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Submitted By
TheG Bird
Wisconsin, USA
Description
I was wondering if I should clear out all the sticks in this box or just some. The sticks about halfway up to the entrance hole. I have had house wrens nest there before. Will cleaning it out increase the chance of nesting? Thanks in advance.
Category
Question About Nest Box
Hi,
Although most birds don’t reuse their nest, this is not the case with bird boxes. Nest Watch suggests that you clean the bird box out after every season, if you don’t that’s totally alright because the bird will do it too, but you can lend a helping hand.
Good luck birdwatching!
thanks! i just saw a eastern blue bird go in there this morning so i guess i will leave it alone, i really want bluebirds this year.
Last time I removed the House wren stick nest after they killed five swallow eggs. Be aware that the house wrens might kill your bluebird eggs and there are some ways to prevent that.
i think that might have happened before, how do i prevent them killing the nestlings? is there a page on Nestwatch that can tell me what to do?
The sticks indicate a House Wren, a native bird, is using this box. If the box is halfway full of sticks, just wait and see if eggs are laid. If they are, they are protected under law. If eggs never appear (sometimes a nest is not used after all), you can clean them out. It’s unlikely a bluebird will use the box if it is already full of twigs.
Try these website or you can do more research your own. http://www.sialis.org/wrens.htm
https://bluebirdlandlord.com/how-to-keep-wrens-out-of-bluebird-houses-5-methods/
https://www.wikihow.com/Deter-House-Wrens-from-Nestboxes