Ugh! This is what greeted me when I opened the bluebird box on Thursday. Hard to reconcile this messy debris with the beautiful nest full of babies that we last saw. I need to scrape out all this old nest material, brush the walls and floor down with a wire brush, and pour boiling water through the box to clean and sanitize it for the next clutch.
This is what happens when you neglect your trap box for too long:
A House Sparrow builds her nest and lays her eggs. Horse hair, plastic trash, baler twine, dried and fresh grasses, and these spotted eggs are classic. After trapping and removing the female, I removed the eggs and nest, too.
Next nests to monitor will be Purple Martins and Tree Swallows. Updates soon.
Newly returning migrants: Barn Swallows came back this week.
2 comments:
Congratulations! Do you see the fledglings around?
I'm delighted to know that at least one clutch of house sparrows won't be around.
Thank you and all the other bluebird tenders. It's a lot of work, but the rewards are great for all of us.
Happy to hear they fledged! I have a little history with Barn Swallows and would love to see them again. I believe the HOSP have invaded a nest I made for the swallows and need to check it out - tomorrow.
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