Finally

[Sassy]

After the early start with the Bluebirds and the successful fledge of all 5, I was expecting Mama to start building another nest within a week, but that didn’t happen. I was thinking she found a new place for her second brood, then I got thinking about what Carol said about them liking natural colored boxes and we still had the blue insulation on 3 sides of the nesting box so we removed it and yesterday when I took a look inside the box they was a smattering of some dried grass, and I saw Papa checking out the box, today Mama is working on a new nest, so for my pair the 5 day rule didn’t materialize. It has been 16 days since the first brood fledged.
I also have the babies coming to the mealworm feeder and they have mastered getting in. They are almost the size of the adults now, so they are doing well.
Connie (PA)

[Carol – Mid-Mo.]

Glad your mama blue is on target – My pair are just now (just 7 days after fledging) staking claim to their box again, which is about on target for me in Mid-Missouri. I have only seen one fledgling come to the worm bowl – but parents are still feeding them in the trees. I hadn’t seen mama blue for about 2 or 3 days and I was getting extremely worried – but she showed up, WHENW !! Glad you took off the blue from the box – really, if a person thinks about it, out in nature the birds nest in trees and anything natural colored.
P.S. Is the “family” eating you out of house and home on the worms? I bet they are.

[David in Stafford,VA]

Great news Connie. I put my house back up today. Dad was perched on top of it but Mom must have been feeding the kids. It has just been 3 days so I will watch for activity in the box nest week.

David
Stafford, VA

[blue diamonds]

Connie… good news about nest building. I think your pair decided to hold off for better weather. So, when you removed the insulation from the sides they thought “yup it’s time”…lol. It should be clear sailing for them now.

Judy – Michigan

[Sassy]

I must tell you this has been the strangest nest building I have witnessed so far. Mama blue comes with these bare pine branches and being they are bigger than the hole, she flutters and flutters and most of the time drops what she has since there is no way the material can fit and never retrieves any of it. If I didn’t know better and looked in the box I would bet my money on it being a wren’s nest. I actually picked up some of the sticks around the post and put them in box to help her. Today I got a piece of bark and hot glued it to the door of the box so she could get some footing and today she worked on the nest more that any previous day.
Honestly, I don’t know if this is the same female that built 5 nests last year and one so far this year or if Papa got a new wife.
What do you Bluebirders think?
Connie (PA)

[blue diamonds]

Connie..that’s very interesting. It’s good you have been watching her build the nest, if not you might have cleaned the sticks out thinking it was a wren starter nest. She is determined, finding whatever will work……just get-er-done.

Judy – Michigan

[Sassy]

I must say it has been an interesting few days watching her work. I came home late yesterday afternoon and took a peek in the box and there was a beautifully formed nest. I do believe she is laying her first egg this morning. I will check the progress this afternoon.
Connie (PA)

[Author]

Posts