New Bluebird Babies

[Razblue]

Hello – I am new
I live in GA and i had 5 bluebird babies in the birdhouse and 1 did not make it.

I am devastated – Does anybody know of a conservation or bluebird specialist that I can call to talk to about what happened?

[Carol – Mid-Mo.]

Hi Razblue & welcome! Sorry about your one blue that did not make it. Unfortunately, the survival rate of most all cavity nesting birds is very low, so really 4 out of 5 surviving is really good. That, however, does not erase the hurt and feeling of helplessness. It could be any number of things – genetic or birth defect probably, but who knows. Sometimes, one just is not strong enough to get in there & beg for food. Most people here on this forum have had the same situations – my first nesting of 5 blues died when they were one week old. I attributed it to our cold, damp weather we had at that time, beings they all died at the same time. When just one dies, it would make common sense to suspect birth defect. Sometimes things just happen and we really do not find out the reason. Do not blame yourself in any way – just Mother Nature at work unfortunately. Hope you have another nesting. Or are they usually done this time of year in Georgia?

[Razblue]

I mean I have more information other than a guess. His siblings left on Sunday and he was left behind. I saw him in the hole up until yesterday I think. I even looked in there and I know he was alive. I did see the parents going back and forth. I decided I might do more harm at this point so I tried not to bother him today but towards 5 pm I couldnt take it anymore and I opened the box and he was dead.

When I looked at him I noticed this seed stuck to the bottom of his foot and the nest had seed balls in the bottom. I also noticed this foot after i pulled off the seed was almost clamped and the other was splayed out. The seed was Almost like little cherry pits but really tiny. I am sure that it caused mobility issues and maybe even some pain.

I feel like I should have done more before it got to this point. I cant stop crying. he made it so far just to die. I am so sad.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by Razblue.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by Razblue.

[Carol – Mid-Mo.]

Well, you do have more information that we thought from first post. This seed/pit thing issue may have kept him from fighting for the food – maybe it was sticking to the nest somehow. I am not familiar with this cherry pit thing – unless it is mulberry droppings or something. Yes, it is very sad to lose one so close to fledging, but please don’t blame yourself – you could not have known anything was wrong.

[Razblue]

I think it did keep him from fighting because after his brothers and sisters left I checked to see if the box was empty and saw him and he seemed really far behind not just a day or so. There were some seed pits in the bottom and I am not sure what made it stick, but one thing I saw them getting from their parents was this red/yellow kibble from coles that put out. It makes me wonder if a piece of that food which can be sticky when hot or wet caused the seed to stick to the bottom.

I had live and dried meal worms too fyi.

Do you know if this coles kibble is an unsafe product?

[dogsandbirds]

I don’t know what coles kibble is. I do know that birds can get stuck to the nest for various reasons but if you saw him in the hole it doesn’t sound like that kind of thing.

EABL do feed chicks small fruits that contain a seed; I have seen the seeds in the nest many times. It could be that he did have some deformity of the foot and was lucky enough to get to the hole but not able to exit.

It’s sad but you actually did have a great success rate.

Gin
Atlanta, GA

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