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Yes I know I will be anxious for the next couple weeks!
Momma did lay egg #4 this morning. I think she’s done.
Thanks Tammy and Gin!Hi,
I’m Scot and new to bluebirding. I have a nest box with 4 eggs. Today is around day 12 of incubation. I found an empty destroyed blue bird egg near my bird bath today, which is a few feet from the nest box. The 4 eggs are still there and the mom is still incubating. There are no other signs of distress or trauma and no baby bird parts anywhere……………just the destroyed egg and yolk.
Thoughts?
The egg seemed awful small to be a robin egg. I have a picture, if I can just figure out how to post it here….lol
I’m not sure we will be able to tell even with a picture! What matters most is that the egg didn’t come out of your nest box.
Gin
Atlanta, GAHi all. My name is David and I live in Stafford, VA, just north of Fredericksburg, VA. I come here from “Dave’s Garden”. I have been into Bluebirds for about 7 years and have had 12 broods (54 birds) fledge. I had a very bad year last year similar to some of those that have posted about nest raiders. I have photos to post but need to set up the online storage for them. Right now I have a nest of 5 birds that will fledge on May 8. I hope to get photos of that fledging.
David
Stafford, VAHi David,
I’m a first timer. My first brood produced 4 eggs. Only one hatched and is doing fine. I removed the unhatched 3 at day 22. Two of them were duds with no fetus, and one actually had a fully formed fetus. It must have died during incubation. 75% failure rate. I’m pretty sad about that. Maybe my pair will try again after my sole survivor fledges around May 15.
Thanks Scot. Don’t be discouraged the first year. My first nest was 3 eggs and 2 actually hatched and fledged. The second was 4 eggs and 4 fledges. The birds will be more comfortable the second year – if it is the same pair that returns. I had 3 5’s the second year.
David
Stafford, VAWelcome David and Scot!
Scot, I have had a few times with a 25% or less hatch rate. There isn’t much you can do about that and I know it’s sad to see all that potential wasted.
Gin
Atlanta, GADavid, awesome pics. Thanks for posting. I have amazing pics and video of my sole survivor who is on Day 10 today. If I could figure out how to post them, I would.
Gin, thanks for the words of encouragement. Do you find that parents will build another nest for a second brood in the same box despite 3 of 4 eggs not hatching? I’m hoping they will, once my little guy fledges and I clean out the existing nest.
My female on Day 1…….
https://www.flickr.com/gp/52710059@N02/02YD0v
My hatchling a few hours after birth…..
https://www.flickr.com/gp/52710059@N02/zEJD8n
Hope these are useable links. Enjoy.
Scot
Scott. I have had only one nestbox for the past several years. The birds will return if they can. i clean the box after each brood has fledged. They build a new nest and raise another family.
David
Stafford, VAScot, I am a new bluebird box landlord, so I am no expert, but my bluebirds built a new nest in the same box immediately after a completely failed nesting attempt. The female originally laid 4 eggs and incubated for about 23 days and then abandoned the nest. I removed the nest and eggs once I was confident she had abandoned it, and the very next day they started building again! She laid 5 eggs this time, and 4 of them hatched. So I think you have a good chance of the pair nesting again. Good luck!!!! It’s such an exciting experience – but definitely an emotional roller coaster at times!
-Lori
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