Evelyn Cooper
09-30-2008, 05:45 PM
Below is an e-mail I recieved from a bluebirder from the North American Bluebird Society Hotline. He wrote asking if the male could raise the babies by himself. He gave me an update and also improvements he made. Jim lives in southern Indiana.
Written with permission
Evelyn,
I owe you a reply from our last conversation on 15 June, since you asked me to let you know how things worked out.
You were correct with your advice that the male bluebird could take care of raising the baby birds by himself. He did just fine and all the birds fledged. I had to put additional guards around the bottom of the pole to discourage cats and racoons from hanging around under the box, and along with the Noel guard I had installed last year, that seemed to work to protect the male and the babies.
After they fledged, I took another step to protect future nesting birds at this box and another of my boxes (I have 3 boxes total). I purchased two 10 foot long smooth steel poles. I drove them into the ground and have mounted both boxes high off the ground on these poles. The bottom of one box is now 7 feet 6 inches above ground level, and the bottom of the other box is now 8 feet 3 inches above ground level.
Both boxes have Noel guards to protect the entrance holes and I left the guards on the boxes as additional protection. I subsequently had one very successful nesting in one of the boxes. However, house wrens took over the other box so I had no more bluebirds in that box this summer.
As for the third box I have, it was already mounted on a smooth pole with a climbing guard around the pole. I've had this box about 6 or 7 years and have never had a problem with predators with that box. I had one successful nesting in that box early in the summer, but wrens also took over this box in mid-summer so I did not have a second nesting of bluebirds in that one.
I do have a fourth box mounted in our oldest son's yard so that our grandchildren can enjoy the bluebirds. They had two successful nestings in that box this summer.
Well, that's the rest of the story. I've now got to get the ladder out of the garage so I can clean out the two "bluebird skyscrapers" so they will be ready for next summer.
By the way, how did your nest cam work out?
Again, thanks for your help last June.
Jim
Written with permission
Evelyn,
I owe you a reply from our last conversation on 15 June, since you asked me to let you know how things worked out.
You were correct with your advice that the male bluebird could take care of raising the baby birds by himself. He did just fine and all the birds fledged. I had to put additional guards around the bottom of the pole to discourage cats and racoons from hanging around under the box, and along with the Noel guard I had installed last year, that seemed to work to protect the male and the babies.
After they fledged, I took another step to protect future nesting birds at this box and another of my boxes (I have 3 boxes total). I purchased two 10 foot long smooth steel poles. I drove them into the ground and have mounted both boxes high off the ground on these poles. The bottom of one box is now 7 feet 6 inches above ground level, and the bottom of the other box is now 8 feet 3 inches above ground level.
Both boxes have Noel guards to protect the entrance holes and I left the guards on the boxes as additional protection. I subsequently had one very successful nesting in one of the boxes. However, house wrens took over the other box so I had no more bluebirds in that box this summer.
As for the third box I have, it was already mounted on a smooth pole with a climbing guard around the pole. I've had this box about 6 or 7 years and have never had a problem with predators with that box. I had one successful nesting in that box early in the summer, but wrens also took over this box in mid-summer so I did not have a second nesting of bluebirds in that one.
I do have a fourth box mounted in our oldest son's yard so that our grandchildren can enjoy the bluebirds. They had two successful nestings in that box this summer.
Well, that's the rest of the story. I've now got to get the ladder out of the garage so I can clean out the two "bluebird skyscrapers" so they will be ready for next summer.
By the way, how did your nest cam work out?
Again, thanks for your help last June.
Jim