Predators of the Night

There are many Predators of the night that prey on our nestling’s while we are comfortable in our homes and sound asleep. As landlords we offered a home for the bluebirds to nest and raise their family. And in doing so we should make it as safe as we can for them. There are some very simple steps that can be taken to help deter climbing predators of the night. I personally recommend Cone Shape Baffles 18 to 20 inches in diameter mounted on the pole below the nest box. This design will deter climbing and will help in the safety of the bluebirds and their attempt of a successful fledges.Below is some interesting Predators of The Night!

Raccoons; The average Common Raccoon is about 32 inches long including the tail and weighs 11 to 18 pounds. Some have weighed as much as 33 lbs. and the largest specimen ever recorded was over 60 pounds! The life span of wild raccoons is estimated at seven to eight years. In captivity they may live twice as long. Raccoons are omnivores and their diet includes frogs, crayfish, fish, birds, eggs, fruits, nuts, grains, small mammals and insects. Although raccoons are primarily active after nightfall, they have been known to have periods of activity during the day as well. Raccoons prefer to make their dens in hollow standing trees but have also been known to use underground burrows. Raccoons mate in mid-winter and kits (sometimes called “cubs”) are born in early spring. During the first weeks of their lives the young stay in the den with their mother. At about eight weeks of age young raccoons begin to accompany their mother and she teaches them how and where to find food, climb trees and avoid danger. Summer is a time of great activity for raccoons with the kits playing, getting into mischief and discovering their world. A raccoon’s primary activity is searching for food and water and if you have inadvertently made these available, the problem may be solved by simply restricting access to them. Being great climbers they can easily climb metal poles where your nest box is on. I cannot stress enough the importance of predator guards on your nest box poles to discourage these night crawlers. For Raccoons an 8-10in PVC pipe or stove pipe baffle works well. It works best installed so it wobbles back and forth so the Raccoon has a hard time climbing it. Click on photo to enlarge

Opossums; Over 70 million years ago dinosaurs roamed the Earth. While they are now extinct, one animal who shared the same land with the dinosaurs still exists today… the opossum. Despite appearance, the opossum is not related to the rat. In fact, the opossum is a marsupial, or “pouched” mammal, and is therefore related to other marsupials such as the kangaroo and the koala. Infant opossums stay inside the mother’s pouch to nurse and develop. The pink, embryonic-looking infants are so small at birth that 20 could fit on a teaspoon. The opossum has an average lifespan of 1 to 2 years. This short lifespan is due in part to the presence of many predators including dogs, cats and people. Sometimes the opossum is able to escape death by “playing ‘possum and in so doing the predator may lose interest in the apparently dead animal and not eat it. The opossum has many interesting features. It has 50 teeth, more than any North American land mammal. Its hairless tail is used for grasping branches, balancing and carrying nesting material. The opossum does not hang upside down by the tail, a common misconception. The opossum also has thumbs on its hind feet for holding onto branches. Whether rural, residential or in the wilderness, opossums are a benefit to any area they inhabit. Their diet includes all types of bugs and insects including cockroaches, crickets and beetles. They love snails. They also eat mice and rats and birds, especially nestlings. They are great climbers and can be a threat to your nestling’s. The nocturnal opossum is attracted to our neighborhoods by the availability of water, pet food left out at night and overripe, rotting fruit that has fallen from trees. The opossum in turn helps keep our neighborhoods clean and free of unwanted, harmful garden pests and rodents, which may carry diseases. The opossum has earned the title of “Nature’s Little Sanitation Engineer.” Please do no harm to them. Again PVC or Stove pipe baffle works great to prevent climbing.

Rats; a female rat can have up to 84 young in her life span, which averages about a year in the wild. They can burrow long distances from nest to food sources, reducing their exposure to predators. There are two primary species of rats present in in North America: The Norway rat and the Roof rat. The Norway rat is both larger and heavier than the Roof rat. It has a wider distribution and is usually more common, although the Roof rat may be abundant in some localities, usually near coastal areas. Norway rats build their nests in burrows under buildings, low shrubs or ground cover, wood piles, yard accumulations of junk, and garbage dumps. The Roof rat, on the other hand, is a better climber than the Norway rat and is more likely to build its nest in walls, attics, vines or trees. They are mainly active at night, and can climb easily into your nest box and consume the eggs and your new born nestlings. Another reason to use predator guards with hardware cloth inside the baffle.

Mice; we also have two species of mice that cause problems in North America (The House Mouse and the Deer Mouse). The house mouse looks somewhat like a young roof rat, but smaller. Like the roof rat, its tail is as long as or longer than the head and body combined. The Dear Mouse is wide-spread, native rodent is another medium-size mouse, averaging 7 inches total length. The tail is longer than the head and body combined. Deer mice have been identified as occasional vectors of Lyme Disease and Hanta Virus and should be controlled around human habitation where these diseases are prevalent. Rats and mice are curious. They eat a variety of foods, including grain and seed, nuts, meat, candy and processed cereal. Mice like peanut butter, bacon or anything tasty with a strong odor. They have poor eyesight but excellent senses of smell, taste and touch. They are mainly active at night. And can climb easily into your nest box and consume the eggs and your new born nestling’s. They will also take up residence inside your nest box. Another reason to use predator guards with hardware cloth inside the baffle.

Ants; have been living on the Earth for more than 100 million years and can be found almost anywhere on the planet. It is estimated that there are about 20,000 different species of ants. For this reason ants have been called Earth’s most successful species. Ants are excellent crawlers. If you watch ants for any length of time you will see that they really do communicate with each other and very effectively too. Ants communicate by touching each other with their antennae. Ants also use chemicals called pheromones to leave scent trails for other ants to follow where the food was found. Some ants will attack anything and eat prey dead or alive. To protect your nest box, against these predators use axial grease on your pole and monthly smeared it again because it has a tendency to dry and get thick. This also works well with humming bird feeder that’s hanging on a shepherd staff pole. Place the grease near the bottom of the pole so it does not interfere with the hummingbirds.

Bears; Adult black bears range from five to six feet long and between 250 and 330 pounds. For such large animals, they can run fairly quickly—up to 25 miles per hour—and are skillful tree climbers. Black bears range throughout the Eastern United States and throughout the West, except for most of the Great Plains and Great Basin areas. Breeding season for black bears is between late May and early July; bears cubs (usually two to three are born) are born in late January or February. Born blind and with only a sparse covering of fur, the cubs remain with their mothers for the first 18—24 months of life. A common assumption is that bears are exclusively meat eaters while, in fact, plant foods make up the bulk of their diet. Ripening fruits, berries, and nuts are eaten heavily, particularly during the fall months when bears are busy packing on the pounds for winter. Animal material eaten by bears includes insects, carrion, and occasional small prey, such as deer fawns. Around homes and in passing through suburban neighborhoods, bears may stop to sample the fare in gardens, compost bins, trash cans, birdfeeders, nest boxes beehives, and outdoor barbecues. Due to this animal size and strength predator guards offer little or no protection.

Bobcats; are elusive and nocturnal, so they are rarely spotted by humans. Although they are seldom seen, they roam throughout much of North America and adapt well to such diverse habitats as forests, swamps, deserts, and even suburban areas.
Bobcats, sometimes called wildcats, are roughly twice as big as the average housecat. They have long legs, large paws, and tufted ears similar to those of their larger relative, the Canada lynx. Most bobcats are brown or brownish red with a white underbelly and short, black-tipped tail. The cat is named for its tail, which appears to be cut or “bobbed.” Bobcats are solitary animals. Females choose a secluded den to raise a litter of one to six young kittens, which will remain with their mother for 9 to 12 months. During this time they will learn to hunt before setting out on their own. American populations are believed to be quite large, with perhaps as many as one million cats in the United States alone. Fierce hunters, bobcats can kill prey much bigger than themselves, but usually eat rabbits, birds, mice, squirrels, and other smaller game. The bobcat hunts by stealth, but delivers a deathblow with a leaping pounce that can cover 10 feet (3 meters). Therefore a nest box five feet off the ground is an easy prey for the Bobcats. This is when (telescopic) comes in play, by placing your nest box nest 18- 20 feet high with a stove pipe baffle below the nest box for a deterrent. I have a Bobcat living behind my house and I live only 3miles from a city.

Owls; There are about 162 different species of owls alive today, inhabiting a huge variety of ecological niches around the world. The smallest owl in the world is the Elf Owl which is about 6.1 inches long, has a wingspan of 15 inches and weighs about 1.5 ounces. The largest is the Great Horned Owls which are about 25 inches long, have a wingspan of about 5 feet and weigh about 4 pounds. Owls have a large head and large eyes that face forwards (unlike other birds, whose eyes are on the sides of their head). This eye placement gives them binocular vision and very precise depth perception. Also, there are circles of radiating feathers surrounding each eye, giving them a wide-eyed, alert look. Owls cannot move their eyes within their sockets like we can. In order to look around, they have to move their entire head, which has a range of movement of about 270°. Owls are carnivores (meat-eaters). Most are nocturnal and hunt at night. They use a keen sense of sight to find prey in the dark (owls see mostly in black and white). They have an acute sense of hearing which also helps in finding meals. Owls are stealth hunters; they can easily sneak up on their prey since their fluffy feathers give them almost silent flight. Owls hunt and eat rodents, insects, frogs and birds. The owl is at the top of the food web; because it has no major predators. This Predator is very difficult to manage. Though it’s difficult for the owl to raid your nest box but once the fledglings leave the nest box the Owl is certainly a threat. The Owl will find them and wait with great patients. Also the Owl will pick off the adult bluebirds in the evening, forging for food while on the ground.

