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Waiting to see the pictures. Chickadees are cute little birds.
Congratulations on the hatch.David
Stafford, VABusy day and did not check the box until this evening – and now there are 4.
Judy- these are all taken with my old iphone 5c. I can put the camera against the inside roof of the nest box and still see the screen on the phone to line up the shot.
David
Stafford, VAChris – here is a link from the Sialis website on banding. Carol is right. Banding requires training and licencing from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the USGS and possibly the State. See the site for more information.
http://www.sialis.org/banding.htm
Good luck if you decide to try for it.
David
Stafford, VACarol- while I can empathize with you, I believe that you realize that you ARE doing the right thing for our native species, namely the bluebirds. We can feel sorry for the bird but it is no worse than having a pheasant, dove, or robin fly into the front end of your car. It is okay to feel a little regret but then we get back to the task at hand – which is taking care of the bluebirds.
Pat-on-the-back for you.
David
Stafford, VABob- I normally remove the twigs if the nest isn’t too far along. I wouldn’t get discouraged if you do not get any takers on your box. They may have already gone to another open box. The next nesting cycle might bring a new set of “lookers” for your box. Just keep the box clear and available for them.
David
Stafford, VACarol and Judy – Thanks. I just can’t help it with the pictures. It’s like every time I go by the box I have to see what is happening until she starts to incubate. – But I will calm down until we have the 5 eggs in the box.
I have my heat shield for the top ready also but it is not as hot as you have Carol. We are expected to be in the 80’s through the weekend. I haven’t seen any wrens around either so I am holding off on the wren shield also.
I have also seen the fledglings with the parents flying through the trees and to the shepherd’s hook No pic of that scene yet
David
Stafford, VAChris – you might check locally to see if there is a “Wildbirds Store” or something of that nature somewhere close and inquire there. They usually have a lot of information and resource material from bird associations and societies that may be able to help. I know that the Virgina Bluebird society leaves their material in the WB store in Fredericksburg, VA and in local feed stores.
David
Stafford, VAThanks Carol and Judy. No eggs yet but the pair have had their first brood on the power line across the street. The young ones seem to be very active and I have not seen them all together. I know there are 3 and possibly a 4th.(I did have 4 fledge) They seem to like my neighbors flower bed that surrounds her mailbox. Mom & Pop sit on the wire and watch as they fly from bush or tree to the flower bed and back. When they get tired of bird-sitting they will probably start the second brood.
David
Stafford, VABob – from experience with my birds, they may return in a day or two or it could be a week or more. At a time that they feel comfortable with the house they will start a nest. That said we all have noted that the bluebirds do not follow our rule book. Every time we try to predict what they will do, they do something else. My first brood this year took a long time to start, mostly due to the weather. Once they started the nest though it went quick. The pair now have a second nest that only took 2 days to build. (see other thread)
Try not to get too impatient with them. Watch the box and keep it free of other problem birds (HOSP & HOWR, etc.) The rewards are great. Keep us posted on their progress.
David
Stafford, VAFirst off, welcome back to the forum.
Second, There is NO SUCH THING as a dumb question. It is an opportunity to learn.The bluebird was probably surveying the box for a possible nesting spot. His movement from the hole to the top of the box and then back was most likely “planned” and not a slip unless you have a smooth finished box, which is unlikely. Does the nestbox have a predator guard over the hole? If so, does it have a smooth or rough surface. Some plastic guards could lead to slipping if the bird doesn’t grip it correctly.
Robins and blues do chase one another. It is normal territorial activity. Unless the bluebirds are harming a nesting spot the chasing should go away and the bluebirds should start building a nest if they have chosen this as their site..
I am sure others will have some information for you.
Good luck with nesting.
David
Stafford, VAI am not sure that you can spook a TRES. I walk past a newspaper tube mounted next to a homeowner’s mailbox each morning when I walk my grandsons to the school bus each morning. A TRES pair has built a nest in the tube and I believe here are eggs in the nest. I can not see over the feathers/down on the nest. They do “dive-bomb” us as we walk by but return to the mailbox or street sign across the road to watch us pass. They never go far away. (This is about 8 miles from where we live. I haven’t seen many TRES in our neighborhood.)
David
Stafford, VA
