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Thanks Carol. yes it is the same pair. i am hoping that they stay around but I haave never had that happen either. More photos tomorrow
David
Stafford, VAThe bluebirds are looking for a nesting place and you have provided them with a possible location. The HOSPs will be a problem but you seem to have the potential solver already in place. Be patient. The birds know when it is time to build a nest and whether it is safe to call your nextbox home.
Good luck on your venture.David
David
Stafford, VAHow long have the birds been away? I have not heard of anyone being able to “incubate and raise” birds from the wild. This is just natures way. If the birds have been gone for more than a couple of weeks then you are going to have to start over. Clean out the nestbox of the nest and eggs and put the box back up. Then it is just “wait and see”
David
Stafford, VASorry to hear about your experience. You need to do a little preparation for the next event. You do not have to move your box higher. 6 feet will do IF the nest box is protected from predators. Many of us use either metal or PVC pipe to mount the box on and protect the box with a baffle. I have included a photo of the one I use. It is a 2 foot section of stainless stove pipe with a cap. I cut a hole in the cap to put it on the pole/ I use 2 long screws in the PVC pipe to set the baffle on to allow it to rock in case something tries to climb it. I have place several discs cut from galvanized hardware cloth that also fit inside the baffle to keep critters and snakes from trying to climb up inside the baffle. I have stuffed smaller pieces of the hardware cloth in the small gaps in the cuts made on the metal cap for protection also.
If possible your box should be away from fences and trees where squirrels, cats, and other critters could leap to the box.I hope that you are able to get another pair of BB to use your nestbox. Keep us posted on your activity.
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This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by . Reason: wording
David
Stafford, VAIf you do remove the start of the nest, she will rebuild.
Thanks Donna and all. I did remove the nest and cleaned the box yesterday. This afternoon there is another nest almost as complete as the one I removed. Both birds have been in and out of the box all day. I expect she will start laying soon. I also bought a tube of the white lithium grease and applied it to the pole under the baffle. I will keep an I on that to see if it works.
I will post some photos of the new nest and the birds after the weekend. Have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend.
David
David
Stafford, VAThanks Gin & Carol. They have just started the nest. It can’t be more than 3 days old. I have been checking periodically since the fledging a couple weeks ago. No eggs yet. I will get some axle grease tomorrow and apply it. I should remove the nest and hopefully they will build another. I might even try to put one together from my pile of lawn clippings since I just mowed the lawn.
David
Stafford, VACongratulations on your fledge.
Give it 2-3 weeks. They are busy helping this one survive. They won’t be far away and you may see them from time to time back exploring the nestbox in preparation for the next nest.David
Stafford, VAUnless you are using a mealworm feeder and your parent birds use it regularly to feed their little ones you will rarely see the young after they fledge. There is another person here in Stafford that has photos of the families of blue birds that come back to his feeder for mealworms and water. The little ones are probably around but they are well hidden in the trees like Gin said. Look on the power lines early in the day if you have them near your house. I have seen several families of birds on the lines over the years. Don’t be surprised if you all of the young are not there. The young are very vulnerable to predators (hawks, kestrels, etc.) in their first few weeks out of the box.
David
Stafford, VATiming varies with each pair of birds and each brood. Mine have ranged from 2 to 5 weeks between nests. The more time it takes for the second nesting to occur the less likely there will be a third nesting – unless another pair settle in right after the second brood fledges. And a lot depends on where you are located and how long your summer lasts.
David
Stafford, VAI always remove the old nest and clean the nestbox with soap and water to prepare for the next brood. Many of the bluebird sites recommend this as a way to remove ants, mites etc. that may have hatched during the growth of the young birds. I think that is good to have a fresh room ready for the nest family.
David
Stafford, VAGin is right. My last fledge of the year in 2014 took all day. It depends on how brave the young ones are to take flight.
BTW – that was supposed to be a ( in front of the 5 in the post above. A nest of 95 birds would have been a monstrous feat. :)David
Stafford, VADon’t count on it. I had one full nest 95 birds) fledging in rain. It wasn’t torrential but it was more than a drizzle.
David
Stafford, VA -
This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by