Weasels; they eat almost any rodent, bird, insect, reptile or grub. They may also occasionally catch squirrels or cottontail rabbits and eat carrion. They require up to 40% of their body weight in food daily and needs a constant supply of drinking water. Occasionally, during rodent scarcity, they turn to poultry. They are skillful hunters and climbers and will eat the bluebird and consume the bluebird’s eggs which are a favorite of weasels. They are an overall asset in agriculture areas due to their rodent destruction.

Skunks; There are four different kinds of skunks found in the United States. The spotted and striped skunks are the most widely distributed and therefore more likely to come into contact with people. The hooded and hog-nosed skunks are rarer and found mostly in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The spotted skunk prefers the country and spends most of its life near farms. The striped skunk is more adaptable and lives in a variety of habitats. Skunks live up to 6 years in the wild, but may live up to 10 years in captivity. Skunks are non-aggressive and they try very hard not to get in harm’s way. They have a home range of a hundred acres at most. They are primarily nocturnal and usually solitary except when mothers are raising their babies. They are active throughout the year, but in northern areas, they spend the coldest parts of the winter in their dens. Skunks eat mostly insects, many of which are pests to humans. They are therefore very beneficial to have around. They also eat some plant material, including wild fruits, apples and corn. In winter and spring they may eat mice and the eggs of ground-nesting birds. Skunks have sharp teeth and long claws for digging. They are nearsighted, but have a keen sense of smell and hearing. The striped skunk is not a good climber. Although it can climb up wire mesh, fences, and boards, it seldom climbs trees – the long nails are a definite handicap in climbing. The spotted skunk on the other hand, is an excellent climber, and able to climb a tree with ease. It can also climb down a tree headfirst. These night predators are generally not a threat to a nest boxes installed on a metal pole. But a baffle install on the pole is still recommended.

Snakes; The Bluebird’s worst nightmare the Black Rat snake. Please read my Blog Topic concerning snakes. This skillful Predator needed more attention and space.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Below is a list of night predators with very little known facts:

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Bigfoot is generally a night creature but at times he will come out at daylight and likes to hang out in the woods. He likes to tease people and hide, so that we cannot see him. He runs around in the woods and makes loud noises. He actually scares night predators away from your nest box.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Aliens all kinds of things can be said about aliens. Some people think they are beings from another planet who abduct us to study us while others believe they are actually beings that exist in the 4th dimension and steal our energy while we sleep. I think that’s why I am so tried all the time. Actually aliens love bluebirds so much they take them home with them each time they visit. This could be the reason for the disappearances of so many of the bluebirds over the years.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Elves’s They like to run and play at night and are very pleasant. They just look into your nest box and check on the nest and nestlings. They will throw cookies at night predators to try to lure them away from your nest box. Contrary to belief there are no Trolls. There is no proof that there are actual Trolls. Trolls either do not exist or they are a race of creatures which have simply chosen not to be discovered.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Fairies were either once people or are like people who have become trapped at a certain indeterminate phase of life. They love birds and especially Bluebirds; they have been noted of holding them in the palm of their hands.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Wizards can change things like appearances. If they find an old dilapidated nest box they can change it into a mansion. And the Wizard places bright blue robes on the Bluebird’s backs. This is how Bluebirds got their color.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Unicorns are mythical creature that looks like a horse with a horn coming out of their foreheads. The appearance may vary, but these are the basics. Unicorns are simply a beautiful animal. They are also usually described with having great intelligence and a gentle wisdom that humans don’t necessarily understand. Unicorns have been known to give rides to baby bluebirds at night and return them to their nest box before morning.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Vampires are predators of the night and are depicted as dark, mysterious, creatures that lurk in the shadows and are ready to suck the blood of the nestlings and adult birds. The elves play a big role in distracting the Vampires by throwing red cookies at them.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Witches are out at night and if they come across a nest box that needs help, they will place a spell on the box. And when a night predator comes to close they will turn into a frog. So if you see frogs around your nest box in the morning you’ll know a witch was around.

I know I haven’t covered all the Night Predators of Bluebirds, I am still working on it. LOL

PS; If you need more information on Predator Control, Check out the Landlords Corner on this Web Site.

Filed under from the ambassador | Comment (1)