I have seen this before. Had some mocking birds defend one of my bluebird houses with chicks in it. Either that or there was a mockingbird nest somewhere I couldn’t see.
I try to keep my birdhouse pole greased with vaseline but apparently there wasn't enough on it to deter the rat snake that got my baby bluebirds 😞. Am now looking at baffles and other deterrents, I wonder if the baffle they have on their birdhouse works at keeping predators out.
Jay Flippen I don’t think they were because they didn’t fly out of the nest like subsequent chicks. Sad, but they must have some emergency exit plan in case of a predator like the snake. We just had a nest fledge a week ago from the same house and all 4 flew out of the nest to a tree.
@@shperkinsjr Ah, yes. I just watched this success. They had some decent departure angles, especially that last one. I just installed a conical baffle on a purple martin house here outside of Bowling Green, VA. We have had a pair of eastern blue birds that have been adding nesting material to it over this past week and a half, but I'm not sure if they are using it for a clutch of eggs or not. (That is what prompted me to search for your video type.) I've also added bird spikes to the diagonal sections of gutter down spouts around this house since two eastern phoebe nests had their chicks eaten around the same time in late July or early August, likely by a hawk. It is depressing seeing all of the failed rearing of chicks, but I suppose it is a natural, common thing. I just do not feel comfortable having any negative effect on bird species using technology that I can help to alter in a defensive way. I'm glad team Bluebird Perkins successfully fledged this year. Thanks for the interesting videos.
Yes, this is always a good thing to do. However, if a snake is simply crawling by on the ground, that may be enough to frighten the parents and cause a premature fledge. The birds don't understand that you've got a predator guard on the box to keep the snake out.
In very interested to know how the chicks know to premature fledge because of the snake. If it was a hawk or mammal predator outside the nest they would hunker down in the box because premature fledgimg would surely be suicide with these type predators outside the box. Since snakes easily enter nest cavities premature fledgimg is the best option for avoiding becoming snake prey.The parents use the exact same flurry of calls and frantic gestures when any type of danger is very close to the chicks from what I've seen over the years. Maybe it sounds the same to our ears but for the young Bluebirds they can identify something from their parents calls that sound the same to us maybe??.Possibily the intensity or speed of the alarm calls?? I just don't know but it's neat
It really is neat what they do to survive. It seemed to me -without being able to hear the audio- that the birds flying to and away from the nest quickly is some kind of signal to jump. Thanks for your comment!
Did your nest baffle worked at all ? I want to do same need to put up a baffle for my bluebirds they just lost their babies this morning I'm heartbroken right now the snake got to them ...
This is a great baffle and will work most of the time. In some of the nature preserves where I have bluebird boxes, the rat snakes can get up to 6 feet in length. Rat snakes that are 5-6 feet in length can get over one of those baffles. I use a 4 foot x 4 foot square of stiff hardware cloth above the baffle and below the nest box to eliminate the bigger snakes.
Have you ever seen a male bluebird that appears to be completely still or stuck in the birdhouse entrance. I've never seen this before and the other male bluebirds are trying to feed the babies but the other one won't budge ?
Really interesting seeing animal behavior... And now I understand what happened when I was a kid. I was climbing and turned to see a nest. I peeked and scared the poor chicks. They all left but didn't know how to fly. I was able to count how many and during that some of the neighborhood kids were passing abd helped me put the chicks back in the nest. Later I was told that was a no no, but it worked in this case. I went back to the location, observing from afar. I saw went they were learning how to fly and when they eventually left the nest. So happy to know that was a success. But now I know if you see a chick on the ground, leave it alone.
Wrong. If you see a chick on the ground, and it doesn't have its fledge feathers, then do put it back in the next. If it does appear to have its fledge feathers, then move away and wait to see if the parents are feeding it. Be sure it's not in the open but is near or under adequate cover such as bushes or flowers where it can hide. If the parents don't come to feed it within a hour or so, then you should consider rescuing the bird and taking it to a rehab center.
This is a good example of a premature fledge when a rat snake is in the vicinity of a nest box during the day. The problem is that the young, which are unable to fly well at this stage, are "sitting ducks" for the snake that night when mom and dad won't be able to help them. (Rat snakes track their prey at night using their fantastic sense of smell.) When this has happened around my nest boxes, I pick up the rat snake with my snake tongs (made to pick up snakes without injuring them) and relocate the snake (not more than one mile away). This buys some time for the premature fledglings before the snake is able to find its way back and track them (via smell).
A good example of why bird feeders and houses should be positioned 10 feet away or more from trees and bushes etc.
Trim back the bloody bushes!
I have seen this before. Had some mocking birds defend one of my bluebird houses with chicks in it. Either that or there was a mockingbird nest somewhere I couldn’t see.
I try to keep my birdhouse pole greased with vaseline but apparently there wasn't enough on it to deter the rat snake that got my baby bluebirds 😞. Am now looking at baffles and other deterrents, I wonder if the baffle they have on their birdhouse works at keeping predators out.
Fascinating! Thanks for sharing this.
Toward the end of the video did the chick hop right over to where the snake was laying?
Yes it does!
I read bird netting attached below the house catches snakes. I have to look it up again as how to do it. Seemed simple and works.
Wow that was so fascinating! I have several nests around my RV and now I know what behavior to look for when snakes approach.
I wonder if those bluebird chicks were fully ready to fledge. Hopefully they made it through their early weeks of being beyond the nest box.
