Need bluebird advice - babies haven't left the house yet!

Hello all:
I put up a bluebird house this spring and am happily on my second set of bluebird babies. My concern is this: the babies hatched at a minimum of 24 days ago and they're still in the box. It's my understanding this is outside the expected maximum days for them to fledge. Dad bluebird is still feeding them (I'm assuming there's still more than one bird inside the house), and when I get within several feet of the house there is much chirping and flapping inside.
I am worried about them, though. At my mom's house, she had a baby bluebird not able to leave the house earlier this summer b/c a piece of string used to build the nest had wrapped around his leg and he ended up dying.
So - what do you all think? Are my birds still within an okay time period to stay in the house?

Very stange to hear a lot of noise. Usually when you approach they instinctively grow quiet.

They should have fledged by 18 days after hatching. I have seen it go to 20 for a bird that hatched late because the egg was laid after she was several days into incubating the other eggs. At 24 days I'd be concerned. You're not seeing any of them peeking out? Could be you have a cowbird baby too big to get out the opening, but if so you I would think you would still see him peeking.

If you are sure it has been more than 20 days I think I would open the box soon. If you do, stand to the side because he/they will likely fly up in your face. If they don't, then look inside to see if he is tangled. If somehow you have a chick or chicks that appear healthy but are still not ready (best clue would be incomplete feather development), close the box and let them grow some more.

Maybe Rose or some others have ideas or suggestions.

Please keep us posted.

Dave

Dave - thanks for the info.
I do see heads peaking out and the birds are quiet until I start talking to them. I talk from far away b/c twice already in the past few days I've assumed they were gone b/c they were so quiet and I've gone to open the box and they started flapping and chirping and about scared me half to death!
I'm sure about the age - I know they hatched the week of July 26th - the latest hatching date would've been July 29th.
When a wing flashes by the opening of the house it does appear to be slightly blue. And like I said, dad's still feeding them. Would a dad bluebird feed another kind of bird? When I open the box tonight to look (I'm at work right now), should feather development look pretty much like a mature bird? And they are SO active flapping around when I talk to them that I would think as soon as I open the box, they're going to come out even if they just fall out.
Ohhh - I'm nervous!

Well, this is all very interesting. Yes, the parents would feed anything that hatched. That feediing normally continues even after they fledge and until they are weaned. I guess the change in the baby's appearance is so gradual the parents don't seem to notice. Anyway, if you saw blue feathers it is not a cowbird. They are light gray.

If you are seeing them peeking they probably are not tangled. For mine peeking starts a day or two before they will fledge and there will be serious peeking on the day they are to fledge: they act like they are trying to scoot out of the opening. Most of the males seem to have type A personalities and the first to fledge are usually males. All of their instincts are VERY strong and when they reach day 17 they really WANT out of there! It is more common for one to fledge early than it is for one to be reluctant to leave. In addition, the parents seem to know when it is time and will try to coax the little ones out. .

I don't know how closely you monitor your birds, or what kind of diary you keep, but it almost seems that somehow you have made a mistake on your calendar and that they actually hatched a week later than you thought. Believe me, stranger things have happened. If they actually hatched on the 5th of August, today would be day 18 and everything you have described as to their behavior and the behavior of the adult male would suggest they are on track and ready to go. . So don't be surprised if when you get home tonight, the box is empty.

But if you do find them still in the nest box tonight, on the outside chance that my theory is right, I would hold off one more day before opening the box. You don't want them to fledge all at once. Especially if it's late in the day. One reason is they would likely fly off in all different directions and the parents would have a very hard time collecting them all before dark. Believe it or not the little ones often get lost if they fledge without a parent there to shepherd them.

I don't mean to quarrel with you about the calendar and I hope you do not take offense at what I suggest. But I have a feeling everything will work out fine. Don't be nervous. They will go when they are ready.

