The Bluebird Family Prospers

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Jun 192015
 

The Bluebird family continues to do well. We have seen mom and dad bluebird with four babies. It looks like there may be two males and two females.

The mother bluebird has begun to build another nest in the bluebird nestbox by our sunporch. The baby bluebirds are perching on the beam right by the nestbox.

We put mealworms down on the sidewalk near the sunporch and call the bluebirds. The baby bluebirds won’t land until mom or dad has checked it out. What is really funny is that after mom and dad fly away the babies will eat the mealworms by themselves, but as soon as mom or dad lands, the babies will start chirping and open their mouths real wide!

 

Male bluebird lands

Dad Bluebird Landing

Mom, Dad and Baby Bluebirds

The Bluebird Family

 

 

Bluebird Hatchling Updates

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Jun 022015
 

Here is the latest on the bluebird nestbox:

There were a total of 5 eggs laid in this nestbox. On May 21 all five bluebirds eggs hatched.

The bluebird parents are really being kept busy bringing food to the little bluebird hatchlings.

Here are some pictures to show the progress up to this time:

Bluebirds-Day 4

Bluebirds-Day 4

Bluebirds-Day 7

Bluebirds-Day 7

Bluebirds-Day 11

Bluebirds-Day 11

Bluebirds-Day 13

Bluebirds-Day 13

The Bluebirds Begin Again

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Apr 302015
 

After the loss of the 5 bluebird eggs on Sunday we weren’t sure how soon the bluebirds would begin again. We have 7 nest boxes on the property and on Monday the bluebirds began scouting each one of them out. One box has black-capped chickadees, another box looks like tree swallows have taken over it, a third box the house sparrows are keeping an eye on-although they haven’t built a nest in it. Yesterday (Wednesday) the female bluebird began to build in a box that we can see at a distance from our office window. She was building again today, we’ll post again with another update in a couple of days. Let’s hope for better news this time!

 

Bad News At The Bluebird Box

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Apr 262015
 

Early this morning things seemed normal at the bluebird nestbox, but after lunch we saw mom bluebird coming out of the box and flying away in a different direction than she normally would. We looked in the box and found that there was only one egg left in the box. We did see a little bit of blood and were worried that one of the parents may have been hurt, but they both seemed fine. The remaining egg did not appear to be damaged so we were hopeful that we might still have one bluebird hatchling.  This evening our hopes were dashed when, after eating the mealworms, the male bluebird looked in the nestbox a few times, but the female did not go in and they both flew away. Five minutes later I saw a bird throw something out of the nestbox and then threw nesting material out. We went outside and a house wren flew out. We saw the bluebird egg on the ground under the nestbox. It had been pecked, so there was no chance of it surviving.

In the past we have had a house wren in a box on the other side of the house, but this year a black-capped chickadee has laid five eggs (as of today)  in it. Maybe the culprit house wren is the one that used to nest in that box. We will never know, but we aren’t too happy with the house wren.

It is a very sad day, nature can be so cruel sometimes.

 

Looks Like The Brood Is Complete-Five Bluebird Eggs

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Apr 182015
 
Dad Bluebird 4-17-15

Dad Bluebird 4-17-15

Looks like mom bluebird has completed her brood. There are five blue eggs in the box.  She is spending more time in the nestbox and dad is usually nearby. Just a few minutes ago, while we were enjoying the beautiful day from the sunporch, dad flew to the ground, snagged a cricket and took it into the nestbox for mom.

While we wait the 12 to 16 days for the bluebirds to hatch we will write about our experience with the bluebirds over the past five years.

Mom Bluebird 4-17-15

Mom Bluebird 4-17-15

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