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I have thought of posting this before concerning the resilience of nesting Bluebirds. To Tim’s point, the video below if anyone is interested is of the Florida Bluebird Society annual meeting (it is posted publicly on their website). At about 1 hour 3 minutes in, the presenter shows construction workers at a trench putting in cable or something, with a nest box visible right next to the trench. The bluebirds carried on during the construction and produced 5 fledglings.
Code: Fhq4*gJU (enter this after clicking the link)
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Still five eggs. I guess that is the clutch size this time. Again, female was still in the box and left when I tapped on the back. She flew over to the fence and watched me.
This time I saw the small white blotch on one of the eggs. Really does look like bird poop. I also noticed the eggs were in a different arrangement. I wonder if the female does this incidently to nest maintenance, or if she is specifically rotating the eggs or something?
My practice the last two nesting was to wait and watch the box to see the female leave before checking. I attempted to do that this time and go impatient. I plan to try and get back into that method. I don’t like disturbing the female.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Five eggs.
Female was still in the box and left when I tapped on the back and started opening the roof panel. I thought I had waited late enough in the day, but guess not.
Also, I saw what I think was a juvenile on the bird feeder. I was filling them up, and he waited until I was a yard or so away before leaving, and then only flew a short distance over to a nearby shepards hook under the Crepe Myrtle in the backyard.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Four eggs now.
I think the white spot I saw yesterday may have been light. This check I looked for it and didn’t see it, but I did notice this time the speckles of light move and come and go has I lifted the hinged roof up and down.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
As far as the white spot, I searched online, got a lot of hits about bluebirds laying white eggs, but also saw pictures of bluebird eggs with various white areas on them. The bird poop explanation is probably the answer.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Three eggs. One of them has a little white sot on it near one end. I haven’t noticed this sort of thing before. I didn’t notice it yesterday, so I assume this is the new egg.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Whatever happens, I think you needed to do the switch. But I’m putting down my bet now that the birds will carry on as if nothing happened.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Lots happening so far today.
First the good news. There is one egg in the nest.
Details: I cut the backyard early, refilled the bird bath, filled the feeders, and sat down to cool off and watch the goings on. A male bluebird was being a wild man and chasing every thing away. Even one of the squirrels ran for cover with the male after it. Then I noticed the female go into the box and the male then peering in after her. She didn’t come out right away, so I thought, is she laying an egg?
I tried to keep my eyes on the box to see her come out, but other things kept drawing my attention. The male was forcing starlings to drop to the ground and stay until he went after someone else. He was going after even the mourning doves. Nobody was safe, except me and the dog, for some reason. The bluebirds still haven’t harassed me. I wonder what they think about the dog, and why they leave him alone, too.
Then the male landed on an arm of the feeder pole and a female joined him. Darn! The female left the box and I missed it! How long has it been? But then, another female came to the feeder pole and perched next to them and there appeared to be some argument. Was that the female from the box? After some bird words between them they flew off. That was something I hadn’t seen before.
So, I waited out the morning before peeking in the box. One beautiful little blue egg.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
My first season, and first nest was five eggs, two hatched, the remaining three eggs remained in the nest and were there after the young fledged and the adults had moved out. I’ve read that females are known to remove nonviable eggs, too, but can’t say.
From reading the forum in the short time I’ve been here, I know from others that @tamsea is right. If it is wrens or sparrows, they will be back. I would also think about what predators are in your area, what you have seen before, and what the signs of predations would be in those possible instances. This page will probably be helpful. See missing eggs.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
@Beck2014 Sounds like you decided to switch the box. I think that is the right decision.
You answered a question I was forming in my mind as I read down the thread.
If your setup isn’t safe for the birds, you have to fix it. And as @tamsea says, from your description of things, it might be the birds are just inspecting the property. It could be worse if you had nestlings and trying to figure out how to block or repel some predator.
My opinions.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
We have had rain off and on the past few days and this is first I’ve looked since the 28th. The nest appears complete now to my human eyes. No egg. Bluebirds are coming to the backyard and I’ve seen them perched on the feeder pole, but I haven’t sat down and watched the box to see what’s going on.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
