RE: Wake Audubon bird walk

[Jordan Brooks <jb323@usa.com>]

"Karen and Joe Bearden" <chickadeebirders@earthlink.net> wrote:

>On a sad note, I wrote last week about my excitement of
>finding 4 chickadee eggs in our nest box. You may recall
>I said I heard my first House Wren as I was writing the
>email and hoped he would stay away from my chickadee.
>He didn't, I'm sad to say. I was heartbroken when I saw
>nesting material hanging out of the box. I knew right away
>who was responsible. All the eggs were gone from the nest,
>but I found one on the ground under the box which had been >punctured. I'm
very attached to chickadees, so I was very >upset!!

>Len, you asked how I was going to keep the House Wren away?
>I wasn't able to, but after talking to a birding friend we >wondered--does
anyone have an idea of a nest box that would >attract chickadees but not
House Wrens? Is there something
>that can be done to make it harder for the
>wren?

Sorry to hear about the chickadee eggs, Karen. Would it help to put another
house up for the house wren to use? Perhaps one more suited to house wrens?
I seem to recall reading about a nestbox for house wrens that had a
rectangular entry hole, one better suited for taking sticks into the box.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed because so far, the house wren who's been
building a nest in my last-to-be-occupied nestbox hasn't bothered the six
chickadee hatchlings in the first-to-be-occupied nestbox that's only about 6
feet away. Both of those boxes were meant to be bluebird houses, btw.


--

Jordan Brooks
Raleigh, NC


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