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@@HandFeedWildBirds I really appreciate that. Thank you so much.

@@nesthollow5159 of course! 🐦🐦😊😊

Wow 35 pounds! Congratulations on so many hummingbirds this season. Sorry for your wallet ;)

@@nesthollow5159 they absolutely deserve this. You should see when they first arrive in April, the winds out here (Northern AZ) can be at 40 mph and freezing. They’re typically males and work so hard to establish for their females. Kudos to these little guys💕

Ahh yes. You are ao right. The food web at its finest. Apex predators are the exception, I supposed. They are the ones that don't have a natural predator. They're top of the food chain. But it's really easy to protect bluebird nest boxes from most of these predators. The stovepipe baffle is the big protection. What's tougher is the open nesting birds. It's amazing they make it!

Sounds like a real haven for your birds - and I bet it is such a joy to watch. I had some poke berry growing last year - volunteer I guess. But it didn't come back up. The birds must really love the berries you have, and I bet right now with fall rolling around, it's all in high demand.

@nesthollow5159 the poke salad plants come up every year in the same place, with more plants branching out to form new plants in different places. The Bluebirds, Mockingbirds, America Robin's, Warblers, Cedar Wax Wings are just a few I've seen that love the berries.

Yayyyy. You've got to be loving it!

Congratulations. It never gets old watching bluebirds (or other native birds) take that first flight.

Perfect timing to get ine depending in where you are since they're moving south right now. I've had more activity lately than all summer! Enjoy it 🐦🪶

@@nesthollow5159 N.E. Arkansas

What a coincidence! Good timing, it sounds like :)

Thanks. Those are great tips

Wow. That is a really tough situation. I've lived in some pretty rural areas where a vet was a good drive away. I can see how it being inaccessible for a lot of people would make it hard to control the population

The repeating elevator trap (caged one) can be found at sparrowtraps.net. Last I looked, it goes for about $75 for the base model plus shipping. Definitely worth it if you have a lot of house sparrows.

oh that's interesting about the nematodes. I'll have to look into that. Thanks :)

Yea, they've really overwhelmed that area. The Missouri department of conservation does not protect them. They are also not federally protected. So if your city area has no ordinances against trapping, that is an option. Falconers can sometimes take live birds too. If you go that route, research safe trapping practices and identification. Managing them is really tough, especially since they can get into chickadee-sized nest box holes.

It's so rough when that happens, especially once you've known them for so long. But it is so wonderful to hear he found a new mate so soon.

Im sorry to hear about your male bluebird disappearing. Thats really sad when it happens. But, this is a really neat observation. And it's also interesting the mother tries to run it off sometimes. It does make me wonder if he's a "helper son" and she's got her wires crossed at different moments....like hey, you're grown, get out of here, and then, oh thanks for the worms and helping with the kids. It could just as easily be another male too, like you said. That has happened where a male will have 2 separate families, usually at different phases of nesting, and he is attentive to both. I don't have an answer on this, but definitely keep watching. These kinds of observations open us to so much about bird behavior, and it's really fun to learn in real-time right outside your window.

Thank you so much for the photography note. It's a learning curve, but very enjoyable. Do you do photography?

No, I am not a photographer but I really appreciate those who do photography.

OH dear. That's wild. How did you manage all the babies? But yes, I think things work a lot differently when in captivity and domestic settings. That kind of plays into the "environmental stress" not to say that they're stressed exactly, but nature wants to have its way in the end.... so "all you got is who you got." This also happens a lot in pet hoarding situations. So yea, if breeding resources are limited, the mechanisms that safeguard animals from this won't matter as much. That's a fun share though, thanks so much :)

The Eurasian tree sparrows are starting to branch out, but it sounds like you're pretty familiar with these guys too. They're definitely troublesome. I've got a whole other video on the aggression side because I've been able to see a lot more in that department. As to the bird banding, that is really cool that you were a federal bander! I just got to go to a hummingbird festival where we watched a federal bander band 46 hummingbirds. I plan to do some sort of video about that down the road. It was just an amazing learning experience. I'm finding that there aren't many banders out there anymore though. Do you know if mentorship is built into the programs? The information that comes out of studies from finding banded birds is just so helpful!

