Could my bluebirds be a problem?

[Guest]

Last year I put up a Martin house in March. I had several stop by and check the place out over the spring and finally got a pair to nest around the 2nd week of May. I had put up a Bluebird house sometime after March, and had some birds interested but none moved in. This year, the bluebirds are all over the house, having raised one brood already and are working on their second.

My question is, since the bluebird house is about 10 feet from the martin house, and since I've seen the bluebirds running the Robins out of the backyard, are my bluebirds keeping martins away? We saw one pair of martins check out the rooms of the martin house one morning a month or so ago and haven't seen anymore anywhere close to our airspace, much less on the house.

All the houses I know of in the area that have established residents have had them for at least a month now, if not more. I think I'm at the end of the time frame for the second year birds to be moving through our neck of the woods (West Tennessee). We're starting to think we won't get any this year... Bluebirds are nice, but we'd rather have the martins. If they're keeping the martins away, we'll take the bluebird house down next year.

[Courtney-NC]

I'm not an expert, and you'll probably get mixed responses on this one. Some folks have no trouble with bluebirds, and then there are folks like me, who had to move them to the other side of my yard to get them to leave the martins alone, despite the fact that they had their own nestbox. Did the martins successfully fledge young there last year? If so, provided they survived migration, they should come back. Sometimes the bluebirds will use the martin housing as a hunting perch. Did you have any predation issues last year with snakes/owls/raccoons?

Since I moved my bluebirds, they sometimes use the martin housing as a perch, but they do not chase any other birds away from it. However, if an investigating starling comes near their side of the yard, they will chase it out of the yard, which is nice.

I know this is frustrating. We are nearing the end of time for SY martins here, and the ASY male I had for a little while last year did not come back this year.

Good luck, and hope you see some martins soon!

[Aaron H]

Sounds like you have a good set up for the martins, since you have already had a pair last year, As for your bluebird Question, i think your
bluebird house may be to close to your martin pole, I had the same
problem with my bluebird house being to close also, my bluebirds would
always run the martins away. Want i did to try and keep both bluebirds &
martins was i got a few extra bluebird boxes and put them on the other
side of the house and also moved their house about a 100 feet away from
my martin pole, the bluebirds would still sat on my martin pole but they
stoped chasing any martins that would try and check out the gourds.
Hope this helps to answer your question good luck with your martins.

[Guest]

As stated, there are going to be mixed responses.

I got my house up a little late and the bluebirds that live here already are perching on the house. This morning they were investigating inside a little. I also saw them chase a mockingbird away. So now, anytime I see the bluebirds on the house, I go out and just walk close enough to shoo them away.

I had a couple PMs visit one day and then none since. I have a dawnsong CD on order now.

Tim

[chickadee]

My bb box is ten ft on ground from my martin rack witch is all gourds and his box is wood. I have never had a problem with my bb and martins.and he lands on the the martin rack and he chases them off the bed and breakfast feeder. But when they strike back they win. And I have the meanest bb on the block! He chases and messes with the ts knocking them off their box and keeping them from going in it. They cry and flY around and put up with it. But they stay guess not a whole lot of nesting spots. But my bb also chases starlings off my martin rack. So he helps somewhat for all the pain he causes. I do have an established site. So a bb is not going to chase a martin a way. And if your bb nest in a box and not the martin housing he is not going to chase them away. He picks fights but if your pair made it back he will not keep them away. Hope this helps. Good luck

[chickadee]

Wanted to add a bb will perch on the house. Shoo them all you want you won't keep them off. I gave that up 3 yrs ago. My bb perch on it and my ts. The martins don't mind they knock them off when they don't want them their and they return to the tops of their boxes. And the bb is great for shooing other birds away. Until my martins got back he did it to everyone and when the first martin showed up he did not do it. Its almost like he new the housing is for them and they are not a threat to his box down below. This is just my experience in the past 4 years with my bb and martins. Just keep an eye out and see how your bb acts. But if he's in his own box he should be fine. I have a ts box ten ft from his I threw up at last minute for another pair of ts and like I said he has run them threw the ringer but they are still here.

[Guest]

Just to clarify as some have asked about it... no the pair did not fledge last year. They laid four eggs but for some reason disappeared soon after. I can only guess about what happened.

[Keith]

An established colony of Martins will most likely keep the BB in check but when trying to attract your first pair of Purple Martins I seriously believe your (chances) of attracting them would be much greater with the BB NOT around. This is just my personal opinion even tho I do love BB too.
Keith

[James Johnson]

In a similar post dated Feb. 28, 2011 Site Administrator Louise Chambers gave the following webb sight for information by Dan Drew. http://www.drugfreeworkplace.com/~Dan/T ... GENCY.html

I found the information to be very educational and the applied recommendations have solved the current BB problems. There has been total BB/PM harmony within the 50' radius containing both PP &BB housing. The PM Colony is actively building/laying/feeding and the BBs successfully fledged six this week.

Good Luck with your PM & BB

[Guest]

Thanks for that link James!

I was already planning my BB house and location. That info will be very helpful. I hope to have one built and installed this weekend.

