[Dene]

Thanks for all your help.

HELP
Today is the 4th of July and eggs were in nest #1 on the 15th of June #2 on the 16th and we still have eggs in the nest, Ho baby’s.
I have been putting up the umbrella every day because of the horrible heat and Mom and Dad keep coming off and on checking in then leaving? Today a male (I don’t know if the original Dad or not) came to the box and was chasing off 2 different kinds of birds hanging on our fence, then he left and brought back a female who looked inside the nest (also went in) then left and the male looked in the hole then chased off some more birds hanging around then he left?
My question do I keep leaving the nest alone and putting up the umbrella? There are more than one female and male around I think and how do I know if it is the original ones or a new pair trying to find a place to nest???????
It has been 18 days since the first egg was in the nest and 19 since the second egg was in the nest and they are still there and this is confusing to me as to how to do this with what is happening with the birds… HELP!!!!! How long do I leave the nest like it is now?????

[Dene]

Lisa, Hope yours are all ok now? Let us know. Mine made it through and yes the Mom did stay with them all night and until the weather cleared up some today, then I checked the nest after rains stopped later and eggs are fine and lucky not wet. We didn’t get hit here as bad as they said we might, but I see you did and sure hope all is well with your bunch. We are suppose to have 106 heat index tomorrow so another worry, I will be so glad when these 2 eggs hatch and fledge safe!

[Dene]

Thanks Lisa for your info, we haven’t gotten any of it yet so your info is very helpful as your on the dirty side they call it and we on the other. The weather is saying we are getting hit tonight (you probably are also) and they don’t know how bad with either the wind or the rain will be here, but it is coming for sure they just don’t have all the answers. I have lived here long enough to have been through 3 hurricanes plus one tropical storm, and the most damage is usually the wind more so than the rain where we live (the last one Ike blew a tree down on me before the major hit after top part of a tree of ours came down and we were trying to get it away from our windows before the biggest gusts of winds came and then the rest blew down on me but only messed up my ankle because I heard it cracking and was running away from it when it hit me) but have heard today we could be getting at the least 4 inches of rain over night, which wouldn’t be too bad except for the wind direction blowing the rain into the box because it would be coming sideways and right at the box hole (they did say we could get 50 mph winds?) not worried about the box going over. And yes, the female has been the last 2 nights in the box when I go out in the early morning she pops her head out to see me and the dog, before then she hasn’t been in there, so maybe she knows the storm is coming? Her eggs aren’t ready to be hatched yet, laid on 15th & 16th only 2 laid. If I do nothing but pray and the box gets soaked what happens? Does anyone have an answer to that? Thanks All!! Hope your baby’s are doing well Lisa ^j^

[Dene]

Thanks for sharing ☺

[Dene]

I have never seen a snake in our yard (“Knock On Wood”) and the birds are doing well with the umbrella up, plus we take it down before dark and back up next day before the weather hits the 90’s and that doesn’t seem to bother them either and sometimes while one is in nest or looking in the hole there are a couple more on top of the umbrella looking down under it to see what is going on. All seems fine and we are going to look and see if any more than 2 eggs after the shade from tree comes and we can take umbrella down for the night.

[Dene]

I don’t know if this worked or not No more eggs tonight? Still just the 2 same as yesterday. Is it normal to not lay as many after the first batch? Or did the umbrella maybe cause it?

[Dene]

I put up the umbrella and looks like they may have decided OK? All 3 of these birds in the photo went to the entrance hole and looked in then all left, then the male came back a few more times and the females did to, so hope this will work for now?

[Dene]

Thanks all it is suppose to be over 100 heat index today, so will get the shield foam later, but have a umbrella I think I can use till get the foam. Hope that doesn’t scare the birds, we have 2 eggs now as of last night.

[Dene]

Thanks it was really windy but it has been that way for a month here now? I will at least know what to do next time if it happens. And I still have at least one baby not out of box yet and we have to leave soon, so I hope all is well till we get back. The temp is in the mid 90’s now and real humid and suppose to have some bad storms on Sunday night.

[Dene]

Thanks for the help I need it, this is so different then the Martin’s.
I think some have left the box this morning, I was out watering and seen blues all over the place, some were even dive bombing me when I did the whistle I have been doing since they hatched. There seems to still be at least one left that hasn’t taken the jump yet though, maybe 2 is that normal? Also I still have 2 Mom’s coming back and forth to the box along with the Dad looking in then hanging around for a minute or 2 then leaving again. The others (that I think are some of the baby’s seem to be enjoying flying around every where and hanging out on top of my neighbors 2 story house. Hopefully the one or one’s still in the box will take the plunge before we leave later today. If not I will clean out when we get back and chase off the Terrorists and wait and see if the blues want another shot at it here in Texas with the weather hitting the high 90’s off an on already. I still don’t understand why the Spooker wasn’t accepted by the parent’s when I put it up any idea’s? Thank y’all for all the help.
ps That was really cool having the baby’s flying all around me, yard and everywhere this morning, the Martin’s never did that because they were so high in the air and never go on the ground. But they would circle high up when I did the whistle every time any day after they were gone until they left for the winter and what a site when all swarmed to the gulf to fly across in the fall.
Thanks again ☺

[Dene]

We have to go out of town tomorrow afternoon and won’t be back for 3 days, so I sure hope I get to see at least one take the big leap.☺ None left yet and it is dusk now.
Question: When we get back and if all are gone do I clean out the box and block the entrance? I see here that some birds do another bunch? How many do Bluebirds usually do in a season and if more when do they quit for the year? This is my first year with them, always had Martin’s before and they only do one and I thought Sparrows were the only birds that had more than one bunch in a year? Plus I have had the Sparrows looking things over the last couple days and chased them off before they got even just a little bit comfortable.

[Dene]

Another photo, if it shows? The baby’s keep doing this – how long?
http://www.raydene.com/special_5/s5.htm see the last photo taken just a min ago.

[Dene]

I don’t know why the wouldn’t go to the box and just keep flying around it and not landing like they were not sure what to do so just left each time they came, so we just removed it. The one we made looks just like all the one’s and even the one’s on Google Images when I did a search (HOSP Spooker)?

[Dene]

I sure hope they do get out soon, I have had the terrorist coming around looking and have been chasing them off. First the male now both. I did put the spook thing up we made on the top of the box but the Mom and Dad BB’s went nuts and wouldn’t go near the box so we took it off. I guess it wasn’t on long enough like from the beginning, but never seen any Sparrows until just recently. I know how awful they are, we had many years of issues with the terrorist when we had Martin’s and why we quit, got tired of dealing with the destruction they cause and permanently took down the house …

[Dene]

I always have a bunch of everything in my emails.

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