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I decided to peek at the nest again this evening. It was around 7PM. Talked as I walked up to the box, tapped on the box several times while talking softly. Unscrewed the screw and slowly opened the front…..dang out flew momma Nuthatch, hit my arm on the way out. Scared the crap out of me. She scolded me for a bit, I took a pic and walked away.
Looks to be four eggs in there, you cannot see one of them in this photo. No nestcup whatsoever, just eggs in the nesting material. I am guessing she is still laying since I found the first egg on Friday, today would make the fourth one. I think I will wait to look again until maybe this coming Friday and see what I can see. Not even sure if I will be able to count them since they aren’t in a cup or anything, will be easy to miss one. Here is a crappy cell phone pic…
Donna in WI
Oh, oh, oh…..forgot to add. Had a male and female bluebird in the yard today! Gosh I hope they stay around. They were out back, then out front, then at the neighbors, then back in our yard and then they flew down towards the park. Didn’t see them again after that. They were over by a pair of boxes (30 feet apart from each other) on the east of our house, pretty much the best bluebird area in the yard. Tree Swallows have taken one and are defending both. Chickadees have shown interest in the other but get chased away by the TRES. I went out to look in the one this afternoon and the Chickadees were scolding me so I do think they want that box. So, I got my trap box out, took that box off the fence post and put my extra Xbox on the post (it is baffled) and put that out 25 feet from the one the TRES want. That way just in case the Blues come back and the Dees want the one, the TRES the other, there is still an extra box over there. Hoping they will come back or at least nest down by the park.
Donna in WI
Oh crap!! Saw the Nuthatch this morning and things looked normal. Our weather took a nosedive and the temps are 30 degrees cooler today then they have been for the last few days. Cold and windy. So just before lunch I look outside and see a bird fly up to the Nuthatch hole. Grabbed the binocs and OMG it was a male HOSP. looking into the box. I ran outside, it flew to a tree in the woods, I don’t think I scared it at all as I was still about 100 feet from the box when I went out the door. I ran out and checked the box though cause I had no clue if the HOSP had been there before that or not, the birdhouse is at an angle from our house so not that easy to see and you need binoculars. No nuthatch in the box and the eggs were all hidden, lots of grey fur or something covering everything, thank GOD they don’t have a nestcup or I bet that HOSP would have been in there in a heartbeat destroying those eggs! Now what do I do?? No clue if Nuthatches will tolerate a sparrow spooker but I couldn’t do nothing so I put one up. I watched a lot this afternoon but never saw the Nuthatches come back, although I could have missed them but I have been seeing them so much in the morning that I thought for sure I would have seen them. Of course this change in weather would mean hunting bugs would be harder so maybe she was out finding food. Tree Swallows have left too. So anyway I am going nuts here not knowing if the Nuthatches came back or if the HOSP scared them away before I even saw it, or if the spooker has scared them. I did not want to open the box up later as it was raining then too. Ugh! Damn HOSP!! I am so hoping I see them normally tomorrow morning!! If I don’t I might tie all but one streamer on each dowel up. I only put three on each one and with the bigger overhang of the Xbox I can’t see it really bothering them but who knows. They land on the side mostly anyway and climb around to the front.
I saw the bluebirds once this morning but then not again at all after that. Chickadees are everywhere and liking that the swallows left but still don’t seem to be trying to build in any of the birdhouses although one pair is excavating a cavity just in our woods line. I can actually watch them from the house with a pair of binoculars.
Donna in WI
Well I went out at 6AM and tied up four of the six streamers. Didn’t see the Nuthatches at all but have no clue if she could have been in the box, I was very quiet. Around 7AM I filled the birdfeeders up and a Nuthatch came in and got a peanut. A little bit later one went to the box, went inside and then back out into the woods. I am guessing the female is in the box and the male went and fed her. She didn’t come up to the hole though. So I think all is good, probably wouldn’t of had to tie up the four streamers but oh well. Hopefully the dang HOSP will stay away!
Donna in WI
The HOSP has been back this morning bothering the TRES (that are back this morning) at the paired boxes, Chickadees were checking them out this morning too. Fricking HOSP! However I did manage to shoot the little shit so I don’t have to worry about that one anymore!!
I am hoping the Nuthatch is incubating now since I am not seeing her at the hole anymore. Still is freaking me out a bit that I don’t see her when I have been watching her at the hole since last week.
I think I am talking to myself here….lol
Donna in WI
Still talking to myself here….
Hadn’t seen the Nuthatches at all today other than that one time this morning. Even though I saw one go in I was sure they abandoned the nest. Just went out to look and nope she must be incubating like I sort of thought. Opened it up and could see the 5 eggs now, yesterday when I checked you couldn’t see anything, it was all covered up. I guess I can stop obsessing over the fact that I haven’t seen them!
Took some quick cell pics…
The eggs, looks like mud balls in there too.lol
and the nest….lots of what could be bunny fur….
Donna in WI
I have to laugh because for awhile there you absolutely WERE talking to yourself! That’s pretty funny. I’m so glad you documented all of this. It made good reading. Now that the spooker is up all is right with the world. Good going.
Gin
Atlanta, GAI know I was. LOL!! I was freaking out and no one to freak out with me. I am better now though that I know she was in there. Plus she cannot be at the hole of the box if she is incubating. I took the other streamers down now. I want to try to keep a good record of this since they don’t use nestboxes very frequently. Going to order some mealworms next week and see if maybe they will feed them to the young. Would be awesome to have them bring the little ones to the feeder. If it is one of the same nuthatches that have been here before they do use the mealworm feeder.
The bluebird pair I saw in the yard are down at the park and seem to be interested in one of the boxes down there. At least I will have bluebirds to monitor although I wish they were in the yard.
Donna in WI
Please continue to document here as well. BUT please watch your language or I’m going to have to bring my red pen out of retirement.
Gin
Atlanta, GAA lot of battles for you, Donna.
I need to go to the trail and figure my HOSP problems out but it’s rainy today.Tammy
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