OT-Bluebirds in the Martin house.

641Dave · Apr 2, 2012

Well, I guess I did something right for a change. I got several martins that have taken up residence in my new martin house.

I'm pretty happy about that. We had fun watching those critters flying around the other evening. To me they are the corsair's of birds. lol.

Anyway, I noticed last week that our eastern bluebirds were gone. I figured I goofed up by putting their house to close to the bird feeder, which is always busy. Anyway, I noticed them yesterday and they apparently moved to the martin house.

So, for you martin house folks out there, should I relocated the blue bird house out away from all the the busy stuff and remove their nest from the martin house or will the cohabit together without problems?

Paul Shuler · Apr 2, 2012

I have 2 blue bird houses with in about 50' of my martin house. My blue birds sit on top of the martin house all the time but I have never seen them go in it. One of my blue bird houses has barn swallows raise in it every year. I kept tearing them out for a while then I gave up. They all seem to get along ok. They sure dont like blue jays though.

luv2wrench · Apr 2, 2012

who does like blue jays?? ha ha

they are mean.

john bowers · Apr 2, 2012

i can not seem to get martins to nest in my bird house. it is a bought house with with 14 places. i have it on top of a 18 ft pipe on the edge of my garden and away from trees. there is a power line about 40 ft from the bird house. i see them flying around in the summer and have had a lone bachelor sit on the power line in the evenings. i put it up every year on april 1 and take it down july 4, clean out any sparrow trash and put it away for the next year. what am i doing wrong?
john bowers

kj(seil) · Apr 2, 2012

a pair of blue jays nest just behind our house and give you whaty for when mowing theyard

641Dave · Apr 2, 2012

I don't know John, but taking down the house by July 4th seems way to early.

Two Dogs · Apr 2, 2012

I have 12 gourds on one pole and 8 on another on the opposite side of my house. I am virtually over run with the little critters. I put my gourds up on Valentine's Day and take them down and clean them out around the middle of July. If put up too early other birds will homestead. Especially Blue Birds. TDF

Fergienewbee · Apr 2, 2012

You might try moving your bluebird box away from the martins. Bluebirds prefer to nest around grasslands and tend to nest closer to the ground--i.e. fenceposts. Tree swallows also nest in bluebird boxes. If you put up three boxes with 20 feet or so between them, you can have two bluebirds with a tree swallow or chickadee in between. Erecting boxes away from brush and houses discourages wrens and sparrows respectively.

Larry

Anonymous-0 · Apr 2, 2012

curious as to why you would want to discourage wrens. and i assume you are speaking about house sparrows (actually a type of finch), which, along with starlings, don't belong in north america. i do what i can to eliminate those 2.

pat sublett · Apr 2, 2012

Just leave them alone. Blue Birds don't have a problem with other species of bird, Only Blue Birds. They will not nest within 1000 ft. of another Blue Bird. Just keep your Blue Bird houses clean their next nest will likley be back in a Blue Bird house if it is the proper deminsions. They often start a new batch as soon as the first batch hatches. The male will feed the babies while the mother hatches a new bunch in the second nest. I had one pair raise 18 0ne year. You need to have at least 2 houses close together. Keep the wrens and sparrow nest torn out. Blue Birds will usually build a "claim nest" early in one house, It will be very shallow, don't tear it out. I currently have 5 babies.

Anonymous-0 · Apr 3, 2012

Your not going to believe this, but I had the same problem years ago. Granddad told me they are position sentisive birds. North, South etc. He told me to turn it 90 degrees.Seemd crazy at the time.
He was right...learned something that day.

El Toro · Apr 3, 2012

I had martins from 1966 until 1972. We had a rain storm that dropped about 7 inches of rain up and down the East coast in 1972. When I came home from work my wife said there's something wrong in the martin house. She thought some of the birds were dead. I pulled the martin house and all the baby birds had drowned from the heavy rain. We bought new martin houses, but no birds would build in it. I built the martin house back in 1966. I threw out the martin house. Here's a picture of that martin house. Sure do miss those birds. Hal

john bowers · Apr 4, 2012

that looks like the bird house i have. i never
had rain get in but did not have a bad storm
like hurricane agnes of 1972 in central wisconsin. i read somewhere that they like white
colored houses so i painted mine white. i scrub
the inside with soap and water as the house sparrows try to nest if the martins don't
john bowers

john bowers · Apr 8, 2012

bill,
what diection should it point,i now have it
with the big sides east and west, the 6 holes
on each side.
john bowers

Anonymous-0 · Apr 9, 2012

I would try turning it 90 degrees and see what happens.

OT-Bluebirds in the Martin house.

641Dave

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Paul Shuler

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luv2wrench

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john bowers

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kj(seil)

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641Dave

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Two Dogs

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Fergienewbee

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Anonymous-0

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pat sublett

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Anonymous-0

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El Toro

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john bowers

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john bowers

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Anonymous-0

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