Bluebirds - Spring 2012 - part 2

Oh Bruce, that's a heart-warming outcome!!! Thank you for sharing that good news. Happy Holiday, and be safe y'all.

Great news!

Hi all, I have a question for all knowledgeable people about bluebirds.. We have a nest in our back yard and as far as I can tell two of the little birds flew the nest, but I noticed one little one on the ground below the nest that can't fly yet... I am so concerned about it but haven't approached it.

Should I stay away and let nature take care of things. The parent birds are feeding it but I am worried that something might 'get" it... it made it to the perennial bed but can it survive?

We had a nest of blues in the front yard about 6 wks ago and they left the nest too soon and didn't make it. I was heart broken.

Appreciate the response..Thanks!

BCh, great news. It is good to see the brood adopted by the new parent.

Hazelee, the book answer is that you let nature take it's course - but as we all know we will try to keep watch over the little one for a while. As long as the parent birds keep it fed and there are not any predators nearby it should gain its wings soon and make it to a safe perch. Good luck

My brood fledged about an hour ago. I got the see 3 of the 4 leave and was able to get a few photos of 3 & 4 in flight.- not Dave's quailty but it is a first for me.

The first image is #2 fledger just before it left the box. I was moving to a different location on the deck when he flew and I missed the shot. Second image is mama bring a grub for the remaining birds - I think she is telling them "this is all". Third, fourth and fifth image is mama trying to prompt the young ones to leave the box.

This message was edited Jul 6, 2012 2:29 PM

And finally we get to see the #3 and 4 birds flutter away. In image 1 mama leaves the nest for the last time. Image 2 is of bird #3. He fluttered to the neighbors fence but couldn't make it into the tree. He was there for about 45 minutes until I walked toward the fence trying to get a photo of the other birds that were up in the tree. Both Mom and Papa bird made a big ruckus, dive bombed me, and I just left. I saw the little one fly over the fence into a bush in the neighbor's yard so I believe that he will be okay. Image 3,4,& 5 are the #4 bird fluttering into the tree where the other birds seem to be. I did see several of the new fledgling flying from branch to branch and tree to tree while I was watching for the last one to leave. All in all a great day.

David in Stafford

Congrats on a successful fledge!

I have to ask, what's the extra roof on your bluebird house made of, and what's it for? Just curious

Thanks, BCH.

It is hot here in Virginia and that is just a piece of T-111 that I cut to be about 2" larger than the top of the nest box. It is nailed to a wedge of wood on top of the pole to provide a bit of shade and heat relief for the nest box.

David

Good idea! I was thinking it was something like that.

Thanks for sharing your birds w/ us.

Bruce

Well,Bluebirdsnbells, thanks for the reply.... the little one kept close to the shrubs and once in awhile it would come to the grass edge... at one of those times I saw a black bird attack it..both parents were after it. A little later I found it dead. So sad, it was just too young.

Can anyone tell me what kind of bird attacks and takes the head only? This has happened several times in our yard, this is usually with a house sparrow or small bird like that.

Thanks

Sounds like a blue jay.

Hello all, I know, I know it isn't spring, nor breeding season. But for two days on a row, my BBs returned to the location of the old nest ... where I've changed out to a new one (nest box) in which I have access to the open door hoping that I can catch a glimpse of the eggs and little fledglings next spring.

My question is this. Do Easter Blue Birds roost in these nest boxes over winter? Since I'm relatively new to BBs' for this spring was my very 1st time hosting these beautiful birds. If indeed they DO, I'd like to encourage them by setting out mealies for them on a regular basic. Thanks in advance.
Kim

My question is this. