BB won't leave
I have an Eastern bluebird pair that just won't leave my PM Coates watershed 4 house. I keep removing their nest, but that doesn't help. I am going to put up a BB house tomorrow for them. Can I just duct tape my PM doors closed for a few days or do I have to take the entire house down until the BB's find their new house. No PM's yet, just some fly-bys.
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Guest
Thats what I would do. I would close off the house and put up alternative housing for the BB's till they get the hint.
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roblrich
Ditto! That is all you have to do.hydrashok158 wrote:Thats what I would do. I would close off the house and put up alternative housing for the BB's till they get the hint.
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loco for purple
- Posts: 187
- Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2005 7:06 pm
- Location: arlington/texas
zoefluf,
I thought I was going to have the same problem. There were going into my supergourds and houses before the martins arrived. I went to Lowes and bought two bluebird houses and a wren house. They investigated every hole in the yard except the wren house ,they couldn't fit in it. Well to make a long story short, they chose the bluebird house under the martin houses.I believe you will have success if you can place the house
near a bluebird perch. Try to notice were they like to perch in your yard.
It is usually a high place (martin houses)were they can see bugs on the lawn. I believe it is a blessing to have bluebirds. And they can easily co-exsist with the martins... Good luck!
I thought I was going to have the same problem. There were going into my supergourds and houses before the martins arrived. I went to Lowes and bought two bluebird houses and a wren house. They investigated every hole in the yard except the wren house ,they couldn't fit in it. Well to make a long story short, they chose the bluebird house under the martin houses.I believe you will have success if you can place the house
near a bluebird perch. Try to notice were they like to perch in your yard.
It is usually a high place (martin houses)were they can see bugs on the lawn. I believe it is a blessing to have bluebirds. And they can easily co-exsist with the martins... Good luck!
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TreeGreenwood
- Posts: 362
- Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 9:27 pm
- Location: Virginia/Catlett
Bluebirds are native migratory birds. Tearing Bluebird nests out of a birdhouse, even a box designed for Purple Martins, is a felony under federal law and probably under your state laws. English House Sparrows and European Starlings are imported exotics that aren't protected by law.
Providing housing for other cavity nesters is best. Bluebirds and Tree Swallows start nesting in my area well before Purple Martins. Give them their own homes and they'll not only co-exist with the Martins, they'll keep other pairs of their species out of the area.
Take care,
Tree.
Providing housing for other cavity nesters is best. Bluebirds and Tree Swallows start nesting in my area well before Purple Martins. Give them their own homes and they'll not only co-exist with the Martins, they'll keep other pairs of their species out of the area.
Take care,
Tree.
I think this thread should be discussed a little further.
zoefluf seems to be doing a good job at gathering information from the forum here, even though some of the feedback he/she received was a bit harsh.
He/she is interested in doing things the right way for the martins, and the bluebirds (as noted when he/she said they are putting up some bluebird housing for them).
I feel that folks like this that are looking to learn, and do things the right way, should be warmly welcomed and encouraged.
That said (I hope I'm not blowing too much hot air), in the event that a protected species, such as a bluebird or tree swallow, builds a nest in a martin house that is waiting for returning martins, what action should taken?
Most of us here know that it is illegal harass, or contact in certain ways, the active nests of protected songbirds. I think this fact sometimes gets insensitively thrown at folks trying to learn things.
Under the same set of laws, it is also illegal for us to do nest checks, changes, or treatments for mites - even though we know that these practices are a great benefit to the martins, and need to be carried out.
zoefluf seems to be doing a good job at gathering information from the forum here, even though some of the feedback he/she received was a bit harsh.
He/she is interested in doing things the right way for the martins, and the bluebirds (as noted when he/she said they are putting up some bluebird housing for them).
I feel that folks like this that are looking to learn, and do things the right way, should be warmly welcomed and encouraged.
That said (I hope I'm not blowing too much hot air), in the event that a protected species, such as a bluebird or tree swallow, builds a nest in a martin house that is waiting for returning martins, what action should taken?
Most of us here know that it is illegal harass, or contact in certain ways, the active nests of protected songbirds. I think this fact sometimes gets insensitively thrown at folks trying to learn things.
Under the same set of laws, it is also illegal for us to do nest checks, changes, or treatments for mites - even though we know that these practices are a great benefit to the martins, and need to be carried out.
