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David, I use my homemade 1″ Styrofoam for insulation with spaces between box & foam for air flow . I have an extra large top piece that it extends probably 3 or 4 inches to provide little more shade on the box. Has worked pretty well in the past – hope it does this year because it has been in the upper 90’s a few days – little cooler today but still hot & humid.
Rich, great that you are helping your town to help our precious Bluebirds. Yes, there has been a lot of problems this year with nests and eggs, like you mentioned about having 5 eggs and only 3 hatching. My 2nd nest had 5 eggs and only ONE hatched – I candled the other eggs and there was nothing in them, probably not fertilized as Gin says. My LONE RANGER fledged about 7 days ago and the parents already had nest #3 ready. There are 4 eggs in it being incubated right now. so Lone Ranger will have siblings soon.
Mealworms are going real slow now for some reason – I have never had the blues leave any in the bowl, but then again I am only feeding the pair and The Lone Ranger at this time. BUT I am having terrible problems with the wren and HOSP trying to devour the worms. I have cut way back on amount I put out for the blues but they still manage to leave a few. Good Luck.
Dana, it has been a tough year for some here, including myself. My 2nd nesting of 5 eggs only resulted in one fledging, as the other eggs were not viable. I call it the “Lone Ranger” and it will have some siblings in about 2 weeks, as my 3rd nest has 4 eggs and mama is incubating them now. Sure hope your two youngins fledge successfully.
Thanks Julie & David – egg 4 laid today and mama is incubating. The Lone Ranger actually came down to feeder bowl yesterday with parents – they fed him a few worms and they flew off. The worms are really going slow right now – only parents are eating them & feeding Lone Ranger and they are eating a lot less than when I had them all here. It’s been real hot here – hope the heat shield does the job.
Yeah, Julie! That’s a very unusual thing to happen, so congrats! I believe if I remember right the first time this happened and I was putting it in the sack for removal, the 2nd one got loose because I didn’t realize there were two. That DID NOT happen again.
I’m still waiting for 1st blue egg on nest #3.The good thing about the beetles is that they only eat the foliage, not the blooms, and do not kill the plant itself. The skeleton-like look on the foliage is not pretty but buds are not harmed. Right now my crape myrtle shrub is beginning to bloom so when I pick off the beetles I have to be careful not to get the bud. I believe I got a good start on picking them off, so the knock out roses have not had many lately.
P.s. You mention “knocking them off into the water” – when I try to do this they fly away so I just pick them off gently. Any special secret to your method?Julie, I am also hand-picking off those beetles – mainly on my crape myrtle and some on my knock-roses. Some just grab the insecticide and spray poison into the air – it is almost fun and challenging to find those beetles and pick them off one by one. I got an early start and caught them in the breeding process, so most of the time got two at once. Last year they were a lot worse but then again we are just getting into the real summer season.
Congrats on the new baby blue and catching those HOSP.Oh, David, that is horrible! Never in a million years would I have dreamed a Blue Jay would do this So, they are a definite threat even if they cannot get in the hole.
Good thinking, Jamie – I forgot about keeping a good nest for a spare – I have two in my basement freezer right now.
Julie, well I had never heard this about Blue Jays – like I mentioned to Jamie, another thing to learn, even at my “advanced” age. Thank you very much for the info about your tree which got hit by lightning. This oak tree is 45 years old, as it was started from a small limb which a friend gave to us right after the house was built. It is not in the best shape any way, but I would be really be upset if it completely died, as it is our biggest shade tree in the back yard, on the west side on the house. We’ll just have to watch it, again Thank you.
Therese, did mama blue sit on the eggs (incubate) any? Usually if they have eggs in a nest they do not abandon it unless, like you found, they realized they were not viable. My point is it may not have been the location at all, just one of the “things that happen.” You yard is fairly small but you should be able to come up with a spot for the box. Especially if Papa is still around he will try to attract another mate. If you put it on the side of your home (is the side the shortest area) it will probably be too close to the neighbor. I would sure try to put it in the back yard if this is the biggest area. Is there a reason you could not do this? Anyway, you need to remove and clean the empty nest so it is ready for another new nest, as females like “to approve” their bed. I am on my 3rd nest right now – don’t know where you live, but you should have time for a late nesting. Good luck and welcome!
Another new thing learned about Bluejays – never heard they would raid nests like that. You for sure keep busy with all those boxes – good luck.
Jamie, just love your story about your years with the birds. Yes, as mentioned several times here, we all learn new things almost every day, and also learn from our mistakes. This is life in general I believe. I have been birding only 13 seasons, so you have several years ahead of me – before the internet??? Wow. I have no trails, however, and just am happy to have my blues in my yard to take care of, in between several volunteer jobs. I don’t understand about the Bluejays – how were they able to get in the box with a 1 1/2″ hole?
