Hi Y'all, can anyone tell me how many clutches a bluebird will lay and raise? I had a mated pair this spring that raised their brood and all disappeared one morning before I got up. I haven't seen any of them since, is this normal? Do you think they will come back?
Most hatch at least two broods, some 3 or even 4. Southern bluebirds tend to raise more broods than northern ones. I currently have the second brood in my back yard.
About the same with me. My second brood is going to fledge this afternoon or tomorrow sure. I had four successful nestings one year but I suspect it was because I lost my male during the third nesting and she had one more nesting with the replacement male. All other years (the past six years) they have had three. One year they got an early start and fledged the third clutch by early July, and I thought maybe they would go for four, but they didn't.
They normally nest again about 10 - 15 days after the prior clutch fledges. I feed mine meal worms so I see the adults every day, even when they take the fledglings to the deep woods for their "survival training."
They should come back if there is water and food nearby, unless you have a house sparrow problem or something else (e.g. outdoor cats) that causes them to choose a safer place.
Thanks, I think I saw them today on the other side of my property in a thinly wooded area. A friend of mine offered me some meal worms and a feeder so I will get those from her and start putting them out near the box. I put a bird bath about 4' from the box on a table so I am hoping they come back. I've really enjoyed watching them.
It has normally been 3 to 4 weeks from fledging before my pair return to rebuild their nest. We have 2-3 broods per year.
David
Stafford, VA
I hope mine come back! I cleaned the old nest out of the box. I was suppose to do that wasn't I? I think I read that somewhere before.
Yes, clean it out as soon as they leave. I scrub mine with a tooth brush and a diluted chlorine solution, then hose it out and leave it open so it will dry thoroughly.
If you leave the nesting material in in the box it may have mites or blowfly larvae down under. Plus, the chicks usually beat the nest out of shape anyway and if you leave it she will still build on top of the old nest which may put the eggs and the nestlings too close to the opening and more closely within reach of predators.
Also, look up inside the box to make sure wasps are not building. It is not uncommon and the blues will abandon a nest every time if wasps show up.
This message was edited May 30, 2011 11:35 AM
Ok thanks!
Mine did fledge on Sunday ( a week ago yesterday) and they returned to the nest box and sat on it starting the very next day, and the female started building a new nest on Thursday (just four days after they fledged). The nest is now completed but no eggs as yet. I think the reason they re-build so quickly here is because they fear the house sparrows might move in.
