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Morning all! Just an update on my nestbox I thought I would share. I noticed a considerable increase in activity from the male bluebird this weekend, going in and out of the box. I checked my box yesterday afternoon and found a surprise; there are 5 hatchlings. I am glad the eggs survived the blast of cold weather we had about a week ago. They seem to be a little ahead of schedule according to the chart I have, I didn’t expect for them to hatch until this week. But they seem to be doing well, and I’ll be checking this afternoon to see if the last egg hatched. How long should I wait for it to hatch before removing it from the nest? Hopefully it will have hatched by this afternoon and I won’t have to worry about it. Sorry for the off centered photo, I had to hurry and snap a quick photo. Mom and Dad were not happy that I was in there, they both swooped in at me several times as I was checking it!
Congrats Matt – that last egg will probably hatch in a day or two – parents usually know if it is not viable and will either remove it or bury it deep in the nest – it is usually best to just leave it alone. Nice picture (hard to believe they grow from this look into a beautiful bird) but read below – I had forgoten about this:
This is from http://www:Sialis.org (Bluebird website “Bible””)
Nestbox Interior: Photograph tips:
“Avoid using a flash on nestlings, since we don’t know whether a flash could damage their developing eyes – especially the eyes of a bird that is supposed to be developing inside a dark cavity. Why take a chance?
Do not open a box to photograph older nestlings, as you may frighten them into premature fledging.
It is easiest to take photos in a nestbox with a removable roof. Photographing from the top also helps when nestlings are older and tend to hunker down in the nest. If the box has a front or side opening door, open the door very carefully so contents do not spill out. (See more information on monitoring).”Thanks Carol! I’ll keep this in mind for any future photos. The only reason I even started to take photos was because I’m too short to look inside my box without a step stool LOL
I’ll just let the birds handle any unhatched eggs. Now that they’re hatched, I’ll limit the number of times I open up the box. I’ll check to make sure the last egg hatches and once it is no longer there I’ll let them do their thing until fledging time. Hoping that I’ll be around to see the little guys fledge, my wife and I will be out of town for a week during the middle of May. Hopefully I don’t miss the whole thing! Well, Matt, I, also am too short to see inside my boxes without a step-stool – I am about 5foot, one inch wall. My brother when we were growing up nicknamed me “shorty”. It doesn’t hurt to check on their progress – in fact this is probably a good thing (maybe every 2 or 3 days) to see if there is any problem, like ants, bees on the lid, a dead bird (which happens) etc. I have had this experience and it is not pleasant – I could smell something bad, and opened up box to find one of my birds in the box dead – had to remove it since they will draw ants and other nasty things. We learn new things each season it seems – just like human life is always a learning experience.
Aww Matt your babies are adorable. Hope the last egg hatched.
Will look for an update from you.
Connie (PA)
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