No Bluebird houses next year - FED UP

[Royals76]

After over 30 years of hosting bluebirds (BB's) at two locations I am now planning on NOT putting up my bluebird houses next year due to two straight years of them constantly interfering with any investigating martins. I have followed the PMCA recommendations for my housing and for the 'Bluebird protocol' but it doesn't work with the extremely aggressive BB's I have had these last 2 years. I will listen to any comments but first please read the following:
1. According to the experts Bluebirds will not let another bluebird nest within 300' of their housing. WRONG. Last year a pair tried moving into a Supergourd right in the middle of SY arrival time. Gourd rack was in line of sight of another BB occupied house 130' away.
2. Tried moving another BB house to within 35 feet of rack and out of site of other occupied house, not effective so dropped gourd rack down and then attached the gourd they selected to a shepherds hook and moved the gourd in increments until it was over 130' away from both the gourd rack and out of line of site of both gourd rack and other BB house. Problem Bluebirds followed the gourd but STILL attacked any investigating martins at gourd rack, only stopped attacking after their young fledged. By this time it was well after any chance of getting any nesting martins. Many visits but no nesting martins last year.
3. This year moved the BB house from 130' away to within 35' of gourd rack and hosted two broods of BB's in this house, BB's continually attacked any investigating martins. Bluebirds are said to "settle down" after awhile and co-exist with martins? I would agree in most cases as in my previous 3 years at one location and for 13 years at my current location they had not been a problem for my previous martin colonies. But not these guys these last 2 years. Got many visits this year, mostly SY's, especially an SY male, sometimes accompanied with an SYF but they were constantly harassed by BB's.
4. Finally, after this years 2nd brood, BB's moved to a separate BB Box I have, which is in our front yard, over 175' away with our house in between them and the gourd rack. No nesting martins again this year, but many visits. Looked out the window at the gourd rack a few minutes ago, and for the first time in a week see a pair of SY martins trying to land on my gourd rack and guess what? BB's are attacking them.

Sorry for the long post but I am beyond frustrated.

I will listen to suggestions.

Thanks to anyone who tries to help.

[MY FYN 79]

Sorry for your frustration.

We only had a bluebird being aggressive once, and it must have sorted itself out. Sorry I don’t have any advice other than things you’ve already tried.

Looking forward to others advice.

[flyin-lowe]

I could be wrong, or it could be a typo, but I don't recall reading that BB will protect an area of 300 feet. I have always heard 30-50 feet. So if that is what you meant to type, I would guess that is part of the problem. I have had BB's nesting near my martins since the beginning and never have much of a problem with them, especially once they start nesting. Tree swallows typically caused more problems then BB's.

The problem with not offering the housing at all, is that they won't just leave, they will likely be more attracted to your martin housing and you will never be able to open it up because as soon as you do the BB's will try to move in. I don't know where you are from but speaking from experience in the midwest, BB and TS arrive weeks to a month before the martins do. So I recommend in my area, leaving the martin housing closed up early on. Often times they will start nesting before martins arrive, especially if you don't have a colony established.

[scottfreidhof]

Yeah that would suck. There is always a chance that the aggressive bluebirds won't survive another winter. But in case the bluebirds do survive, I agree with your approach to not put up the bluebird nest boxes next year. I would take the bluebird nest boxes down now or as soon as they finish with the third nest attempt in the front yard. Then take this one step further by re-installing your nest boxes this season in neighboring yards if possible - at least 100 yards away from your yard. The goal is to shift the territory that the bluebirds defend much further away from your yard. Probably best to take down your martin gourds in August if you have not in the past.

[Dan G]

I completely understand the frustration. I have seen the same BB behavior in the past years. This year, the blue birds went to the neighbors yard despite our houses being out. I guess the tree swallows had taken possession of all them. The pair of SY’s that claimed our Martin house were a bit aggressive and actually ran(flew) off the TS. Hang in there.

[LCM]

I agree with you wholeheartedly.
Had I known how fierce the BB’s actually were, there would have not been the first box brought on my property.
I love PM’s and they are my most favorite feathered friends.
I fought BB’s for weeks on end, worked my fingers to the bone and FINALLY, moved the BB boxes far enough away for them to finally realize they needed to get busy building nests in their box and start their own family so they finally left the poor martins alone. It was definitely a work in progress and I am not looking forward to this fight next year.

[RC Moser]

I had around 80 pairs PM colony in my backyard also with two BB boxes. Your problem is why I put up BB boxes to keep them less interested in PM houses and gourds. I think rule on BBs boxes is 50 yards apart minimum? Which my wasn’t but the didn’t face each other. Maybe need to evaluate where BB houses are located? I can tell if you don’t put them up they will most likely try to nest in PM houses. IMO being you had BB and they are still active I would not try get them to move on, why? BB figure it there territory and they will defend it. No BB boxes IMO they will be looking at PM houses? I don’t know how big you property is? But, I would try to move them to different spot facing away from PM houses.

[Martintown33]

Very sorry to hear this.. I have BB box only about 30 yards from my Martin racks… hasn’t been a problem at all… they coexist well here… but your post does give me concern.. I hope you can sort it out..
Good luck
Rob

[randyM]

Once you get a PM colony started with 3 or more pairs of martins, the tree swallow and BB problem will be resolved. Once a PM colony is established, resident martins are equally as fierce at protecting their nest sites as BB and TS are. It took me a long time (nearly 10 years) to get my martin colony going due to many (100+) tree swallow nest boxes on my property. In my second year having nesting martins (4 pr) the returning lone ASY male would aggressively challenge any TS that would attempt to harass the martins, even though the TS had arrived at the site 2 weeks before the martins did. I've even seen martins chase off aggressive starlings, western and eastern kingbirds, all of which are larger and more aggressive that BB and TS. I have 4 tree swallow nest boxes scattered among the bases of my 21 martin houses/gourd racks. Now there are few if any altercations between TS and PM each season. On multiple occasions I've even had a TS pair nest in a gourd hanging directly beneath an occupied martin nest cavity (only 1.5' apart!). I've only had a handful of nesting BB over the years, as my site is in an area where very few BB exist. If you can manage to keep the TS and BB at bay for a year or so, (by closing all available TS/BB/PM nest cavities until you have martins visit your site) and get a few PM pairs nesting, you can have the best of all worlds and enjoy three cavity nesting bird species coexisting on your property in relative peace. I would also play the martin Daytime Chatter CD all day and place up to a dozen PM decoys around your site to acclimate any nearby TS and BB to the "presence" of martins in the area, as they may accept the pseudo-martins as part of the local bird community and be less aggressive to real martins when they finally arrive to nest at your site. That's what I did the 1st year I had a single successful nesting martin pair, and it really seemed to temper some of the aggressive behavior of the resident tree swallows.

Best of luck to you going forward.

Randy

[Dave Reynolds]

I hear ya on the TS and BB.. I fought them for over 10 yrs. as well... The BB and TS would not allow any investigating Martins to land on the houses or the Gourds on the rack. Finially -- I closed all the gourds and houses, and would not allow any TS or BB in or on the houses or gourds period. When the TS and the BB left the area, I finially got my first pair, and the colony has grown since then,.. Last word .. Get your Martins first and then maybe later allow a BB or TS in your area.

Dave