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Just observed a female and male inspecting the nest box. The female arrived first, landed on an arm of the feeder pole and then flew over to the nest box. She was joined on the feeder pole by a male. She perched at the opening of the box and then went in. The male perched on the outside and peered in. She came out moments later and they flew back to the feeder pole. After moments on the pole they flew off.
Now, in the time I was typing, there is a male perched on top of the box. He flew over to the feeder pole and looked around and then flew off.
I think odds are high the female will be building a nest very soon.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Yeah. There seems to be something about my backyard, the neighborhood, or that nest box. I started thinking about where the rest of the bluebirds build their nests. We do have a lot of trees, as well as many live oaks in the neighborhood, and there are several live oaks in properties directly around me. A live oak looks to me like prime real estate, if I were a bird.
By the way, I saw a mourning dove grab a beak full of cut grass and fly up into the crepe myrtle. I watched for a while to see if she came back to the ground for more material. I walked over and looked up in the tree. I could see her and she was frozen the way mourning doves will do, looking at me but thinking I couldn’t see her. The crepe myrtle is filled with Spanish moss and she was in the middle of it all. I couldn’t see a nest, but it could be there, hidden. I’ll have to keep an eye out and see if she is really engaged in nesting activities.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Congratulations! You might want to check earlier than you think. I had the same thing going on and checked and found a complete new bluebird nest. And now I have one egg. Last week I didn’t even know they were building.
Tammy
That happened to me with the last nest. I didn’t realize the pair had even started until I noticed the behavior of the birds. I hadn’t seen the female carrying material to the nest box and building a nest. But when I noticed the different behavior I looked and found a completed nest and one egg. That was the beginning of the clutch that just fledged. However, I just cleaned out that nest yesterday. If there is new nest now, they are indeed quick. But I get your point, Tammy.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Checked nest box a few minutes ago. I was half expecting to find nest material, but it is a clean as I left it.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Oh, I know they will. I was responding to Tammy’s advice about the behavior of the birds and that the pair may have already moved in and were not just inspecting the premises. Anyway, as I have said, probably across different threads, my experience so far is the second pair moved in almost immediately after the first pair moved out. So, that’s why I believed Tammy and was half expecting to see a nest.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
A pair was inspecting the premises this morning. The behavior was similar to before; the female went inside while the male peered in while perched outside at the opening. The whole episode in brief, not even 30 seconds. I looked in the box afterward and it is still empty, so for sure they were just looking this time.
I saw bluebirds yesterday but no activity at the nest box in the times I was watching.
I had started feeding my mix of suet nuggets and dried BSF larva, dried mealworms, and left over commercial bugs and berries wild bird food agin now that the young have fledged. The bluebirds are taking some of it. They are not heavy feeders.
A thought on feeding. I stopped putting this food out when there are young in the nest to avoid the young being given dry food. However, the bluebirds birds have no trouble finding wild food, and I found they still hunted wild food for young when I was putting the feeder food out. I still think it is wise to stop the dried food when there are nestlings, but it seems the bluebirds don’t feed it to the young anyway.
The variety of wild food the adults bring to the nestlings is amazing. It is hard to identify even with binoculars, but I’ve observed what I believe was probably an earthworm, another time a mole cricket, a one time something large with many legs which I suppose was a spider. But when they are feeding the young they are constantly arriving with something in their beaks.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
A while later after I posted above. Noticed a male perched on top of the box and so I started watching. A few moments he dropped down to the entrance and peered in, the he hopped back on top of the box. I do believe a pair has closed on the property and will be moving in. We’ll see.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Sounds promising. For the first time ever I have two bluebird nests happening within sight of each other and 100 ft apart. That’s amazing. Usually it’s 300 feet apart or at least out of sight (one in front of the house and one in the back.)
Tammy
This morning is the first I’ve been able to check the box after being out of town since late last week. Nothing . . . but a story, of course.
After checking the box and started watering the plants. The sun beats down the Beautyberry and the plants that were getting the most sun looked horrible. Anyway, funny thing about the birds, I can be close to the feeders with my back to them and the birds will come to the feeder as if I’m not there. Turn around and look, and they fly off. Turn back around, not looking, and they come back. And while standing there, feet from the feeders, watering the plants, I hear a pffft sound, and then again. I turned around and a pair of bluebirds were harassing a mockingbird. Never before this close to the action (and not wearing ear buds), I didn’t realize the bluebirds make content!
I personally only see the bluebirds defending a territory like this when they have young in the nest, so I assume that pair has a nest nearby. It isn’t in my box. I’ll check with my neighbor, but perhaps they have a nest in the oaks that surround us here.
At any rate, those are a couple interesting observations to share.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Update on post above: Neighbor’s box is empty too. But it makes me happy just the same if they have a nest in one of the oaks.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
AIH, I’m glad the bluebirds are in your vicinity, even if not in your box.
Tammy, I’m surprised about the bluebirds being that close. I too read the 300 feet number and I have seen 2 male bluebirds in a momentous struggle over territory while both their females looked on. I have also observed the male bluebird from the couple at my box chasing away another male aerially so they seem quite territorial in this season.
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