Jay Flippen I don’t think they were because they didn’t fly out of the nest like subsequent chicks. Sad, but they must have some emergency exit plan in case of a predator like the snake. We just had a nest fledge a week ago from the same house and all 4 flew out of the nest to a tree.
@@shperkinsjr Ah, yes. I just watched this success. They had some decent departure angles, especially that last one. I just installed a conical baffle on a purple martin house here outside of Bowling Green, VA. We have had a pair of eastern blue birds that have been adding nesting material to it over this past week and a half, but I'm not sure if they are using it for a clutch of eggs or not. (That is what prompted me to search for your video type.) I've also added bird spikes to the diagonal sections of gutter down spouts around this house since two eastern phoebe nests had their chicks eaten around the same time in late July or early August, likely by a hawk. It is depressing seeing all of the failed rearing of chicks, but I suppose it is a natural, common thing. I just do not feel comfortable having any negative effect on bird species using technology that I can help to alter in a defensive way. I'm glad team Bluebird Perkins successfully fledged this year. Thanks for the interesting videos.
No, they went almost straight down.
Very interesting. Thanks!
Why not trim the hedges so the snake can't reach the nest?
Julie J I did. We learned that lesson the hard way.
Yes, this is always a good thing to do. However, if a snake is simply crawling by on the ground, that may be enough to frighten the parents and cause a premature fledge. The birds don't understand that you've got a predator guard on the box to keep the snake out.
In very interested to know how the chicks know to premature fledge because of the snake. If it was a hawk or mammal predator outside the nest they would hunker down in the box because premature fledgimg would surely be suicide with these type predators outside the box. Since snakes easily enter nest cavities premature fledgimg is the best option for avoiding becoming snake prey.The parents use the exact same flurry of calls and frantic gestures when any type of danger is very close to the chicks from what I've seen over the years. Maybe it sounds the same to our ears but for the young Bluebirds they can identify something from their parents calls that sound the same to us maybe??.Possibily the intensity or speed of the alarm calls?? I just don't know but it's neat
It really is neat what they do to survive. It seemed to me -without being able to hear the audio- that the birds flying to and away from the nest quickly is some kind of signal to jump. Thanks for your comment!
And one of those fledglings went right to where the snake was on the ground 😢
Eastern Bluebird, Mocking bird and Gold Finches. What was the fourth? I missed it......
Cardinal came in to help at 1:04. Thanks for watching!
Ah I saw it this time! Amazing video!
Did your nest baffle worked at all ? I want to do same need to put up a baffle for my bluebirds they just lost their babies this morning I'm heartbroken right now the snake got to them ...
Yes it works great and I built it myself quite easily with some simple tools. www.nabluebirdsociety.org/PDF/Stovepipe%20Baffle.pdf
Thank you Steve for the info ...gathering my materials right now ....
This is a great baffle and will work most of the time. In some of the nature preserves where I have bluebird boxes, the rat snakes can get up to 6 feet in length. Rat snakes that are 5-6 feet in length can get over one of those baffles. I use a 4 foot x 4 foot square of stiff hardware cloth above the baffle and below the nest box to eliminate the bigger snakes.
Have you ever seen a male bluebird that appears to be completely still or stuck in the birdhouse entrance.
I've never seen this before and the other male bluebirds are trying to feed the babies but the other one won't budge ?
Can’t say I’ve noticed that
@@shperkinsjr
I found out later that the bird was dead but another male took his place and kept the chicks fed .
Tough watching wildlife succumb to living in the wild.
Really interesting seeing animal behavior... And now I understand what happened when I was a kid.
I was climbing and turned to see a nest. I peeked and scared the poor chicks. They all left but didn't know how to fly. I was able to count how many and during that some of the neighborhood kids were passing abd helped me put the chicks back in the nest. Later I was told that was a no no, but it worked in this case. I went back to the location, observing from afar. I saw went they were learning how to fly and when they eventually left the nest. So happy to know that was a success. But now I know if you see a chick on the ground, leave it alone.
That’s a terrible misconception, that people aren’t to handle baby birds. They need help, they need help
Wrong. If you see a chick on the ground, and it doesn't have its fledge feathers, then do put it back in the next. If it does appear to have its fledge feathers, then move away and wait to see if the parents are feeding it. Be sure it's not in the open but is near or under adequate cover such as bushes or flowers where it can hide. If the parents don't come to feed it within a hour or so, then you should consider rescuing the bird and taking it to a rehab center.
How in the bleep did the rat snake get up there ???!!!
They are really agile climbers
@@shperkinsjr They climbed up the baffel ? Oh my goodness. Maybe need one of those big metal stovepipe ones.
@@purnapoosmom no from the bush next to the house. I hadn’t kept it trimmed like I should have. I do now!
mocking birds are amazing, it's a shame so many people hate them.
Dude, they are supposed to 10’ away from
Bushes and trees. Why so this to the bluebirds?
Same thing would happen if they nested in a tree. This is nature and nobodies fault
This is a good example of a premature fledge when a rat snake is in the vicinity of a nest box during the day. The problem is that the young, which are unable to fly well at this stage, are "sitting ducks" for the snake that night when mom and dad won't be able to help them. (Rat snakes track their prey at night using their fantastic sense of smell.) When this has happened around my nest boxes, I pick up the rat snake with my snake tongs (made to pick up snakes without injuring them) and relocate the snake (not more than one mile away). This buys some time for the premature fledglings before the snake is able to find its way back and track them (via smell).
Excellent perspective!
You Dont Relocate Them! You Kill Them!