Bears and nest boxes

[Iain Macleod]

All,

I'm curious to do a little experiment. 

I noticed a posting a few weeks ago about an occupied nesting box being raided by a black bear. One of my nesting boxes on my property in Sandwich was raided recently by a bear and the contents (5 Bluebird eggs) eaten or destroyed. The box was completely destroyed and the post bent over. Several years ago I lost three boxes in one night (occupied by Tree Swallows and Bluebirds) on my former property in Ashland.

Black Bears are smart and powerful and pretty much any nesting box is fair game. I'm guessing that, like bird feeders, they are learning that these objects on posts are an easy source of tasty snacks. It would be a shame if this became a common occurance and our nesting boxes just became fodder for bears.   

A quick Google search came up with the suggestion that Black Bears don't like the smell of PineSol (or other pine essential oils). I have no idea if that is true, but I'd like to find out. I have three more identical boxes on identical posts in the same field. The Bluebirds have relaid in one (5 eggs yesterday) and a Tree Swallow pair is now incubating in another. I'd really like to NOT lose those birds and boxes to the bear, so I have hung cotton rags (actually cheap face cloths) soaked in PineSol on the posts. I re-soaked them yesterday because they had dried out quickly in less than a week so I'm not convinced that the cloths will be a long-term fix. I've also ordered a bunch of those horrible "pine" scented air fresheners that you hang from your car mirror, to see if they work. It seems like they ought to last in the sun (but maybe not in the rain). 

Anyway, I'm curious if anyone else has lost nest boxes to bears and if they have been successful in deterring the bears (other than the obvious electric fence  . . . which is overkill for multiple boxes), A cheap, simple olfactory solution would seem like a good fix and a way to save a lot of birds, if indeed this is becoming a common bear conflict. It would be nice to nip it in the bud.

[Iain MacLeod]

I’ll add that as part of this experiment, in my professional capacity, I’m going to see if the Black Bear that we have here at the Science Center might help us out. The Animal Care staff here have the opportunity to offer different scents (usually attractive ones) as part of the daily enrichment of our animal collection. Perhaps we have a willing Guinea pig who could help us find a solution . . . BUT first things first. I’d like to know how widespread a problem this is. Maybe I’ve just been unlucky to lose a box (or four), but I suspect that it’s more widespread and could become a new human/bear conflict point. It’s one thing to lose a bird feeder and a half pound of sunflower seed, but a whole lot more distressing for the backyard birder to lose a box full of baby Bluebirds. Taking down feeders is really an easy fix, taking down nest boxes? . . . not so much.

 

Iain MacLeod

Executive Director

Squam Lakes Natural Science Center

PO Box 173, 23 Science Center Road

Holderness, NH 03245

Phone: 603-968-7194 x123

www.nhnature.org

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[G M ARCHAMBAULT]

fyi, Copper Green is extremely aromatic and persists for at least 6 months. I use it as a termite deterrent and wood preservative on outbuildings here in central Alabama, but I did have to search to find it, and had to special order it for in-store pickup at a Home Depot near me. If one uses a wood post to mount a nest box, Copper Green would immediately be the substance to try, imo. -Ken Archambault, Birmingham, Alabama

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[ellens...@gmail.com]

We lost a bluebird box a few weeks ago just as the bluebirds were about to fledge. We woke one morning to find the metal pole and entire nest box gone. We still haven't found it. Assuming it was a bear.

Ellen Snyder

Newmarket, NH

[Elaine Faletra]

Hello Ian,

This is a very interesting subject since I had a similar horrible experience!  

June 11, 2017….  Arrived home to find a bear and 2 cubs tearing down my nest box with chickadee embryo(s) and egg(s) inside. Tore house off the post and broke it.  There was 1 egg on ground so we quickly restored nest and egg inside repaired house.  The 2 adult chickadees attended for a day, but bear came back shortly thereafter when we weren’t watching and repeated.    I know at least one had hatched because we found an embryo (I have a picture Ian if you want to see it).  

