During nesting
season, trail monitors may find what they think are unused nests,
abandoned nests, or unhatched eggs. The following good advice is
taken from www.sialis.org:
Unused Nests:
Sometimes egg laying does not begin until weather or food supply
improves. Removing an apparently unused nest prematurely may cause
the birds to move elsewhere or lose precious time rebuilding. I have
had completed nests vacant for weeks, and then suddenly eggs are
laid. If the birds started a nest and then left it for some reason,
or completed a nest and then left or were killed, the nest material
can be left in the box as it may be used by other birds or maybe
even the same birds who deposited it in the first place. Many
monitors save completed, unused bluebird nests in case a nest change
is needed. Note that Black-capped chickadees will not return to a
failed (predated) nest site.
Abandoned Nests and Unhatched Eggs:
Be aware that for most species, incubation does not begin until a
full clutch is laid (so all young will hatch close together). The
nest may not be regularly attended until that time, so do not assume
it is abandoned. Depending on the species and temperatures, some
eggs in a clutch may hatch later than others, and normal hatching
can take 24-48 hours. Do not remove unhatched eggs until at least 72
hours have elapsed since the last chick hatched. You can leave
unhatched eggs in the nest (sometimes the parents will remove them)
but if they break, they can make a mess and attract insects, etc. If
eggs were laid and then clearly abandoned, you can clean out the box
after you are 100 percent convinced that the nest was abandoned.
Certainty can be achieved by ascertaining that there is absolutely
no adult activity for a prolonged period, a period at least as long
as the normal incubation period for whatever species laid the eggs
plus a few weeks (since the start of incubation may be delayed due
to weather.) If eggs were laid and do not hatch, they should be left
in the box as long as there is adult activity. If they are
infertile, the parents may remove them, build a nest on top of them,
or lay more eggs with the unhatched eggs. When you are 100 percent
convinced that there is no longer any adult activity, clean out the
box.
Ants in a box
BAN member Sindi Klems asked the following question in a recent
e-mail to info@bbne.org: “I
discovered little black ants under the nest in one of my bb houses.
I have lifted out the nest and cleaned out the house. Also worked
and worked and thought I had gotten them out of the nest. The next
day...they were back and brought all their relatives!!! I can’t see
any harm...(there are 3 eggs), but I also don’t think the adult
birds are aware of the invasion. What should I do??????”
Answer: Use a product with a pyrerthrum base. There is a product
called Mite & Lice Bird & Cage Spray that can be purchased at pet
and garden stores. It is more commonly used in bird cages. Lift the
nest up and spray it UNDER the nest. You can also spray it on the
pole. Ants tend to pose more of a problem when wet conditions occur,
like the rainy spring weather we’ve been experiencing this year.
