WRENS Are Breaking Martin Eggs
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The Olsons
- Posts: 3200
- Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:57 pm
- Location: North Padre Island, TX
Flylow,
I am very sorry to hear this
Unfortunately, I have no experience with Wrens....is there anything you can do and what? I saw one in our yard a few days ago and did not know what it was until my husband told me. I did not know they would be as bad as the S&S.
I hope you can get that little wren under control and that things are going to get better for you and your martins. Best wishes and good luck
Astrid
I am very sorry to hear this
Unfortunately, I have no experience with Wrens....is there anything you can do and what? I saw one in our yard a few days ago and did not know what it was until my husband told me. I did not know they would be as bad as the S&S. I hope you can get that little wren under control and that things are going to get better for you and your martins. Best wishes and good luck
Astrid
House wrens are usually the culprits in the wren family. They are known to pierce the eggs of other species. It might help to put a house up for the wren as far away from your martin setup as you can. Don't know if it will work or not. Good luck...
Patrick
Patrick
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TreeGreenwood
- Posts: 362
- Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2004 9:27 pm
- Location: Virginia/Catlett
One strategy, one that worked for me for a few years, is to provide LOTS of cavities for the male House Wren (HOWR).
In establishing his territory and to attract a female, the male HOWR tries to identify many available cavities and to fill them with sticks, the base of a HOWR nest. He then takes visiting females around to all the places that he found. Those may include odd cavities like a clothespin basket hanging under a clothes line, under the protective cover on a propane tank, folds in an umbrella over a picnic table and a pair of muck boots on an open porch. The female HOWR picks the final nesting spot which might not be one of the cavities identified by the male. She lines the nestbowl and finishes the nest. Until she starts laying eggs and the male concentrates on protecting the chosen nest site, both Wrens may peck eggs in any cavity in their 'territory.'
HOWR prefer brushy areas with lots of protective foilage. For me, that's the front of our home where landscape bushes and trees are good Wren habitat. I cut holes in undersize gourds and provide lots of Wren houses up front, far from my Martin rigs and Bluebird houses. I try to put out at least a few dozen to as many as 60 suitable Wren cavities up under the mature trees out front, an area of about 130 x 40'. The little male HOWR gets absolutely frantic in his efforts to prepare nest bases of small twigs in all of those cavities in hopes of attracting a female. He's so busy in the area that I chose that he never ventures into the open areas where the Purple Martin, Tree Swallow and Bluebird housing is located.
This strategy worked for me. The male HOWR has been dominant and aggressive enough to prevent any other HOWR male from invading his territory. I'm in a rural area, surrounded by pastures and agricultural fields. Only my landscaped front and side yards are suitable habitat for Wrens. If you're in a suburban neighborhood, every lot probably provides suitable habitat for a pair of HOWR. If they can't find cavities close together, they will rove out to a couple hundred feet from the bushy, brushy areas that they prefer.
House Wrens are particularly difficult to deal with. They're native birds, protected by law. They're tiny but very loud critters whose survival system includes preventing larger cavity-nesting birds from breeding successfully by destroying the eggs of the larger compeditors and filling all the cavities with sticks. If you have the space available, you might try overloading the wee male HOWR with lots of cavities in a small area as far from your Martin housing as possible.
Best of luck in lealing with the Wrens,
Tree
In establishing his territory and to attract a female, the male HOWR tries to identify many available cavities and to fill them with sticks, the base of a HOWR nest. He then takes visiting females around to all the places that he found. Those may include odd cavities like a clothespin basket hanging under a clothes line, under the protective cover on a propane tank, folds in an umbrella over a picnic table and a pair of muck boots on an open porch. The female HOWR picks the final nesting spot which might not be one of the cavities identified by the male. She lines the nestbowl and finishes the nest. Until she starts laying eggs and the male concentrates on protecting the chosen nest site, both Wrens may peck eggs in any cavity in their 'territory.'
HOWR prefer brushy areas with lots of protective foilage. For me, that's the front of our home where landscape bushes and trees are good Wren habitat. I cut holes in undersize gourds and provide lots of Wren houses up front, far from my Martin rigs and Bluebird houses. I try to put out at least a few dozen to as many as 60 suitable Wren cavities up under the mature trees out front, an area of about 130 x 40'. The little male HOWR gets absolutely frantic in his efforts to prepare nest bases of small twigs in all of those cavities in hopes of attracting a female. He's so busy in the area that I chose that he never ventures into the open areas where the Purple Martin, Tree Swallow and Bluebird housing is located.
This strategy worked for me. The male HOWR has been dominant and aggressive enough to prevent any other HOWR male from invading his territory. I'm in a rural area, surrounded by pastures and agricultural fields. Only my landscaped front and side yards are suitable habitat for Wrens. If you're in a suburban neighborhood, every lot probably provides suitable habitat for a pair of HOWR. If they can't find cavities close together, they will rove out to a couple hundred feet from the bushy, brushy areas that they prefer.
House Wrens are particularly difficult to deal with. They're native birds, protected by law. They're tiny but very loud critters whose survival system includes preventing larger cavity-nesting birds from breeding successfully by destroying the eggs of the larger compeditors and filling all the cavities with sticks. If you have the space available, you might try overloading the wee male HOWR with lots of cavities in a small area as far from your Martin housing as possible.
Best of luck in lealing with the Wrens,
Tree
Flylow,
What's going on with your wren situation? I've noticed one here at my place the past few days. He has investigated both my PM houses, which are out in the open, but I think he's settled on some wren houses and gourds I placed in a grove of small oak trees. He's cute and fun to watch, but I sure don't want him thinking he can live in the PM houses!
My mom has several in her yard, as well as some nesting HOSPs. Those wrens have wreaked havoc on the HOSP nests, tossing out eggs as fast as the female HOSP can lay them. I don't feel any sympathy for those HOSPs AT ALL!
I think I'm slowly getting my mom to change her mind about the "cute, sweet little sparrow," but in the meantime, those wrens are doing all kinds of active management.
What's going on with your wren situation? I've noticed one here at my place the past few days. He has investigated both my PM houses, which are out in the open, but I think he's settled on some wren houses and gourds I placed in a grove of small oak trees. He's cute and fun to watch, but I sure don't want him thinking he can live in the PM houses!
My mom has several in her yard, as well as some nesting HOSPs. Those wrens have wreaked havoc on the HOSP nests, tossing out eggs as fast as the female HOSP can lay them. I don't feel any sympathy for those HOSPs AT ALL!
I think I'm slowly getting my mom to change her mind about the "cute, sweet little sparrow," but in the meantime, those wrens are doing all kinds of active management.Candace