Feathers and Fuzz

one woman's cure for the empty-nester blues

Lessons Learned

Just to be clear, I am not an expert on either feathered or fuzzy things.  Still, I would like to think I’ve learned some things from personal experience.  For now, my “lessons learned” focus will be on predator protection.  My personal predator rule is:  I don’t get to choose who lives.  I will learn the lessons predators teach me with my specific houses/platforms — and I will try to devise an improved means to protect these without doing harm — even to the predators. Two more things I would add:

  1. After an attack, the bird parents move on so much better than we humans do.  I have witnessed a female Phoebe zip up to check on her nestlings first thing in the morning — only to find an empty nest.  I felt so sorry her!  She, on the other hand, all but shrugged and produced another brood.  I’m still working on that shrugging thing.
  2. The video about the Yellowstone Park wolf-reintroduction program forever changed my view on predation.  While I prefer not to witness nature being harsh, it is easier now to put my trust His design.  Click here for a link to the wolf-reintroduction video by Sustainable Human.

Predators

#1 Lesson Learned is:  Don’t attach a birdhouse to a tree as it can’t be protected from the exceptional hunting and climbing skills of the rat snake (or many 4-legged predators who climb trees).  I have personally witnessed a pair of rat snakes climbing straight up a 14′ brick wall to reach a nest of Eastern Phoebes.  Fortunately, I had a group of people here for the night … so we used a water hose to chase the snakes off the wall … then took turns keeping vigil through the night.  The next morning we covered all surrounding brick walls with plastic sheeting.  All nestlings became fledglings.  As I think about it now, I don’t think those houseguests have been back, though.

#2 Lesson Learned is:  We’ve been told to place bird houses within reach (25′-50′) of a tree/shrub to provide a landing place for fledglings.  I’d like to add to that.  Houses should also be 10+ feet from a limb that could be used by a predator to gain access to the house … and should not be placed under a limb as some predators will “fall” onto a house.  I don’t know how far a predator is willing to fall.  I suppose it depends on how hungry it is.

#3 Lesson Learned is:  Commercial snake baffles (essentially upside-down cans mounted to a pole) often have a gap at the top which can let a predator through.  Reduce the size of the baffle’s mounting gap to a sliver — whether by duct tape or other means.  I think the purpose of the gap might be for potential predators to see daylight, drawing them up the pole inside the baffle — baffled (pun intended) by their dead-end situation, they retreat back down the pole.  I have been told that small snakes and even chipmunks can navigate the “commercial gap”.

#4 Lesson Learned is:  Flying Squirrels are smarter than me.  They can be predators of nestlings, especially in the spring when Flying Squirrels are nursing their own young and require protein.  I will share with you my efforts to thwart their entrance into bird houses in future posts.  My current design looks evil, isn’t evil, and may be working.  Meanwhile, I feed the Flyers (as I call them).  I put out a cup of black oil seed, mounted to a tree, just before dark  (so as not to feed the gray squirrels).  The Flyers are in that cup every night!  Does it help?  So far so good.