This year I turned it up to eleven.
It works! By gum, it works!
Bluebirds -- several nests of them -- and one nest each of house wrens and tree swallows are all successfully fledging from the barnwood boxes.
I may have nearly saturated the appropriate bluebird habitat with boxes. (The wrens and swallows chose boxes that the bluebirds didn't think were sunny enough.) One box had a successful clutch of five wee bluebirds.
I have had to practice house sparrow eviction and infanticide measures. Part of the responsibility of being a bluebird landlord.
Starting to regard the neighbors' open country with an imperialist eye.
This winter I'll be making bat boxes and nest boxes for kestrels and screech owls.
I envy you. Something killed my bluebirds early in the season. Mom and babies dead in the box.....we've been waging a constant war against the House Sparrow, which we stepped up after that.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! This spring we seem to have been overrun with house sparrows, cat birds, starlings, and cow birds. The little buggers are amazingly industrious and with all the nesting materials laying around on our farm, it has been a challenge to keep up with eliminating their nests from the bird houses, gutters, barn rafters, sheds, and car port. I keep hoping that at least the local sharp shin and Coppers hawk are staying well fed.
ReplyDeleteOur local kestrel family seems to especially like the flicker boxes we put up, as long as we keep the starlings out until they decide to move in for the spring.