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A normal hatch would be 14 days from the last egg laid or 14 days from when the female starts incubating. I agree with Gin that you see if she might have started incubating later. April was a strange month here in Virginia and maybe your eggs will still be viable. Good luck
David
David
Stafford, VAWhat sad news this morning. Sorry for your loss Carol. I know that your blues will try again soon. Take care
David
Stafford, VAI have only had that experience once. I was told on another forum that 4-5 days was usually the time to remove the unhatched egg. Use a small spoon to remove it and to not disturb the young birds too much.
5 eggs is generally the number of eggs that a bluebird will lay. This can vary due to weather conditions, age of the female, and others.
David
Stafford, VAYou should remove the old nest and the eggs. The new female is building her own nest and the old eggs will not survive. It is tough to see this happen but nature has a way of doing what is best for the species. The new female will lay her own eggs when she completes the nest. You need to dispose of the ole nest and eggs far away from the nestbox. A garbage can is safe.
Good luck with the new pair.
David
Stafford, VAThis has to be at least 40 new blues from postings thus far. Sounds like a good year in the making.
David
Stafford, VAThe nest is coming along fine. I believe that they will finish it off with softer grass and the female may even line it with tufts of down.
Happy nesting!
David
Stafford, VAThe standard answer is – it depends. If she is ready to start laying and she the male are working at it it could be a couple of days. If they are just “courting” it could be 3-5 days. You will be surprised at how fast they build and how neatly engineered your nest will look.
The females are a dull blue and do not have the significant orange breast color that the male has.
Here is my female. Note that the blue is slightly dull and does have a “dusty” tinge to it.
David
Stafford, VARandy, If she has stopped laying, she is incubating. She is probably taking a break to keep the eggs and an optimal temperature. If it is warm out she may not be in the box at all for a while. Start your count for the day of hatch from the day that she laid the 5th egg and add 14. That should be hatch day.
Brad, your male sounds like he is still trying to attract a female. He may add pine needles and sprigs of grass to the box but I doubt that he would build a full cup nest without a female present. Keep us posted on when a female arrives.
David
Stafford, VATammy is right about the chain saw. I was just out in the back yard a ways behind the nestbox using my wood chipper/shredder for about 6 hours today. Both mama and papa bird fed the young as if I wasn’t there. I would stop putting tree branches into the chipper to watch – but did not shut down the chipper until I left for lunch and then at the end of the day. As long as you are not interfering with their nest they will probably ignore you.
David
Stafford, VAI don’t believe that I have ever seen the male build the nest. But then, I have always had a pair. The male does bring grass, pine needles etc but the female generally puts it all together. Maybe some of the others have had this experience.
David
Stafford, VAIt sounds like he is trying to claim the box and is calling for the mate. Keep a watch for the wrens and sparrows but if you see the grass circle you have a BB nest on the way. Good luck, Brad.
David
Stafford, VALisa, you need to take a breath and relax. Feedings happen in spurts – not continuously. Mine feed early in the morning like between 7:00 to around 10:00 then they seem to take a break until 2:00 and then another spurt around 5:-7pm. They may not come to the box as long as you are outside in the vicinity of the box. You may not see any activity at the nestbox for an hour if it is warm. The female would probably be inside if the weather gets bad or it cools down significantly before they rest for the night.
Enjoy the blues as they grow.
David
Stafford, VALisa, I hope the little ones are okay. It just could have been a drop by mama as she was clearing the nest. Good luck.
David
Stafford, VADay 1 with the new hatchlings and mama and papa blues are actively feeding the young. Here are a couple of photos of them at work today.
David
Stafford, VA
