Help! Other birds trying to take over barn swallow's nest
mrsdaddyduck
14 years ago
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aleksandras
14 years agobluebirdbabe
14 years agoRelated Discussions
when do birds take over a nesting box?
Comments (2)Hi: I'm in zone 5 on the east coast. I have bluebirds and tree swallows using boxes now. The bluebirds have 5 eggs in one box and the tree swallows have claimed the other box, but that is as far as they have gotten. They have been here for 3 seasons now. I believe they feel more comfortable and territorial here now. The bluebirds winter over here. This is the earliest they have nested. The first year I think they finally had a nest attempt in May (house sparrows kept taking over) and were finally successful in July. You may only have house sparrows if you have them in your area. They will out compete (and kill) every other species that makes an attempt to nest unless you help them....See MoreNeed link to help Tree swallows nest in EHS invaded environm.
Comments (8)If you do the math on the ability of this species to reproduce (2-3 nestings with 4-7 chicks per nesting) and the average life span (roughly 12 years), you realize how eliminating one breeding pair has the potential to have a tremendous benefit on species diversity, even within a small area. Kate: Sounds like you have had a lot of success. The Huber trap is a great idea. There are also others that are nice. Here is the web site for one: http://www.vanerttraps.com/universal.htm You may be aware of this, but I just think this caution bears saying for those who are reading: The one problem with putting in-box traps in a bank of martin houses is that you are likely to trap native birds as well. You have to monitor these kinds of traps hourly (which might be hard given the height of them) to make sure that the trapped bird is the intended target species. If it is not, you actually risk the life of the native bird(s), which, of course, is illegal as well as inhumane. So monitoring is absolutely essential. I would agree with everything else that you have mentioned. Certainly the males are the ones that control the area and have the most potential to harm native birds through passive and active competition. Most people who do this would agree that one of the best ways to catch them is with in-box traps during the heat of the nesting season. They are very saavy about ground traps. You can sometimes bait the ground traps with nesting materials that are glued to a heavy piece of wood (ripped plastic tarp material, trash, tissues, yarn, etc.). The best season to catch the adult males (and females) is the early spring. During the summer, it is best to use a ground trap baited with white bread. You can catch young birds and females by the dozen this way. I have included a link for a very good repeating ground trap. Good luck to you Rose. I think that everything here is really true and if more people would consider doing a small piece of this big problem species diversity could be noticably improved. Of course, this is all contingent on the laws in Canada. Here is a link that might be useful: Repeating Ground Trap...See MoreBarn Swallows...do you know?
Comments (5)Do you have a barn or are there barns or farms around you? Barn Swallows are alot like TRES but they nest inside barns or garages or even attics as long as they can get in and out and find a nice ledge to make their nest. I have a few pairs around that go into the barn and just sit around. I know they use mud to build their nest on a ledge. I am sure they are attracted to water much like TRES and will help keep your mosquito population down. I have never witnessed them fighting or causing trouble with any other species of bird....See MoreDid House Wren take over Nuthatch nest?
Comments (20)Hi Konrad, Kinda sad to lose your RBNH nest... but this is nature at work I guess. Yes, we lost 1 bluebird egg to a HOWR 2 seasons ago. We saw him fly to and into the nest box, and come out with the pierced egg still impaled on his beak! We were waving our arms and shouting at him, as he dropped it on the ground and flew off. It all happened in 30 seconds or less. We discouraged him with a squirt gun for days and the parent blues dived bombed him mercilessly whenever he came near. He finally stopped coming around, and I'm happy to say the other 3 eggs hatched and fledged successfully. Hope your Nuthatches try again for you, Kenn Here is a link that might be useful: Latest Slideshow...See Morealeksandras
14 years agobluebirdbabe
14 years agoaleksandras
14 years agobluebirdbabe
14 years agoaleksandras
14 years agobluebirdbabe
14 years agoaleksandras
14 years agodzyg
14 years agoaleksandras
14 years agodzyg
14 years agoaleksandras
14 years agomrsdaddyduck
14 years agoaleksandras
14 years ago
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