Home › Forums › Bluebird Chatter › Any northern bluebirds arriving?
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May 26, 2023 at 12:06 pm #27271
I’m beginning to wonder how the real pros in the bluebird trail world keep up. I’ve put up 20 nest boxes in four areas and with only five pairs taking up residency I’m BUSY!
Just keeping up with wasp nest starts on vacant boxes is time consuming. I hope at least they become discouraged and find other spots but I expect I’ll be dealing with them until nesting season is over.
Tim
Tim C. WI/MI border.
May 30, 2023 at 1:37 pm #27272Yup, five nesting pairs confirmed. Another pair checking out a box and another box with likely bluebird nest starting but no visuals on birds yet.
So out of twenty new nest boxes installed this spring we have five confirmed and possibly seven pairs. Seven would be 35 percent bluebird occupancy and another 10 percent with nesting Tree Swallow pairs nesting. That’s a big boost to my hope for at least one pair this season.
So, sorry for my excitement overflowing this forum. I’m guessing many of the members live where blues have been mating for months and maybe they’ve moved on to other exciting things. We’re just getting started here with first arrival on May 16.
Tim
Tim C. WI/MI border.
June 1, 2023 at 4:46 pm #27282Thinking back 15 days I was all poop-lipped about not having any success with blues. This is today on my home garden fence and another Wren box by my pond. Luckily the Wren is now leaving the blues alone. I see why with seven eggs in their box.
Keeping a couple water baths nearby. We are having some very warm weather the last week. 91 today!
Tim C. WI/MI border.
June 1, 2023 at 5:14 pm #27283Is 90+ degrees harmful? I may be able to put some shade over the boxes in the sun but I’m hesitant to disturb the momma to be. Water access should help, but I don’t know when to be concerned.
Tim C. WI/MI border.
June 3, 2023 at 8:10 am #27284I added a piece of Reflectix reflective insulating material to the roof and I think it will work well. It keeps the roof shaded and reflects the sun away from the nest box. I was worried that installing might bother the blues but they returned right away and don’t seem to be concerned with the difference.
Tim C. WI/MI border.
June 3, 2023 at 12:53 pm #27285I think you nesters will appreciate the heat reflector. 90 is a bit warm, but good for mama bird, she does not have to stay on the nest for long hours. Enjoyed your egg photos. You are off to a great start for being a newbie bluebird landlord. Keep the texts and pictures coming. Happy birding!
Judy – Michigan
June 7, 2023 at 12:11 pm #2729217 nest boxes installed in my community at four bluebird trails, two at home, seven at a large soccer field complex, two a cemetery, two at an old landfill and three at an industrial park field and one at a neighbor’s home.
7 confirmed pairs nesting. Two more looking possible with nest materials just beginning to show.
29 Bluebird eggs so far. Four white eggs in one nest box.
10 Tree Swallow eggs in two nest boxes.
And the little stinker (wren) that kicked out our Chickadees in April has seven eggs by my pond.
I’m finding that monitoring 20 boxes is a workout. But so far not a bad problem to have. No predator evidence yet.
Tim
Tim C. WI/MI border.
June 8, 2023 at 7:05 pm #27306I’m going out on a limb and saying this has been a big success for this rookie bluebird landlord who less than a month ago didn’t know if I was going to get any nesting pairs. Keeping my fingers crossed that hatchlings and fledglings are close to 100%.
One thing I didn’t realize is how much this hobby has consumed me. My daily dog walks have turned into daily bluebird trail dog walks. The birds definitely notice Rosie but don’t seem to be too concerned. I do have to apologize to my Yooper neighbors. I may have put a small dent in bluebirds migrating through to the UP : )
Tim
- This reply was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by TimC.
- This reply was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by TimC.
Tim C. WI/MI border.
June 11, 2023 at 10:13 am #273138 Pair of Nesting BB.
30 BB eggs. (Counting hatched)
5 Hatchlings.3 pair Tree Swallows nesting
14 eggs (including hatched)
8 Hatchlings.Sorry if this is TMI. I’m practicing for season end reporting to BRAW : )
Tim C. WI/MI border.
June 11, 2023 at 6:21 pm #27314I am following your thread with interest! It’s great to think of all those potential new BBs and TRES in the offing, with your help. :)
June 13, 2023 at 5:06 pm #27315Tim C, you are off to a great start for being your first season. Hope you are enjoying the ride and will continue for many years. You will be an expert in just a little time. I enjoy all your photos and the egg tally. Keep up the great work and keep posting what is happening on the trail. Maybe your dog Rosie can be the chief snake sniffer….lol.
Judy – Michigan
June 14, 2023 at 6:56 am #27316Haha. Thanks for the encouragement.
I’ve pointed out snakes on the trail to Rosie but she isn’t interested. Now if chipies and squirrels were a danger to bluebirds then she’s a champion!
U am really enjoying this. Though I’ve found that the number of nest boxes I’m monitoring is a challenge. I’m hoping my library will have a bluebird seminar next winter and I can find some folks to delegate some of that work.
Tim C. WI/MI border.
June 15, 2023 at 8:56 pm #273199 pair nesting
35 eggs (incl hatchlings)
10 hatchlings
0 fledglingsOnly monitored five boxes today. I’ll check the others tomorrow and update numbers. Then I’m out of town for a week so no updates until at least 6-25. It’s getting crazy out there!
Tim C. WI/MI border.
June 25, 2023 at 2:11 pm #27353June 25
9 pair nesting
38 eggs (incl hatchlings)
21 hatchlings
5 fledglingsSo I’m new to this and will appreciate feedback if there are any experienced bluebirders that do monitoring of similar numbers of nest boxes. My earliest nesting pair had five hatchlings. After returning from a trip the nest box is empty with no sign of hatchlings. I do hear BBs singing in the trees nearby. I decided to clean out the nest even though I don’t know when the birds fledged. The first sign of incubation was 5-28. So it’s been about 29 days since incubation started.
I want to report to BRAW at the end of the season with numbers as accurate as possible. I am assuming all five hatchlings fledged even though I don’t have evidence of that. And I also assume that when I peek into a nestbox with hatchlings and they are sitting on top of each other I all the eggs hatched. Are any of these assumptions problematic?
Thanks,
TimTim C. WI/MI border.
July 1, 2023 at 11:35 am #27375July 1…
First pair I had nesting had five babies fledged sometime between June 20 and 25. I cleaned out the box and the next day there was a full nest in it. I had to look back at my spreadsheet to see if I was confused (so many nest boxes). Nope, I definitely cleaned it out about 36 hours ago. One day later there is an egg and this morning three eggs. Those little buggers work fast and are keeping me on my toes.Another box the last time I checked were five hatchlings. This morning it’s empty. Cleaned that box and hoping for a quick return.
The only negative outcome so far is a box I installed on May 26th. On June 15th and June 25 there were three eggs and no sign of BBs. The next day one egg appeared to have been hatched but whatever that pile of stuff inside it definitely wasn’t a baby bird. I cleaned out that box the next day. I’m hoping they return. I don’t know if it was abandoned or what. Normally I don’t go ten days between checking but I was out of town for a week.
Having a dozen and a half nest boxes to monitor is proving to be challenging. But I am probably over monitoring due to beginners excitement. I hope next season I can delegate some of them to someone else. I’ve had many inquiries about who is putting up all these boxes!
- This reply was modified 9 months ago by TimC.
Tim C. WI/MI border.
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