Blue Tits... and a mouse

Rancid

I have blue tits nest building in a nest box in my garden, plenty of ivy around an a cordyline nearby with a peanut feeder on it.

About 2 hours ago I saw a mouse clinging to the peanut feeder.:eek:

Now...I need to know if mice are likely to scare away the blue tits, or worse, do damage to the nest or eggs or chicks in due course?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Probably a Wood Mouse, in which case Lovely!
Unlikely the Mouse will do any damage to the Bluetits. I'd question having a feeder near a nest box though. Mny other birds would take Blue Tit eggs or simply disturb the nest site. I usually advise seperation of feeding and nesting locations.

Rancid

The feeder is about 2m along the ivy-clad wall hanging beside a sunflower feeder and the blue tits use it constantly. I can gradually move it further way, little by little.
Glad to know the little mouse won't be a problem, though!

I already have what I suspect is a wood mouse living in my porch at the back of the house, probably since the snowy weather earlier this year.
He's free to leave but seems to have moved in permanently!
Should he not *want* to get back outside?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Rancid wrote: »

The feeder is about 2m along the ivy-clad wall hanging beside a sunflower feeder and the blue tits use it constantly. I can gradually move it further way, little by little.
Glad to know the little mouse won't be a problem, though!

I already have what I suspect is a wood mouse living in my porch at the back of the house, probably since the snowy weather earlier this year.
He's free to leave but seems to have moved in permanently!
Should he not *want* to get back outside?

There's really no need to move the feeder gradually. You can just move it a distance all at once.

If it were my porch I'd have moved the Wood Mouse out by now. It will still chew at things, raise young, defecate, urinate, etc in the porch. Not hygenic in my book. Fine for an old potting shed, or such like, but not in the house.

Rancid

Jaxton Gigantic Saga wrote: »

There's really no need to move the feeder gradually. You can just move it a distance all at once.

If it were my porch I'd have moved the Wood Mouse out by now. It will still chew at things, raise young, defecate, urinate, etc in the porch. Not hygenic in my book. Fine for an old potting shed, or such like, but not in the house.

He went into hiding after the photo shoot.
I know he's still there, I see the signs every morning, and the porch door is open 6 or 7 hours each day and he doesn't seem to take the hint.

Half-cocked

Jaxton Gigantic Saga wrote: »

If it were my porch I'd have moved the Wood Mouse out by now. It will still chew at things, raise young, defecate, urinate, etc in the porch. Not hygenic in my book. Fine for an old potting shed, or such like, but not in the house.

I've had 2 wood mice in my shed all winter and I've been feeding them peanuts and sunflower seeds. However, since the weather has got warmer, the stench in the shed has got really bad - that bad rodent smell. I've tried two different models of those plug in ultrasonic rodent controllers and the mice ignore them:mad: I think I'll have to live trap them and release them elsewhere now that its warm enough for them to be evicted.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

When I have had them in the shed it has always just been a matter of a Spring clean by emptying everything from the shed on a nice dry morning. It's great for getting the shed back in order too!

Stephentlig

I never seem to get blue tits in my garden, is it something to do with putting the right feed out for them?

I tried getting that cake stuff you put in a cage once and the starlings just came and took clumps out of it, and none of the other birds got even a look in.

was hoping to see some blue tits but that'll be the last time I buy that stuff.

Pax Christi
Stephen

Rancid

I find blue tits love sunflower seeds and they make frequent trips to the peanut feeder, too.
They almost never pay attention to the seed feeder.
Try sunflower seeds, and give them a few weeks to find them.
Then get a nyjer seed feeder and you should have goldfinches and redpols visiting, too.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Stephentlig wrote: »

I never seem to get blue tits in my garden, is it something to do with putting the right feed out for them?

I tried getting that cake stuff you put in a cage once and the starlings just came and took clumps out of it, and none of the other birds got even a look in.

was hoping to see some blue tits but that'll be the last time I buy that stuff.

Pax Christi
Stephen

Stephen, you can't beat Peanuts in a wire mesh feeder for Blue Tits. Lots of then about where you are so keep watching.