Nest Box Wars

Violet-greens checking out the new housing

 Huzzah! The third time (year) is the charm - the Violet-green Swallows are nesting in the nesting box just outside my bedroom doors. Previously they nested at least 5 years in a row in a ventilator opening 15 feet over my bedroom balcony. not a great place for them to nest, not a great place for me as I couldn't use the room ventilation system. Someone did volunteer to somehow climb up there to seal it shut, but I vetoed the idea - don't want anyone to fall to their death on my watch. 

One of 'my' Violet-green Swallows

Last year, after the swallows moved into the vent. building their feathery nest, the new comer EFFING House Sparrows evicted my swallows from the vent! I was angrier than a wet hen, but I couldn't climb up 15 ft to evict the damn House Sparrows from the not-a-legit-nesting hole. 

So in 2024 I had a nest box installed on my bedroom balcony. It was ignored by all things feathered until this year. I was delighted to see a lovely pair of Violet-greens - seen above perched on the left side of the railing, and its mate is peeking out of the bird box. Every day I see them I am stunned they are finally using the box. And more exciting, the House Sparrows have not hijacked the box. HALLEJULAH! 

Meanwhile, one of my 2 orchard bird boxes has been taken for a 2nd year by a happy pair of Northern House Wrens. Last year I heard them, and was all 'who is that singing?' and was flabbergasted to see cute pair of House Wrens making themselves at home. I felt guilty as I hadn't emptied the nesting material from the previous year's nesting by chickadees.

The House Wrens love to sit on their house
and proclaim ownership of their box

The box is so weathered it looks 
like it's decades old, only 4 years old

But when I went to the box and opened it - the old nesting material was not there. Turns out the House Wrens, somehow, managed to empty the box all by themselves. The nest material was on the ground where the Wrens dumped it. Smart little tweeties they are. So this year they are back, singing and raising their family. Joy! 

[Update: AAARRRGGGHHHH! So there is no longer much joy in Mudville. The Violet-green Swallows on my balcony got 'evicted', that is, they were bullied out of their nest box by EFFING House Sparrows. House Sparrows are not native to North America. They are known for being quite aggressive when competing for nesting sites. They will... if you are sensitive to violence, read no further.

House Sparrows will enter a nest box in use, and if there is a bird sitting on a nest, the House Sparrow will peck the bird on the head until it is dead. Then the House Sparrows will build THEIR nest on top of the dead bird. I am relieved to say, the Violet-greens just abandoned THEIR box, under pressure from the sparrows. I checked the box and there was only the House Sparrow nest in it, and I evicted the House Sparrows. EFFING HOUSE SPARROWS!

On the bright side, the very self defending Northern House Wrens for a second year in a row, successfully reared a brood of baby wrens in THEIR nest box. I hope to see these cheeky little native species again next year.]