Widowed male bluebird

[Tara]

I apologize in advance as I’ve cried for two days and this may become lengthy. I have had a beautiful pair of bluebirds nesting in my birdhouse this year (they may be the same from last year). They have had two broods and momma built a third nest (I clean out the house once they fledge) and was finished with it June 19th I believe. I noticed Thursday, the 4th I hadn’t seen her much. Typically she shows up to have mealworms with dad and fledglings. It was busy here so didn’t think too much of it. Then Friday I watched, checked my camera feeder, and hadn’t seen anything. Dad was around with the babies. I also saw dad perched on the hanging plant next to the birdhouse as he always does in the evening. But never saw her come in or out all day. By Saturday I was able to just sit and watch. Dad was looking in, bring mealworms but leave with them, sit on the roof or planter and calling. He just did this consistently. Finally I went and opened up the house (scared of what I may find) and there were four beautiful, perfect little eggs. All day in between taking care of fledglings he would just perch and call for her. I just sat out there and cried and talked with him. Well today he was going into the house and staying in it for minutes at a time. Kept doing it. He would come out, call and go back in. I haven’t touched the eggs, and it’s been very hot here. 90 degrees and humid. I am actually afraid to open the box again and hope none of them have hatched. I’m heartbroken for their little family they’ve worked so hard for and I don’t want to take away his eggs and nest if he’s still processing everything. I don’t know what to do and my heart hurts for him. Any ideas on what I should do and I’m guessing although it’s been hot, the eggs probably aren’t viable? I feel like they would have been hatching soon.

[Ilovebluebirds]

I’m so sorry to hear that something has happened to the mother bluebird. I have also had heart break and cried for days. When my mother bluebird came up missing a year ago and unfortunately my baby bluebirds were 8 days old. The Daddy bluebird spend a day and a half calling the female. I have had good years and sad years. I can’t say what should be done but it’s better that they haven’t hatched.

[Tara]

I am so sorry I just am seeing this! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I still cry when I think of it and I have it a week before I removed the nest and eggs because the male was continuing to come back and look into the house or perch right next to it. It broke my heart. The eggs almost looked like the were going to hatch possibly as there were tiny cracks in them. The weather here has been extremely hot so I worry that the babies wouldn’t have survived. It’s never been this hot for this long. I barely see the male or the fledglings and I’m hoping it’s because of the heat and they’re just spending more time in the woods. The barred owls are out daily and I look at my camera by the bird bath and feeder daily to see if they show so I know they’re okay. I’m sorry you went through it too. Loving the birds is a blessing and a curse and having cameras is worse because I saw a bluebird all winter with a broken leg, a pine Siskin dying at my feeder and this last week during the heat a finch who frequently went to my bird bath but couldn’t keep water down and I haven’t seen her since. Thank you for responding and I’m sorry about my rambling. I don’t think my family understands how I feel and probably are tired of my crying and my obsession with the birds. :)

[Ilovebluebirds]

No apologies needed. I think you did the right thing for the bluebird daddy. We have had hot weather here also. I have a fall bluebird house and a summer bluebird house. The summer bluebird house has screen and wire on one side at the top about two inches so air can come through and a big top so water doesn’t come in. I had a camera in my bb house in the past and I can truly see the baby birds trying to get air when its in the 90’s. I also put out dried meal worms in a gourd because last year my daddy bluebird came up missing and the female spend 13 days alone feeding two baby birds. I did offer live mealworms but she wasn’t used to them and paid them no attention. Some may not agree with the necessities of dried meal worms but it can help if one parent comes up missing. I do limit the meal worms but now I see both parents coming to the gourd to eat. All of the baby bluebirds are on their own now. First nest I had 2 eggs hatch and second nest only one egg hatched. All three fledged.

[tamsea]

Sorry, Tara. Sorry that I didn’t see your post and that you went through that. It does get easier as you keep with this hobby. I used to bawl too!
There’s a good chance the babies wouldn’t have made it if they had hatched because the mom still broods new hatchlings. They can’t regulate their own temps early on and need mommma’s heat. But it has happened. Sometimes I’m super curious at how far along the babies were and I open an egg (after I’m positive they aren’t hatching). That might be too heartbreaking for you but it makes me feel better when I see that the eggs weren’t as developed as I thought they were.
There’s no right or wrong answer for when to remove the eggs. As long as you wait enough time. But I rarely leave my eggs in very long when I know they aren’t going to hatch because I want that box to be freed up for a new nest. But I always err on the side of caution.

Tammy

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