Thanks for the replies - so far the House Wren has not touched the surviving two Baby Blues - and momma and Papa are taking care of them. However - I can hear the Wrens all around, and I also am removing sticks from the other boxes around the property. I should have tried a Wren guard - however I have never put one on - so was worried about the Blues not taking too it. But if they nest again, I will for sure try it - after the first egg is laid. One a side note - we have a dead tree in our back yard - that a wood pecker bored a hole in, and must now have a nest in it. I saw her chasing the wren a way - but her nest is pretty high up. Also - we have a Phoebe nesting under our overhang - this is her second year. I went and checked her eggs out - and there was a Cowbird egg in it! We also had two robins nest near our house - both nests were robbed of their eggs - I'm thinking the crows got at them. Unfortunately no Chickadee nests in our boxes this year.. but probably best because of the Wrens..... seems like they arrived early this year. So did the humming birds.

I discourage the wrens. I take any sticks they put into a box away as quickly as possible. From the information I've read on the Sialis website, if you let wrens nest, you will soon be overrun with wrens. The wrens will poke holes in the Bluebird's eggs, or toss out their chicks. So if you're trying to get Blues, I would certainly discourage the wrens.

I,too,am blessed with CAWRS all year around. A few years ago, I bought a wren house while up in the Ozarks made from unpeeled oak boards that was immediately adopted by the CAWRS. They raised a brood of 3 chicks and I was lucky enough to be eating my lunch on the patio one day when all three fledged within minutes of each other. They have nested there every year since and one or two always roosts over winter. They are such interesting birds to watch. They are bundles of energy and I think they have explored every square inch of my covered patio where I have their house just under the eave. They are very protective of their house, and will raise a ruckus when other birds get too close, regardless of size, but seem tolerant of human traffic.

The "blue" flowers are actually purple and white petunias. Petunias have a strange ultra-violet coloring, or aura, or something, that often makes them photograph as blue, but in real life these are a medium to dark purple with white centers. The white flowers are cosmos "Sonata," and the yellow vine is a Thumbergia. It also comes in orange and white. The cosmos comes in a rainbow of colors, too. I just love the whites; they seem to grow bigger for me. As for the birdhouse...I know it's not in a safe blue bird location. I have dedicated blue bird boxes, hung to all the safety specs, in the back yard. I have everything except blue birds back there! LOL No self-respecting blue bird would come close to this house; I would move it if they did. This box is in a location that does not even attract bluebirds. It's for the chickadees, wrens, nuthatches, finches, anything that wants it. First come, first served. It's about five feet from my living room window, nearly under a spruce tree, and in a high foot-traffic area. The chickadees and wrens love it. Everything else stays clear.