Tim

[Guest]

I actually saw a pair of martins flying around the house this morning, and both bluebirds were perched on our fence. It wasn't a direct attack and there wasn't any contact, but on a close swoop near the house, a bluebird shot right up toward the martin doing the flyby. I couldn't help but think they were trying to keep the martins away.

It's too late this year, but next year I'm moving the bluebird house.

[Guest]

I am no bird expert, but this is based upon my observations this past week.

I installed a BB house per the article directions. The BB pair were all over it within 10 minutes of me leaving the immediate area. They fly all over it, look inside, and even entered a couple of times.
4 days later, not a speck of nest material inside.
I put my martin house back up, played my dawnsong this morning.
BB pair is all over the PM house. Perching, hunting, inspecting.
had one PM fly by and they chased him away. Then perched nearby to stand guard.

I am not sure where the BBs are nested, but it is at least a hundred feet away as their nest is not within that radius of my PM house. They are not looking for a nest, they are protecting their territory. They are looking inside to see who has built in their space.

Now I have a HOSP looking inside. I built a repeating trap over the weekend, but it must not be in a good location.

Tim

[James Johnson]

Tim, They (BB) are predictably persistent little critters that don’t easily alter their territorial claim but can be redirected. For me it was a frustrating process that required a Trio with four gourds to be closed for over a month. Fortunately I had two other nearby houses with gourds that were occupied by PM and attracting new arrivals. It was well over a week before BBs started building nest in the designated BB house and another three weeks before laying an egg. After the first egg appeared the Martins housing was opened. Late arriving SY Martins have occupied all four gourds and five of the six expanded Trio cavities. The BB successfully fledged six and are actively supporting them to maturity. The adult BBs often sit on the clothes line pole that also supports the Martin housing. There has been no further BB/PM squabbling over the cavities.
“From the article”
THE CARDINAL RULE IN THE PROTOCOL REMAINS THE SAME:
THE "PROBLEM" TREE SWALLOW OR BLUE BIRD PAIR MUST BE COMMITTED TO THE NEW HOUSING before you should raise and open your PM housing again without monitoring.
The word "committed" ideally would mean their depositing of an egg in the new accommodations. But, often there is not time to wait... and therefore most experts feel it will be "safe" to open the PM rig earlier... such as when nestbuilding is well along! Later in this section there is a "scoresheet" for measuring TS committment. CLICK HERE or scroll down to see the "scoresheet." But, regardless of when you decide to re-open the PM cavities, BE AWARE OF THE COROLLARY RULE:
THE COROLLARY RULE IS ALSO CRITICAL:
UNTIL YOUR "PROBLEM" TS OR BB PAIR COMMITS TO THEIR DESIGNATED HOUSING, NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THEM WITH YOUR PM CAVITIES OPEN.
To do this would be to invite the disaster of a TS or BB invasion... and would probably ruin your chances of getting martins this year.


Tim, Don't give up. You will be rewaded with Blue and Purple.

[Guest]

Thanks for the advice James,

We have had BB here for years without doing anything at all to help them.
I have been looking at getting PM housing for years and just now made the plunge. Of course it is probably too late for 2011, but we can get all the kinks worked out, guards up, decoys out, relocate the the BBs, trap the HOSPs, and be ready (fingers crossed) for 2012.

Tim

[Guest]

I have alot of bluebirds here, and they are a persistent problem with trying to keep them out of the martin housing. I have three BB houses up at the edge of my 5 acre field, and the martin houses about 75 feet from my own house. I finally decided to build the BB's their own "martin house", and placed it about 100 feet from my house on the west side. The martin housing is on the north side. I'm hoping that the BB's will go to their own martin house. I also plan to build other houses for the BB's that look like 4 compartment martin houses, and place those where my outlying BB houses are now, about 10 feet in the air. It's a constant battle for me to keep my martin houses free from BB's until I can re-establish a martin colony. I've heard and read that in some areas, it's not a problem, but my BB's stay here year-round, and that may be one of the reasons it's a constant battle here.

[Guest]

I also plan to build other houses for the BB's that look like 4 compartment martin houses, and place those where my outlying BB houses are now, about 10 feet in the air.

Can you get BBs to nest that close together? I read the houses need to be spaced about 100 yards apart...

Tim

[Guest]

I also plan to build other houses for the BB's that look like 4 compartment martin houses, and place those where my outlying BB houses are now, about 10 feet in the air.

Can you get BBs to nest that close together? I read the houses need to be spaced about 100 yards apart...

Tim

Oh, I realize they won't nest in the same house, as they aren't colonial nesters, but since they seem to prefer the martin houses, I'm trying to give them an alternative to my martin yard. Using bird psychology.

I can build one of these 4 compartment houses out of 6" cedar fencing for around 5 dollars + my labor, and I love woodworking projects, so it's well worth my time.

[Guest]

I got it now.

I am just starting to learn all the birds and behaviors. So I question a lot.

Tim

[Guest]

I got it now.

I am just starting to learn all the birds and behaviors. So I question a lot.

Tim

No need to feel uncomfortable with asking questions. Apologies if I made you feel that way. I'm a person who likes to tinker and experiment, so much of what I'm doing is for the pure pleasure and curiosity of it.