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Emil Pampell-Tx
- Posts: 6743
- Joined: Tue Nov 11, 2003 1:26 pm
- Location: Tx, Richmond (SW of Houston)
- Martin Colony History: First started in Gretna, La in 1969 with a small homemade house, have had martins ever since at 2 different homes in Texas
Matt, I agree...Isn't it best to tell her what she did wrong, guide her, help her, tell her not to do that anymore, rather than start quoting the law, and saying terrible things that will completely turn them off and never again ask for help?
PMCA Member, 250 gourds, 6 poles, 2traps
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roblrich
zoe is doing the right thing. And I don't think Tree was meaning to be overly critical, his point was simpy if you are going to provide housing for martins, it is the responsible thing to also offer housing for BB's and TS's who will compete for the martin housing if you don't.
Illegal or not, anyone that forces a BB to move out of a martin house with many cavities into a suitable BB box is doing both the BB and the martins a favor.
Nest replacements, Sevin application, etc in martin colonies is technically illegal, but anyone that doesn't do at least one of them aren't doing their colony any favors.
Illegal or not, anyone that forces a BB to move out of a martin house with many cavities into a suitable BB box is doing both the BB and the martins a favor.
Nest replacements, Sevin application, etc in martin colonies is technically illegal, but anyone that doesn't do at least one of them aren't doing their colony any favors.
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phillip26r
- Posts: 104
- Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2006 2:52 pm
- Location: Tennessee/Lexington
I had the same problem last year.
I had an EB pair nest in my PM house and never did get rid of them. The EBs are very territorial and I saw one of them dive bombing a PM that perched on the house once.
I didn't want to remove the nest, so I just left them there the whole season and when they were gone I cleaned out the house.
I noticed a few weeks ago that a pair of EBs were nesting in one of my bluebird houses I put up back in the fall, so maybe I'll have better luck this year.
I had an EB pair nest in my PM house and never did get rid of them. The EBs are very territorial and I saw one of them dive bombing a PM that perched on the house once.
I didn't want to remove the nest, so I just left them there the whole season and when they were gone I cleaned out the house.
I noticed a few weeks ago that a pair of EBs were nesting in one of my bluebird houses I put up back in the fall, so maybe I'll have better luck this year.
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Guest
To keep EBs out of PM houses I thought we were supposed to set up a sort of triangular housing arrangement with the PM house in the middle and EB housing around it. That gives the EBs a better choice of housing then the PM house. And if you keep the PM house at the edge of their territory, the EBs nesting in the EB boxes, will keep other EB's from nesting in the PM house.
In my location, if you think of my front yard as a Clock, with my home at 6 o'clock and the lane at 12 o'clock. I have my PM house in the middle of the clock. At 9 o'clock (about 50+ feet away from the center) I placed a EB house. At 12 o'clock (about 50+ feet away from the center and 10 feet from the non-busy lane)) I placed another EB house. And at 3 o'clock I placed a third EB house.
I have EBs in all three of the EB houses. They keep other EBs away from the Martin house. The trick is to keep the PM housing close enough to their house so the PM house is at the edge of their territory - then they will keep other EB's from entering the PM house.
The fun starts when the Tree Swallows come into the picture. The like the EB housing too. Last year they evicted one pair of EBs. I expect they'll be back this year too.
Ken
In my location, if you think of my front yard as a Clock, with my home at 6 o'clock and the lane at 12 o'clock. I have my PM house in the middle of the clock. At 9 o'clock (about 50+ feet away from the center) I placed a EB house. At 12 o'clock (about 50+ feet away from the center and 10 feet from the non-busy lane)) I placed another EB house. And at 3 o'clock I placed a third EB house.
I have EBs in all three of the EB houses. They keep other EBs away from the Martin house. The trick is to keep the PM housing close enough to their house so the PM house is at the edge of their territory - then they will keep other EB's from entering the PM house.
The fun starts when the Tree Swallows come into the picture. The like the EB housing too. Last year they evicted one pair of EBs. I expect they'll be back this year too.
Ken
I followed the advice about getting a couple of bluebird nestboxes the day after I first posted this message and I am happy to report that the BB's found the box on the very first day and now there are four BB eggs in the nest and they haven't looked back at my PM house.
Thanks for all of the help.
Jeanne
Thanks for all of the help.
Jeanne
"Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap, yet your heavenly Father feeds them."