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Same experience here on the WI/MI border. I might spot one or a pair between clutches but just after they fledge they are gone. I chalked that up to my bluebird trails being in remote spots since I am only around them for a few minutes every few days.
I can’t wait for next spring to see them get back to it. My first spotting was May 16th. If the weather is similar in the spring to last spring I think I will set up the boxes the first week of May. I think I’ll bring them in each fall to do minor repairs and keep the flying squirrels and woodpeckers from damaging them.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
August 12…
In 20 nest boxes…
11 Nesting pairs (includes second brood with two pair)
49 eggs produced (includes three non-viable/destroyed)
46 hatchlings
46 fledglingsToday I found the last nesting pair’s hatchlings had fledged. I am going to keep monitoring for a week or two but I feel that the nesting season is over. Being a rookie bluebird landlord I don’t know if mid-August will prove to be the end. I’m really happy with the results of the first season.
I have a date to talk about my experience at our local library in early March. I’m hoping to get others interested in this effort to increase bluebirds in our community.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Ha! Keeping up is one way to describe it!
August 2
In 20 nest boxes…
11 Nesting pairs (includes second brood with two pair)
49 eggs produced (includes three non-viable/destroyed. Last tally was off by one.)
46 hatchlings
42 fledglingsOne pair still nesting. Four hatchlings in the nest. I’m very happy with how this all turned out and will look forward to next spring.
I don’t know if I should bring all the nest boxes in for the winter. We only have migrating bluebirds here. I think it might help with less exposure to weather and some minor repairs.
Tim
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
July 31 and things have definitely slowed down. Out of nine nesting pairs only two pair are in the middle of a second brood.
Saturday I took a hike to my most distant trail and as we approached one of the boxes with that second brood my son-in-law noticed a female bluebird dead on the walking path. She didn’t appear to have been attacked and was fairly fresh (still a little soft belly). I was concerned that this was the mom of the box only about twenty yards away. We peeked into the box and there were three beaks staring at my camera.
Well it turns out there were four babies in there. Today I went out to watch the box for a while and what I think was a female made a couple of trips to the box while the noisy babies tweeted, twittered, sang, whatever. I forgot my binos and couldn’t really get a good look but I’ll say it was the mom.
On the way home I stopped at the other second brood box and there are four very mature looking babies in that box. So happy the breeding season here has been so successful.
Tim
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Thanks for the encouragement David. I think I’ll just focus on making sure they have water available.
I get it that people want to feed mealworms to their blues. I enjoyed watching the wrens in my yard polish off a batch that I gave them in the first couple weeks I tried to raise them. I certainly enjoy feeding birds all winter. What it comes down to is limiting additional hobbies, if you can call raising mealworms a hobby. My time is filled with many other pursuits and I hope to continue with my bluebird trails next spring. They were certainly a success this year.
Tim
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
I’m just a newb in the bluebird world but I have learned a similar lesson. Bluebird moms and pops will provide for their young without my help. I tried raising mealworms but ended up with a mess of Darkling beetles and after months have no worms. The blues have thrived without them.
I do provide a water source for one nest box that is far from a water source. I found that to be visited regularly by the area blues and Tree Swallows. I think they would find water without my help but I have a need to help withh more than providing a cavity.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
In 20 nest boxes…
11 Nesting pairs (includes second brood with two pair)
50 eggs produced (includes three non-viable/destroyed)
42 hatchlings
38 fledglingsThings seem to be slowing down. Our “drought” is over but we still need lots of rain. Drought is a relative term and is nothing like other parts of the US and Canada are experiencing.
I attempted to raise mealworms to feed the birds but have decided that making sure they have a nearby water source is more important. Now I just need to know what to do with thousands of Darkling Beetles. The bluebirds find their way to food even in our drought. I’ve read that feeding dried mealworms is not a good idea for hatchlings. The author’s reasoning was that the moisture in the bugs is the hatchlings only source of hydration until they fledge. Dried mealworms do not provide that very important hydration.
The number of hatchlings and fledglings I report are based on laid eggs. I monitor the nests regularly but I don’t open the boxes and count and I’m not there to watch the fledgling process. It is difficult to count hatchlings when they are laying on top of one another. I refuse to open the nest boxes during laying, incubation and raising of the hatchlings. I saw a video of an expert holding a nest with four eggs he removed from a box. Then holding another nest with two hatchlings and a couple eggs. One of the hatchlings rolled out of the nest and almost fell to the ground before he picked it up and replaced it in the nest. He rambled on about his method not bothering the parents. Opening a box and removing the nest is ALMOST never necessary. But what do I know as a rookie bluebird landlord.
I use a wifi endoscope that transmits a video image to my phone (and can take stills). I peek in, try to do an assessment of the nest and move on in less than three seconds if eggs, hatchlings or an adult is present. If none of them are in the box I may take a few more seconds to peek to check nest materials, wasp nests, etc.