@@nesthollow5159 actually Banning has started to become a thing of the past. With the digital age the technology is getting smaller and smaller so they can do geo tracking. This is being done extensively with purple martins I've got a friend in Wisconsin who is putting Geo tracking locators what some of his purple martins. Getting into the banding program is more about who you know than what you know. I was friends with a master bander and I got in the program under him. It also helped that I had 15 years of experience breeding caged birds and and I close Bandit all of my babies.. I would find that Banner that did the hummingbirds and ask him if he would do your Bluebirds for you. It's real easy to do on nestlings in a nest box. It's pretty easy to trap the adults too. The only thing I band now are pigeons. I keep pigeons to keep the birds of prey busy and away from the purple martins the bluebirds and my chickens. I've learned that birds of prey prefer pigeons over any other prey species. I think it is because the passenger pigeon went extinct. That's just my theory. Every once in awhile though one of my banded pigeons is found hundreds of miles away.. I live west of Chicago on I've had pigeons found all the way near Detroit

That's really cool about the pigeons! I've been seeing more in papers about radio telemetry and geolocation. It is catching on it seems.

Thank you for this informative video. I have had the same questions in my mind. How is a new genetic pool introduced when the flock of bluebirds in a seemingly secluded area may all be related? I live on a golf course in a rather secluded community, on the outskirts of a small city. I always see bluebirds within about a 4 mile radius around the golf course, especially near the big pine trees scattered on the perimeters of the golf course. I had 2 successful broods hatch this year. In total 11 young who are very healthy and bigger than their parents. I fed mealworms regularly with eggshell powder calcium. Sadly I didnt get a camera inside the nestbox in time. Next season Ill be more prepared.

I have a few questions. Do you ever take your nestboxes down? I live in SoCal and I took the the nestbox down after the last 2nd brood fledged but maybe that was a mistake. It seemed the weather was so hot even though I provided an umbrella for shade.

Thank you so much. It was really fascinating to learn about and research

Did the July brood fledge or were they too young still? If they were 2 young, how did the nest look when it was empty? Was it disheveled and messy looking or was it all neat with the cup still intact? A messy, disheveled empty nests usually suggests a mammalian predator loke s racoon or squirrel. A neat, empty nest usually suggests a snake. Oooor, if they were very very young, a house wren (native bird) got in and tossed them out. A house sparrow may have left them in the box, and you would see injuries. Can you let me know about how old they were and what part of North America you're in? That may help with understanding the situation more.

That's so neat to have had them around like that. Sad that it's only one now. There is the mythology that cardinals can be messengers from beyond to reassure us. For me, I think God can send any bird that is meaningful to us to be a symbol of hope or reassurance that our loved ones are now in good hands. Keep feeding and protecting your cardinals and watching them, and maybe you will see more, especially in winter when they are less territorial. They are such a cheerful sight in the winter too.

Aren't they though! It's really adorable how curious and friendly they are with bluebirds.

It happens. But it does seem late in the season. But hey, congratulations on having another ser of bluebirds.

That's a tough one. I still think they aren't quite as aggressive as a house sparrow. But one unalived one of my female blues over winter break, and I have a 2 minute video of one attacking a female in the box. That second female blue escaped thank goodness. On both occasions, the aggression happened when the Eurasian Tree Sparrow became highly interested in the box. They also are more aggressive with littler birds like chickadees and house wrens. They are fully protected in the state of Illinois so if you live in IL, you can't do anything. In MO, the Missouri department of conservation does not protect them since they are an old world sparrow. Some states regard them as invasive. I believe Wisconsin does not protect them, but you'd want to double check if that's where you are. I would call your state's conservation department and then check with your city or county. I still think they aren't quite as aggressive as the house sparrow, but they are still a danger and definitely outcompete natove birds in certain locations.

💛💛💛💛 Got to love goldfinches

They can sometimes be a bit shy. But so lovely when you do catch the sight of them.

They are amazingly peaceful and settling for the soul when watching and listening to them. What a treat to see warblers are your park too!

Oh wow!

