Starlings in occupied Blue Tit box

[soph4496]

I saw one of my nesting blue tits going into his box this a.m. and then shortly after a starling squeezing its way out of the box! Can anyone tell me whats going on?? I know it doesnt look good....any suggestions to stop this from happening...

[astarsdad]

Hi,
Obviously the entrance hole is too big. I have a coal tit nesting in and old robins nest box, luckily it does not have a problem with other birds. As a temporary and quick soloution, it may be possible to tie some twine all around the box so that it covers the enrance hole, making it smaller. I doubt if this will deter the nesting blue tit.
Terry

[rossy]

obviously the hole is too big if a starling can get in, but to tamper now could cause the blue tit to abandon the nest, its tricky, personally id leave the box alone. rossy.

[astarsdad]

I have uploaded a pic of an unoccupied nesting box in my garden to illustrate what I am talking about. Obviously your entrance hole is bigger than in the pic and the garden tie will be less of an obsuction for a blue tit and should deter the starling.

[soph4496]

Thanks for your advice. I will certainly try the tie thing and then maybe put a steel plate over the hole in the winter. I am just SO surprised that a starling can fit into a hole that looks as if it isnt big enough for a blue tit!!!
Everything seems quiet now and I am wondering whether it is possible for the starling to have killed the blue tit??

[soph4496]

Update on bird box....

Very quiet all day and no activity noted at all. So we had a go at putting the twine around. Unfortunately as my Husband attempted to hold the box still while he did it, the blue tit popped its head out of the hole to see what was going on!! I hope it doesnt abandon the nest now....poor thing must be that scared of the starling coming back that it wont move out of the nest!!
Needless to say we didnt have chance to put the twine round and have left well alone.
Thanks for all the good advice..

[snowdrop]

Starlings are few and far between here at the moment, in fact I haven't seen one at all, or a thrush.

I'd like to ask advice on egg/parent from all you better educated wabbers, though.
I was surprised to find an unbroken egg on my stone patio this morning, I can only think it must have been dropped from the roof, rolled off the grass and come to rest on the stonework. Amazingly, there wasn't even the smallest crack in the shell.
Although the same size as a starling egg, which I know is turquoise, it is of a deep olive green in colour, with tiny brown freckling.
Could it be a blackbirds?

I'm glad to add that the swallows are back whizzing and wheeling across my patch of sky.

[SheffieldLass]

Originally Posted by soph4496

... and then maybe put a steel plate over the hole in the winter.

I put a steel plate of the size to suit a blue tit over my blue tit box a few years ago. The male blue tit was too big to get through it, it kept trying but just could not get through ... it's mate was slightly smaller and got in with a struggle, losing a few feathers as it did it. (Must have been all the sunflower hearts they'd got through over the winter ) I quickly swopped it for one that was stated as big enough for great tits and sparrows. That seemed perfect for the blue tit. So I'd suggest that when you do get a plate to fix to opt for the slightly larger size.

[FUDGEY]

I had a blue tit use one of my starling boxes several years ago. To stop it getting unwanted hassle I got a lollipop stick and stuck it on with a couple of drawing pins to temp reduce the hole size. It did the trick. Don't worry it won't desert the nest because of you.

[heliart]

If you want both bluetits (28mm) and greattits (32mm), then one of these things is great.

David's Closer To Nature - Nest Box Guardian

btw, without one of these, I always have startlings poking their heads in the tit boxes - for sure last year this resulted in a nest building pair of bluetits going off to find somewhere else.

Cheers.