I have been using?bluebird-design boxes for about 15 years and the have successfully raised Tree, Violet green, Western Bluebird, and Black-capped Chickadee.? There have been, over that time, about half a dozen failures that are due to really bad spring weather or really hot days.? Most of them are made out of rough cut cedar fence boards.



In my experience , VGs don't do as well in the boxes as do Trees.? The VGs are more particular, choosing the more shaded/cool sites.?They have, then, had more failures in cool/wet springs.


Hal Michael
Olympia WA
360-459-4005 (H)
ucd880 at comcast.net

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ed Newbold " <ednewbold1 at yahoo.com>
To: tweeters at u. washington . edu
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 10:43:12 AM
Subject: [Tweeters] My Violet-green nest-boxes are death-traps




Hal Michael
Olympia WA
360-459-4005 (H)
ucd880 at comcast.net

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ed Newbold " <ednewbold1 at yahoo.com>
To: tweeters at u. washington . edu
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 10:43:12 AM
Subject: [Tweeters] My Violet-green nest-boxes are death-traps



Hi all,

There has been an update letter?from the rehabber of Carolee's British Columbian Violet-green Swallow. Here it is:

HI Carolee, Your bird is doing fantastic. She was definitely emaciated after
having no food for at least 36-48 hours. She is strong enough to sit on her
perch and flutter to the other perch.

?I would get rid of that nest box . ?If the bottom is too narrow or too deep,
they cannot fly up and out. That is why birds get trapped in large small
pails. ?They are too deep for the bird to fly ?out. It is a dangerous trap
but luckily you saved this bird in time. She was90%dead when you brought her
to us. ?Thanks ever so much for caring!!!
????????????????????????????? --Carol

End Quote

I took a look at the boxes I have in stock and they have a? 6" smooth?pinewood vertical plane between the floor and the hole.? When I imagine being a Swallow trying to scale that, I think "How?"

(Luckily, I've been a near-total failure at?marketing these boxes?but there are two customers who have purchased?similar ones?and I'll contact them.? I will?also see if the manufacturer, Countryside Culture,?can build a horizontal designed box like the ones the Violet-greens are currently?using at our house, from a manufacturer who is long out of the business.)

If anyone has a vertical box of the basic Bluebird style design like these, I'd recommend not removing it but raising the floor 3 inches and making sure the scarp the bird faces is rough not smooth.

I'd like to thank Carolee? Colter ,??Paul, ?and Carol from Beaks, the rehabber in British Columbia, for?discovering this problem, which I had no inkling of until now,?and helping?the victim of one of the boxes I dispersed.

-Ed Newbold




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