Dave



This message was edited Aug 23, 2010 12:53 PM

This message was edited Aug 23, 2010 2:34 PM

Dave - unfortunately i'm correct on at least the week they hatched. My daughter stayed with my mom that week and I was on my cell phone with my mom when I peaked in the house and saw the eggs had hatched. I told my mom right then not to tell my daughter they'd hatched - I wanted to surprise her when she got home.
They've also been doing the chirping and flapping routine since we got home from vaction Aug 8th. (I keep saying they because there is so much noise and flapping when I talk to them I think there is more than one bird).
Anyway, tonight I'll stand close enough for them to hear my voice and see if anyone responds when I talk to them... I'll report back tomorrow!
Thanks much for your input!
- Dana

Update: there is still a bird in the house and it's definitely a bluebird. I went to talk to them and during the flapping a blue wing popped out of the box. I'm thinking it's only one bird - ? I paid attention today and think I only saw one head popping up.
What now?

I wish I knew what to tell you...our Blues have always fledged early... I've never heard of them being in the box this long. Hopefully the others have fledged and this one will fledge very soon. Please keep us updated and good luck!

Is he trying to crawl out? If so, I'd let him have a little more time. It could be there were others and they fledged today. Does the Papa go inside to feed him or to remove a fecal sac? Or does he do those things from outside? My guess is that if there was something tangled around his foot the adults would be in there trying to see about it.

But I think I'd try to open the box just a crack and peek in. to see if there is anything obvious restricting his movement. If there is, open the door, reach in there, take him out in your hands and remove the impediment. Again, be careful he does not fly into your face. It is also possible that he has a deformity or a broken wing or something like that. If he flutters to the ground when you open the box, try to catch him and put him back. We'll need to look for a rehabber.

Good luck. Isn't hosting BB's fun?

Another update:
This morning I opened the box to make sure the bluebird wasn't caught on something inside. He came hurtling out of the box and hid in some foliage. I tried to get a good look at the feathers and the wing feathers looked good - VERY blue. He looked speckled other places. He didnt' seem injured in any way, but wasn't flying - just hopping, scooting & flapping very quickly across the grass. I herded him into the open and when the adult bluebirds saw him, they went nuts swooping at me. I put a clean dishtowel over the baby to catch him and put him back in his box.
As of lunch time (my mom reports) he was still in the box and chirps and flaps a lot when she got within 12 feet of the box and talked to him.
Now that I know he's not stuck in there I suppose I'll just leave him and let his parents try to coax him out - ?
Is there a possibility this little guy came later than the rest of his brood? I know three eggs hatched the week of July 26th (and no later than July 29th). I can only peak at the babies for a few days after they're born - after that the parents get too aggressive so I leave them alone and just observe from afar, so I never looked in the nest after the first week after they hatched.
I do know that the three eggs that hatched that I'm talking about (brood #2 in my box this summer) were provided by a different female that my brood earlier this summer. Unfortunately mama bluebird #1 met her demise - we found five perfect blue feathers on the ground infront of the bluebird house just days after her 5 babies hatched and we never saw a mama bluebird taking care of the babies. Boy did daddy bluebird work hard on that first brood! He was constantly feeding them.
So I wonder if mama#2 squeezed in another egg at some point after her first three hatched? Not sure how that might work, but I guess I'll never know....
I'll get close to the box tonight and talk to the baby to see if he's still in there!

That's great news! Congratulations! You really did good. (Well, that is to say, you did everything I would have done :-) ). Good to hear he seems normal but if he can't fly he probably needs another day or two in the box. Glad you were able to catch him.

Several things are possible including another female adding an egg while the Mama was taking a break. My current female has a habit of starting incubation after she lays the fourth egg, then laying one or two more. But she has never laid an egg a week after laying the others. It is also possible that he was one of the originals but that somehow the egg was pushed down into the nesting material and she never warmed that egg enough for incubation to begin. And then a week into her incubation of the others, it was discovered and brought into the warming process and his 13 day incubation cycle started.

But you're right, you'll never know for sure.

The surprising thing is after he hatched that he was able to survive amongst his siblings who were a week older than him. It's a wonder he wasn't trampled.

This message was edited Aug 25, 2010 3:42 PM

He was still in the house this morning - I could see his little face peaking out at me! I was worried he might be abandoned since I let him out of the house and put him back in, but I did see mama visit him after I got home from work last night. I'll miss him when he finally leaves!

Final update: the little guy has flown the coop! He was in the house on the morning of August 26th and gone by the afternoon. I hope he's safe w/mama & papa. Thanks for the words of advice I got here - love Daves Garden!
- Dana

Congratulations Dana!!

Yes, Congratulations. Glad we could help.