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Guess what?
They are building nest #3!…they have been very busy since yesterday.
The first brood was around quite a bit when brood 2 hatched, but I have not seen any of them since just before brood 2 fledged.
They still have brood 2 in hiding. I hope to see them soon. I would love to see some of brood 1 as well. Not sure where they all went. Pretty sure both broods were all females.
So, have any of you had a third brood? This second brood was extremely soon after brood 1 fledged.
I am SO happy that I did the best I could to help 8 new bluebirds make it into the world.
Hello to All,
I am happy to say that she fledged a few hours after my first post. The parents kept coming back. They fed her and hovered around a bit. She eventually made her way to the box opening so I knew it wouldn’t be long. I had an appointment and when I came back she had gone.
The box has been cleaned out and the spooker is down. The parents have been back at the feeder, then they go into the box. Not sure what they are looking for. Now I wait for them all to return in a week or two.
oops…was able to get a better look just now.
the 5th egg has not hatched in about 36 hours or more. Is there a maximum number of days it should be left in the box -I think I read 4? Is there any action I need to take?Thanks in advance.
I also noticed that several of us have 5 eggs/babies as well….must be the trending number this season!
Thank you for the reply. Two days ago I thought she was going to only have 3 eggs. As of today she is at 5. She has been spending a lot more time in the box. Dad usually watches from the nearby trees.
I am very sure she spent the night in the box last night.
Success with the spooker so far….2 eggs already :) He realizes its a new taller place for him to perch upon and survey his kingdom.
Where can I get axle grease? WalMart?
I will install the conical “collar” baffle for now. After reading some other threads here, i only put 1 pair of mylar strips on the spooker so as not to scare the BBs. I saw him perched on one of the upper rods before he flew off. Pretty sure it was her who went into the box. Hopefully they acclimate to it today. I will add more strips tonight.
I noticed a robin doing battle with himself in my next door neighbors window so i went over and taped a couple of small strips to the glass in hopes that he moves along.
Really hoping for egg 2 today. The sun os out and I can hear him put amongst the nearby trees.
He just now came back and is checking the sun is out. He was in the slotted entry. I think she might be the shy one.
Thank you so much! Today was considerably more sunny and fairly nice temperature-wise. I had hoped all day (while at work) that perhaps all they wanted was a sunny day to start out with. The last two days before were rather grey and colder out. Sure enough….
…..and to think so many of you on here have seen many little bluebird families through to the empty nest stage.
Hi there,
I am sorry to hear about your dilemma. I hope that as a new bluebirder that I do not have to deal with anything as complex as replacing a nest. I truly hope that this works out favorably for the birds and you! Granted I am very new to this but surely what you are trying to do is better than letting the ants do harm – that would crush me to know that was going on and that I did not try to do something.
What kind of grease do you use in order to discourage ants etc? I have heard that some kinds of products are not recommended due to potential harm to feathers etc.
Anyone else, please feel free to chime in with your recommendations. I have read about things like some kind of finishing spray that people use on showhorses, among other things. I certainly do not want to use something that would give off an odor that would attract unwanted attention from a predator. I have a neighborhood cat that skulks around – I cut the base of the shrubs near the box way back and thinned them out a bit so that I (and hopefully the birds) can see the cat better should it try to hide.
These little birds are totally magical….I am enthralled with them and want to do everything I possibly can to watch over them.
Thank you for the responses. Time to wait and see what happens. I just hope they decide to stay here.
I am watching them checking the box as I type. Wish I did not have to go to work. I am happy to watch them all day long.
The male seems to like being in charge of the box. He goes in and I can hear him fussing about. Sometimes she tries to go in too but cannot get in with him and flutters back onto the roof. He flew out and she finally went in for 2 to 3 minutes.
It is a slotted box by the way. At the very least, I am really happy they spend time here at all. It is a start, if for some reason they lay eggs elsewhere. For what it is worth, I am in western NY and temperatures are still quite variable and definitely on the cold side.
Are most of you with eggs south of me?
(sorry for any typos…I am on the phone and it is harder to type).
