Advice on nestbox spacing (1 Viewer)

[LucaPCP]

I am in the California Bay Area. In my garden I have two live oaks, and some other trees; the bird population consists of oak titmouse, chestnut-backed chickadees, some finches, titbushes (on the trees and also in the brushes), and on the ground, dark-eyed juncos and california towhee.

I have put up a next box up below a high roof eave, and an oak titmouse proudly took residence in it.

I am wondering whether to put up another nestbox on an oak tree, in the hope that a chickadee might decide to nest there. The second nestbox would be about 40 ft (12m) from the main one. My main fear is that the oak titmouse will see it as competition and move on. I would really like to avoid losing the oak titmouse nesting in it.

Does anyone have advice?

Many thanks! --Luca

 

[Deb Burhinus]

You may find this of interest

When the tufted titmouse moves in on the chickadee

I like birds. That is why, last Dec. 20, I was standing, at 7 a.m., at Little Buttermilk Bay near Bourne, Mass., about to begin the Buzzards Bay Ch

www.csmonitor.com

 

[kb57]

You may be right to be concerned...
I don't know about the ecological needs of the species you have in California, but over here there has been quite a lot of research on two other members of the chickadee family, blue and great tits, which are territorial when nesting. I recall reading one paper which looked at nest box spacing in woodland and found closer boxes - if occupied by either species - had lower chick survival rates / lower chick weights. I think the optimum distance was about 60m apart.
So assuming your species are territorial, and assuming there is some degree of inter-specific competition between them, you may indeed find that another nest box isn't a good idea. But bear in mind that although related species, the research was carried out on a different continent, in different habitats.

 

[LucaPCP]

It appears the (male?) titmouse has attracted a (female?) one... so I am going to play it low risk and not attach another box. The one they have for themselves is very well placed, in a place inaccessible to predators / squirrels, so I will wait to see how this goes and not make any change. The fun part is that I can see it fairly easily from the desk where I work!