a baffle will need to be bought. Next decision will be where to place it and how high to mount it. Dave, thanks for that link. The Sialis website is a treasure chest full of information! The entrance opening is 1 1/2" diameter; second pic is a closeup of the house.
Iris, we do have one single wren that visits the yard but it has never - so far as we have seen - visited the area of the nest. Daddy Bluebird even chases it away when it comes to the peach tree feeders and they are a good 75' away from the nest. We've never seen Chipmunks here, thank goodness. We go through enough seed and mealworms as it is!!
I went out a dawn this morning and found Dad sitting in his usual "guard" location at the top of the apple tree but Mom was nowhere to be seen. Dave, you will have d-mail shortly.
Thanks again, everyone for your kind words.
Barb

Nest box

I am still thinking cat, and even moreso now since we know the box was on the fence and the nesting material was dragged toward the opening. When a snake invades a nest it will hardly disturb a blade of grass or pine needle, if that's what a nest was made from. A cat, on the other hand, will reach in and drag the chick to the opening, usually bringing nesting material with it.

Move the box to a pole and away from the fence and I would get or make a baffle, especially if you have snakes around. But if it is a cat, it may still be able to jump to the top of the box but it will be harder for it to get its paw into the opening than when it is able to sit on the fence and move around at will.

And lastly, even though you may never have seen a 'coon, don't presume there are none around. A lot of strange critters roam around at night even in urban areas.

Dave

That's the truth, I never thought I had coons here until one night very late out remote lights came on and when I looked out there were 2 coons on the porch. One saw me and came over pulling himself up on the window ledge and we were nose to nose through the glass. I live in a developement.

My husband made me baffled poles for the bird houses, Their easy to make and cheap! I'll find the instructions for you.

Here it is. We made the metal one.

http://www.sialis.org/baffle.htm

I am amazed that we don't have coons here, too, because we are definitely rural, not urban. While it is a subdivision by definition, it is surrounded by farm land, Florida A&M horticulture fields and commercial tomato fields.
Thanks for that info on a snake "raid". Wasn't aware that they are such neat foragers. It probably was a cat, darnitall!!
Haven't seen Mom at all since yesterday but Dad has been by to eat a couple of times. Sure hope that Mom isn't out house hunting!!

Barb

We cross posted, pelle. Thanks a bunch for the link. I'm thinking it'll be a lot less expensive than going to WBU!

Barb

More than you can imagine. I think we paid $9 for ours the other year.

I'm going to ask DH to move our BB box away from our fence. Although Animal Control is pretty good about doing its job here, we can't be too careful. Barb, I don't think that our wooden fence is as tall as yours, so we need to get busy, move the box, and get ourselves a baffle, just in case. Eurasian Tree Sparrows have been looking the box over. (Rats!) Again, I want to tell you how sorry I am that this happened. BTW, my DD in Alabama has her BB box mounted on a 2X4 board that holds up a sturdy trellis, and (so far) has had no problems. Good luck.

Sharon, sounds like a plan to me! I'd hate to have this happen to you, too. The fence is 6' in front and along the sides but 8' in back.
Is there anything you can do about the Tree Sparrows to make them less inclined to build in the BB house? I know House Sparrows are deadly to BB and their young. I'm SO glad we haven't had them around here.... yet.
I talked to my niece in Huntsville yesterday and she said everything is popping out and the weather is finally nice.
Question to everyone: Until my sister and I can get the pole and baffle and get the house moved, what do you think about taking something like chicken wire, doubling it to reduce the size of the openings and stapling that to the top of the fence in a rounded shape? I'm not good at drawing good verbal pictures. The critters would find it difficult to walk on without their feet falling through and then losing their balance, but the birds would be able to land on it without a problem. Hmmmm?? Your thoughts, both pro and con, please.

Hello again, Barb. At the Occoquan Bird and Wildlife Refuge (formerly Harry Diamond Labs), those in charge have put wire around the openings to the BB homes. This is true also of the Julie J. Metz Wetlands Reserve here in Woodbridge. This wire allows the birds to enter but keeps the critters out. I realize that it isn't as attractive, but I think it does the trick. At least, there are lots of those beautiful little birds in both places.