The “Bird Guardian” seems like a clever invention to keep mammals from preying on nestbox contents because it makes it harder to reach inside. But personally, I have NOT had success using a Bird Guardian because birds don’t seem to like it. I put the version that looks like a tree branch on a box, and it was never used.
Reports from others who have tried the Bird Guardian:
- PK of MD reported that he took off the 2×4 face guard and installed the Bird Guardian. The female was waiting nearby with food in her mouth, and went immediately to the box as soon as we got far enough away. She was disoriented by the new entrance, and flew to another box in the grouping (this is the triple — 22′ triangle — that has two active TREe Swallow nests and one active EAstern BLuebird nest) and waited. Over a period of 8 minutes the two bluebirds tried to solve the new entrance, and couldn’t — I then put the old face guard back, and after a total of 12 minutes one of the parents went back in.
- CA of IL reported that a person had bluebirds until he put on the guardian to protect the box against raccoons. The bluebirds never tried to use the box after that.
More Information:
Nothing will work unless you do
– Maya Angelou
– Maya Angelou
