- This topic has 4 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 8 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
I’ve been consumed by bluebirds this spring and have a short story about a very brave pair of blues.
A friend’s wife passed away a few months back and knowing he was an active Monarch butterfly tagger I thought he might have interest in a couple of bluebird nest boxes. After a considerable wait a pair finally took residency of the box he installed in his yard and they were well on their way to incubating the eggs. It is a great location with a park across the street. But when I returned from a trip on Saturday I saw the annual Lions Club picnic being prepared in the park. And less than 40 yards from his nest box they were setting up the annual fireworks display. Though I love a good fireworks show I was very concerned about his nesting pair.
That evening as I comforted my pup in the basement three blocks from the park the fireworks shook our house with explosions one after another for about 15 minutes.
On Sunday I drove by and didn’t see any activity. I was sure the blues had skedaddled. On Monday when driving by I saw the female fly out of the box to a nearby tree. Then again that afternoon I saw both of them tending to their brood.
What amazing little guys!
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Nice story.
I have purple martins, tree swallows and bluebirds and we used to have fireworks right near their housing and they didn’t seem phased by it.Tammy
I’m amazed with the differences from one Bluebird pair to another. One pair’s babies, my earliest nest on a nearby trail, fledged. I cleaned the box out the next day. A day later I find an almost fully built nest and the next day an egg. There were three eggs last I checked. Another pair, which I never saw or heard, built a nice nest, laid three eggs and then the eggs were abandoned. I don’t know what happened. Maybe the adults succumbed to predators. And then there is the nestbox in my yard. The BB pair laid six eggs. Successfully hatched all six and they fledged on Sunday. I cleaned out the box Monday morning and haven’t seen or heard them in the yard since. Stinkin wren is taking over the box which kinda ticks me off because their babies fledged a couple days before the blues from a box across the yard. That box is clean and ready for occupancy but they decided to ignore it and build in the blues nestbox.
I’m just happy that I’ve had the success I have had. It really helped me get through a very long winter/spring.
Tim C. WI/MI border.
House Wrens…..grrrr. I prefer not to have them nesting in my yard. I have 2 sets of paired boxes. Usually get bluebirds in one and tree swallows in the other. As soon as the birds fledge from one box, I block the hole until the other box is empty. When they are both empty I open up the holes. I usually get a 2nd nesting with bluebirds. When the blues start another nest I block the paired box entry hole. This has been working great this season. House wrens are in the neighborhood, I can hear them from afar, but not in my yard.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.