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Good news , maybe. I saw a female today for the first time looking at the nest, so maybe good things are on the horizon, and she’s not just a nest tease. The male has been diligent, hanging around the box everyday, so he’s been doing his part. Anyway, just seeing a female here is very exciting. Fingers crossed hoping things progress.
Thanks Nicole. It is really sad, the male keeps perching on the nest box each day waiting for a mate to show up. Hoping that will happen as he looks so lonely there.
Thanks Carol and Nicole. It really is sad to see the male all alone waiting for his mate. It makes you realize how big the odds are for the survival of the bluebirds and how valuable it is for those who do all they can to help increase if not save the population. I’m fortunate in that I live in a suburb/subdivision and not in the country and yet still get a nesting pair every year. It really is wonderful to have them around every summer.
The chicks were almost but not quite ready to leave the nest, with most of the feather showing, but not enough for them to fly. I just kept hoping the female would somehow return, but no such luck. Over the years, I’ve had great success, usually with 2 batches a year, but this is the first time I’ve lost a whole nest. I think you may be right about the male not being the father. In April, each morning the male would perch on my kitchen storm door, door handle and I could walk right up to him and he didn’t seem to care or fly away, so I got some great close up pictures. But then at some point, he stopped doing that, so maybe he left and a different male bird showed up. Who knows. This may be just one of those years that things didn’t work out. I still see the lonely male perching on the nest box, so maybe a different female will show up. Not sure how they find each other.
Sadly, the female, the only one feeding the birds, disappeared and all five of the chicks died. The male is still around and had always been perching on and by the box every day, but never did feed any of the babies. He is still around but I never see the female any more, so I suspect she died or was killed. That is the first time that has happened in all the years of having the birds nest in my back yard. Hopefully, he will find another mate.
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