Done with my lecture. If you are opening and handling babies please reconsider your methods.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
As long as we are on the Wren subject I will say the little jerks are entertaining to watch. I think I’ve frustrated my Wren enough with dumping their stick. This afternoon they started hauling sticks in the box they were in the last month. At one point he had a Y shaped stick trying to put it through a very small entrance. I think it is the minimum size for a Wren. For close to 15 minutes he tried every which way to get the whole stick inside. He was noticeably frustrated making interesting noises when the stick would fall on the ground. He never did get it completely inside. Right now I’m debating whether to help him out by snapping the one leg off that’s sticking out of the hole. Little stinker doesn’t deserve my help but I’m probably going to weaken!
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
I’m amazed with the differences from one Bluebird pair to another. One pair’s babies, my earliest nest on a nearby trail, fledged. I cleaned the box out the next day. A day later I find an almost fully built nest and the next day an egg. There were three eggs last I checked. Another pair, which I never saw or heard, built a nice nest, laid three eggs and then the eggs were abandoned. I don’t know what happened. Maybe the adults succumbed to predators. And then there is the nestbox in my yard. The BB pair laid six eggs. Successfully hatched all six and they fledged on Sunday. I cleaned out the box Monday morning and haven’t seen or heard them in the yard since. Stinkin wren is taking over the box which kinda ticks me off because their babies fledged a couple days before the blues from a box across the yard. That box is clean and ready for occupancy but they decided to ignore it and build in the blues nestbox.
I’m just happy that I’ve had the success I have had. It really helped me get through a very long winter/spring.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Same here. My yard’s BB little guys fledged on Sunday. I cleaned out the box and the stinkin wren keeps piling sticks inside. I’m about to give up and let them have it since I don’t see or hear the Blues in the yard at all. Keeping my fingers crossed. One more day of stick dumping then I’m out of town for five days. Upon return I expect eggs to appear so I’ll settle with the little stinkers.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
This is probably too late for a solution for you but my father in law says in the spring that wrens arrive before blues. In order to save a nest box from those cute little stinkin wrens he puts tape on the entrance hole until he is sure Blues have arrived.
I just tried this with a box I cleaned out yesterday after the blues had their first batch of babies. A Wren was starting to bring sticks into the box so I taped the hole to discourage him. I have a dedicated Wren box on the other side of the yard that the Wrens just fledged from and I cleaned out. Hoping this works. Unfortunately with an egg present discouragement is not the proper solution.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Hi Judy, those numbers don’t include three pairs of Tree Swallows. So thirteen occupied boxes. I have other boxes not on the list and include a pair of House Wrens (7 babies fledged yesterday) and a beautiful pair of Great Crested Flycatchers which fledged five babies the other day. The Wrens and Flycatchers are not in BB nest boxes.
Really enjoying this effort and all the posts here on BBnut.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
July 2…
20 Nest boxes
10 pair nesting (1 second brood)
44 eggs (incl hatchlings, 3 abandoned)
38 hatchlings
20 fledglingsGood success. Three eggs abandoned in one nest box. Otherwise I am assuming eggs became hatchlings and eventually fledglings. I don’t think that is a poor assumption considering I don’t open the boxes and do a head count once hatched, though I admit that the fledgling number may be higher than reality.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
July 1…
First pair I had nesting had five babies fledged sometime between June 20 and 25. I cleaned out the box and the next day there was a full nest in it. I had to look back at my spreadsheet to see if I was confused (so many nest boxes). Nope, I definitely cleaned it out about 36 hours ago. One day later there is an egg and this morning three eggs. Those little buggers work fast and are keeping me on my toes.Another box the last time I checked were five hatchlings. This morning it’s empty. Cleaned that box and hoping for a quick return.
The only negative outcome so far is a box I installed on May 26th. On June 15th and June 25 there were three eggs and no sign of BBs. The next day one egg appeared to have been hatched but whatever that pile of stuff inside it definitely wasn’t a baby bird. I cleaned out that box the next day. I’m hoping they return. I don’t know if it was abandoned or what. Normally I don’t go ten days between checking but I was out of town for a week.
Having a dozen and a half nest boxes to monitor is proving to be challenging. But I am probably over monitoring due to beginners excitement. I hope next season I can delegate some of them to someone else. I’ve had many inquiries about who is putting up all these boxes!
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
June 25
9 pair nesting
38 eggs (incl hatchlings)
21 hatchlings
5 fledglingsSo I’m new to this and will appreciate feedback if there are any experienced bluebirders that do monitoring of similar numbers of nest boxes. My earliest nesting pair had five hatchlings. After returning from a trip the nest box is empty with no sign of hatchlings. I do hear BBs singing in the trees nearby. I decided to clean out the nest even though I don’t know when the birds fledged. The first sign of incubation was 5-28. So it’s been about 29 days since incubation started.
I want to report to BRAW at the end of the season with numbers as accurate as possible. I am assuming all five hatchlings fledged even though I don’t have evidence of that. And I also assume that when I peek into a nestbox with hatchlings and they are sitting on top of each other I all the eggs hatched. Are any of these assumptions problematic?
Thanks,
Tim
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