Congratulations on the success, and I have to applaud your handyman for being willing to dispatch! As for your first dispatch... it's always the roughest. Just make sure you've correctly IDed it. Then you just have to do it... don't think. Just do. Dispose, and then process after. It gets easier in time, but it's never something enjoyable, and it's not a thing we should "enjoy." Just a duty. You'll do just fine though. It can help to set up a reward after getting through it, like going out for an ice cream or something. I love WBU, but I share in your disappointment. I also get frustrated that they heavily encourage feeding during the nesting season. But they have to. Selling bird seed is what keeps the lights on, and also keeps people coming to the store for impulse shopping that keeps the store running. It's just kind of misinformation being spread, and that's the part I don't like. For education, talk to management about inviting experts to do regular talks. Heck, if your shop is somehow only within a few hours, id maybe be willing to help. Your state's bluebird society can maybe help you find a speaker too. Maybe start a community effort, finding experienced landlords and newbies and then organize a local mentorship program. I believe WBUs are franchises, and each store is ran pretty independently so long as it conforms to franchise standards. So some stores will do an excellent job informing people about how we can really implement conservation efforts in our own backyard. Others don't, and part of it is just that this takes sooooo much effort and store owners are already so busy. But hey... this seems like a good opportunity for me to plug the coloring book for your store's consideration :) plus it's kind of a decent sales tool nesthollow.com/product/hosting-bluebirds-guide-coloring-book-for-retail-orders/ I think stores can order from book distributors too. Anyway, get creative. I'm sure if you offer to spearhead a lot of this, your manager would be happy to do these things, especially if it brings people into the shop.

Yep. For some people, this is absolutely true. It's a big conservation effort that not many realize. Better not to put a box out than to put one out and not properly manage it.

Thank you very much. And cheers to 2 years. I am not sure what could have gotten the other 3 babies. It's possible maybe a house sparrow got in and harmed 3 out of four. If they were small enough, the parents may have removed them. If the heat where you are has gotten intense and above 100, that could be a cause. They can tolerate a hot box to a point. I strap ice packs around the boxes using bungee sometimes when it's above 100. The dehydration part is strange. If the parents are keeping up with feeding, the bugs would hydrate the babies. But then if heat was the issue, it may have been a perfect storm :( Or It could be a sickness, but if the rehabbers got this baby all hydrated, then im not sure... I'm just as puzzled as you. Those are my guesses. It can be hard to tell sometimes. But don't blame yourself either. Sounds like you're doing all you can. We do our best, but nature is brutal. It's a miracle anything survives.

I believe that. Theres a lot of pride in it too. It definitely is enjoyable when you have the know-how and confidence for sure. And, by building your own, you can customize it. But not everyone is comfortable with woodworking. And sometimes it takes a little time to get there.

@nesthollow5159 I agree...keep the vids coming

Oh! Yes. Its good to hear you fill them in. PMs just involve a lot, and I might do a similar video for then down the road. Most have no idea about the conservation aspect. Thank you.

@@nesthollow5159 it took me 20 years to get one pair of purple martins. 11 years later I'm up to 124 as of this year it took a long time

@@nesthollow5159 I told someone this about a week back. They will always find people to host Blue birds but not purple martins... In the end the numbers will plummet because no new young people are interested.

Trying to attract younger people is something I want to explore. Get kids interested. A challenge is controlling invasive species is something that we would shield kids from, not because they can't handle or but because some parents may disagree when not fully knowing the situation. But there are all the other aspects of hosting birds we can teach, and I think it's still safe to discuss invasive population control with young people, maybe not show or have them do it though... not unless the parents really understand.

@@nesthollow5159 it took me 20 yrs to get one pair of purple martins, 7 of those years There was a colony of 30 pair across the street. I was in my late 20s back then and I was the youngest person in the local martin landlord circle. We even formed a club back then. I am now 60 and all the old times have passed. There are no young people coming up in this interest and I can go on a huge diatribe why that is. Bluebirds and wood ducks will always find someone to pick up the mantle. In the end it will be Amish communities that continue hosting Blue birds and Purple martins.

Thank you thank you so much :). And it sounds like you are having a lot of success. That's incredible! I love that your husband is so engaged and interested too. It's wonderful how it rubs off and is so contagious. The egg not hatching is always a bummer, but it happens often. I think I encounter that with each nest at least once per season. I'm actually not sure what happens there and might look into more of why some eggs are not viable. I suspect they just don't get fertilized or perhaps something went wrong during development. But it is definitely a let down because it's one less potential you were probably counting on. Keep up your tally over the years. Your box might foster 50-100 bluebirds as the years go on (maybe a few decades actually). Again, thanks for the kind comment, and enjoy your bluebirds.