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Good Luck to you and your little “tuxedo birds!” I have them for the first time this year, and I just love them. However, Lisa is right–it is one more thing to worry about.
Susan
PennsylvaniaI am definitely going to look for dried cranberries for my blues. I am expecting 5 babies to fledge soon. :)
Susan
PennsylvaniaThanks for the info. That is very good to know! I’m not sure how many babies are in there. When I peeked in (before hatching) I could see eggs, but they were hard to count because of all the feathers covering them up. After that, I hesitated to disturb them. The parents are very protective of the house. :-)
Susan
PennsylvaniaThat makes sense. Sorry for the misinformation. I have never had an abandoned nest that wasn’t used, so I just assumed it had to be a used nest that everyone talks about saving. I’ve never saved a used nest, I just get rid of them. Nesting material is in abundance around my property, so I never worried about it. :-D
Susan
PennsylvaniaThanks, Gin. I am a school teacher who is now off for the summer, so I have extra time to watch the house. I’m also nervous about my tree swallows. I understand that they must take flight as soon as they leave the house. If they drop to the ground, there is little hope for survival. I don’t know which babies to expect first. Both sets of parents have been feeding from dawn to dark.
Susan
PennsylvaniaI’m sorry you didn’t have your own blues yet this year, but it’s nice that you can help out the neighbors! I never fed dried cranberries to my bluebirds. Are you just buying those in the grocery store or at a wild bird store?
Susan
PennsylvaniaI understand your concern. My bluebirds chose my larger tree swallow house which is a little deeper and has a wider base. I keep expecting to see peeking, but none so far. The tree swallow house came with a small square of wire mesh screwed to the inside wall just below the hole. It should provide good material for the little ones to climb up. . . I hope.
Susan
PennsylvaniaThat’s funny. My husband has been raising a few eyebrows at my set-up as well! I’ve even seen the farmers who work the land behind my house looking at it. They just think I’m crazy. :-D
Susan
PennsylvaniaI’m not the most experienced person on this forum (for sure), but once the babies have gone, you can clean out the box. Bluebirds will come back and build another nest for a new brood. I have read here that some people keep the nest. Then if a future nest is infested with pests, they have a fresh nest to “swap.”
I am sure you will receive many more answers to your question with more detailed explanations. Congratulations on your first success of the season. :-)
Susan
Susan
PennsylvaniaUnfortunately, the boxes do not get shade at all. They are dead center in an open area of my back yard beyond the deck and a swimming pool. The swallow house sits higher on the pole than the bluebird house, so it shades the bluebird house for a good bit of the day. I cut styrofoam into panels, glued spacers on the bottoms, and attached them to the top of the bluebird house and the sides facing the setting sun of both houses. I am not sure how well they will hold up if we get storms and wind, but for now they are providing a little bit of a buffer from the sun. Both sets of birds were not happy with me while I was working, but I kept it quick, and they are back to work feeding all of those babies!
Susan
PennsylvaniaOh, that would be very exciting for me. I enjoy both the tree swallows and the bluebirds, but there is just something extra special about the bluebirds. . .
Susan
PennsylvaniaIt’s always heart-warming to see the first brood hanging around. . .and now more :-D That’s awesome.
Susan
PennsylvaniaI know you are right! I have heard that my situation is rare, but let me tell you, it is incredible. I can hardly tear myself away from just sitting on the deck and watching these amazing birds. The mama and papa blue work tirelessly all day to feed 5 babies, and right there on the same pole are the tree swallows. They have a “tag team” system. The mother flies in the house and feeds the babies, then she sticks her head way out of the hole and waits for the male. He flies up and hovers in front of the hole. She leaves, and he flies in. They go back and forth like that all day! If I take my chihuahuas out into the yard, the swallows come over and dive-bomb us for a while, and then they go back to work. Both sets of birds are just wonderful to watch. They have definitely helped each other when it comes to keeping HOSPS away. Unfortunately, the farmers who have acreage behind my house decided to plant corn this year. We always have more sparrows when the farmers plant corn. For now, the swallows and the sparrow spooker have been doing a great job of keeping sparrows away. To be honest, I don’t really know what to expect once the two sets of birds fledge. I read that tree swallows only have one brood a season.
Susan
Pennsylvania