Importantly, I believe this particular bear raided the well-hidden chipping sparrow nest located 4-feet up in an Arborvitae tree on the edge off the road about the same time…the tree took a real beating like a bear did it.  I can’t remember for certain, but I think it tried for the nest box yet another time or another nest on a tree.  And interestingly, we had a couple empty nest boxes that it didn’t bother at all!  

I agree that perhaps a strong scent might counter whatever chick embryos and/or eggs smell like?  Our thought was similar - once they learn, they won’t stop.  If this bear was raiding other ’natural’ nests, then an effective deterrent for houses would be even more important. 

Random thoughts 

- a Phoebe nest that was on an entrance eave on the barn survived and fledged young around the same time, even though certainly within this sow’s reach

-the next year the chickadees successfully fledged several young in the same, repaired nest box.  

So many variables!

Elaine Faletra

Warren, NH

[Kirk Elwell]

So, maybe the solution is to stop providing man-made nesting locations and trust Nature to take its course?

We all love our birds deeply but bears are a lot higher up in the cranial "pecking" order and quickly figure out where the 

" fast food" eating spots are.  They are also part of the biome and most probably provide a required niche.

Our birds have existed here for a lot longer than our civilization and fared well enough to make it to this point.  Maybe providing man-made nest locations is boosting the numbers of certain species that we love to see succeed but, this could be tipping the balance of nature?

Prior to the early settlements which built chimneys how did our Swifts make it?

No barns no Barn Swallows? No nectar feeders no Hummers? And on and on and on.

Kirk

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[BRUCE BOYER]

Black bears are powerful animals, stronger than any human or dog, but they tend to avoid people. I have had an adult bear run away from me. However, they are intelligent beasts. Where they are not hunted, they sometimes attack and eat people. Where they learn there is easy food with no downside, they will come. I think that widespread feeder use is teaching bears that human yards are an easy source of food. Bears will probably prefer to hunt where there is no risk. As I posted elsewhere, there are dog breeds which will even deter attacks by wolves and grizzly bears. It is likely that they could deter black bear attacks, and there is no downside to human ownership of these dogs.

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[Elaine Faletra]

How about the battle between native and invasive species.  This becomes a man-made issue in my mind. If ‘we' made this issue, then let’s alleviate our mistakes.  Like starlings v bluebirds.  Isn’t that why people were drawn to erect boxes with the exact size holes?  

Is the progress on Nonsuch Island in the Bermudas interfering because they are bringing back the Bermuda Petrel from supposed extinction by building concrete nest boxes with openings that do not accommodate the size of rodents - that humans introduced to the island?  

I do love bears but if we could find a simple way to deter them from eating a microgram of chickadee protein that would be helpful.

As far as feeding birds, I believe in my town with several major campgrounds the bigger problem lies with trash, campgrounds, etc.  Most birders I know and extremely conscientious and limit their feeding time, taking feeders in every afternoon.  

Elaine

[BRUCE BOYER]

This relates to a recent experience of mine. For years, Phoebes have nested, or tried to, over my front door. Last year, the young fell out of the nest, which had been built on a narrow ledge, so this year, I installed a platform which enlarged the space for a nest. I watched hopefully as the Phoebes built their nest and started feeding young. However, a few days ago I noticed that the young stood far above the nest, and there appeared to be only one of them. A closer look revealed the this "baby" had stripes on its breast. I opened the door, and this bird flew away. It was obviously a Cowbird, and no other young were visible. So I had inadvertently set the Phoebes up for nest parasitism. Other people I know who installed birdhouses intended for Bluebirds found that they had hosted the loathsome invasive alien House Sparrow. Moral: it is hard to intervene in nature without unintended consequences.

On 05/29/2021 7:28 PM Kirk Elwell <gentili...@gmail.com> wrote:

 

 

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[Iain Macleod]

Okay folks!

Thanks to those who shared on and off forum about their bear/nest box issues. Clearly this is quite widespread. If I have any success with protecting my boxes that's worth sharing I will but for we can draw the discussion to a close.

Thanks

Iain MacLeod