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Dogs on the Bluebird TrailDate: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 22:12:02 -0700 Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. I seek out yards with dogs to locate my nestboxes. My nestboxes hang in public walking trails, greenbelts and some small neighborhood parks surrounded by homes, dog and cats. Hanging boxes keep bluebirds safe from cats and I try to place the box in a tree near a barking dog to keep loiterers (possible vandals) away. I'm not sure if dogs near a post-mounted box would bother the bluebirds, but bluebirds hanging above the commotion don't seem to be bothered at all by barking dogs. You wrote: Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 08:07:03 -0500 My golden retreiver makes every step I make on my trail and it has never bothered the birds, She never attempts to bother the nestboxes and she minds me very well. I really enjoy her company and she needs the exercise as much as I do. Evelyn Cooper Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 09:32:08 -0400 To: The Ashenhursts, Linda V., et al, ...I have never sensed that birds, including Bluebirds, are the least bit troubled by dogs. If anything, they often seem curious about dogs, and go out of their way to come closer and get a better look. They seem to sense that dogs, unlike cats, pose no threat to them. And we've all heard about birds plucking hair for nest-building from sleeping dogs. (and, yes, people) In your dictionary you'll notice this "dialect or rare" entry under the verb "to toll," - i.e." to allure or entice, esp. to decoy (game, etc.)" In the old days, English market hunters trained dogs, usually of the retriever family, to 'toll' ducks and geese. They would build elaborate traps, or 'decoys,' and train their "tolling dogs" to appear, disappear, and then repeatedly reappear, causing the birds to swim further and further up into the long decoy net until they could be trapped and caught. (This method had the added advantage of leaving no tooth-busting bird-shot in the meat.) These waterfowl were lured into the traps by nothing more than their innate curiosity about dogs. Likewise, shore hunters used to train their tolling dogs to run up and down the beach in front of their blinds so that the flocks of curious game would swim in close enough for a shot. Bruce Burdett, NH Bluebird Conspiracy, Sunapee NH Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 10:05:22 EDT Good Morning Fellow Bluebirders! ... this Nestbox/Dog question is right up my alley. I have had both dogs and nesting bluebirds cohabitating for all the years I have been a bluebirder, with zero problems. The funny part is I have all sporting group dogs, IE: English Setters and Golden Retrievers...still zero problems. Living in a very small wooded town, thirty minutes north of Boston, we get many predetors. We have coyote, lynx, fox, fishers, pine martins, among many others. My dogs do an excellent job, even though they live inside, of chasing these carnivores away. In my humble opinion, I think just the presence of dogs is very helpful. Surprisingly, the Bluebirds, male and female, don't seem to mind the dogs what-so-ever. And the dogs in turn don't bother the birds....Go figure, Bird Dogs!... Lisa Etherington Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2001 10:02:28 -0700 Hi All: They accompany my wife and I on our monitoring rounds. When I band, I usually am sitting on the ground and the only problem with the dogs is when they want to kiss my face. They sniff the birds and are not at all predatory. The other day, I was monitoring a trail in a State Park. In the area close to public use I had my dog on leash. I would approach each nestbox and have my dog sit as I checked the box. This was our first trip since last July. On the backside of the trail, away from public view, I took my dog off-leash. She ranged ahead of me on the pathway, then cut over to a tree and sat. It was the tree with the next nestbox. She repeated this for the remainder of the trail, remembering or scenting each box long before I could figure out where it was located. Very handy. I agree with Linda, a good dog will protect your nestboxes from feral cats. Hatch Graham emcooper wrote: My golden retreiver makes every step I make on my trail and it has never
bothered the birds, She never attempts to bother the nestboxes and she minds me
very well. I really enjoy her company and she needs the exercise as much as I
do. Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 00:27:30 -0700 (PDT) --- LisaME1981"at"aol.com wrote: ... To balance the discussion, I have 4 Labs and 2 will kill any bird that they can catch. It depends on the agressiveness of the individual dog. I don't hunt and my dogs have never been trained to hunt. I agree with Lisa and think that game/hunting dogs are more prone to go after birds. =====
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 2003 16:20:59 -0400 Dear List, I am so rusty about dog behavior I just don't remember if all dogs chase BBs
on the ground. THANKS! :-) H From: "Bruce Burdett" blueburd"at"tds.net Haleya, Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 08:59:45 -0500 We have had three dogs with access to a BIG fenced yard for several years (they use a dog door and go out anytime they like.) I have had parents teach their babies to hunt from the big oak in the back yard, and have never seen the dogs bother them. They might chase briefly if they saw them doing something exciting perhaps, but they don't pay a lot of attention, and certainly don't stalk them like a cat might. Kate Arnold Paris, TX 100 mi NE of Dallas 33.6853N 95.6293W From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com] My experience with dogs and bluebirds tells me you should watch your dog carefully for any signs that they are inclined to chase the birds, especially if they are close when the birds are feeding or bathing. I have a Golden Retriever (8 years old) and another one I cannot remember what kind he is (fuzzy tan hair and a black mouth) that have never attempted to bother them in any way. The birds fly down and feed in a few feet of the dogs sleeping in my back yard. I just saw it this morning. The dogs also accompany me when I walk my trail. The Golden Retriever has figured out I do something at the nestbox and she will run ahead of me and park herself right near the nestbox and wait for me. However, once we owned a Border Collie. I saw her chasing the birds around in the yard and she knocked the birdbath over. I feel she was trying to get to the birds on the birdbath. I gave her away. My son owns a Border Collie and he says he chases the House Sparrows that he has around his barns. So, I think some dogs will and some won’t bother them. You need to know what your dog is inclined to do. Evelyn Cooper |
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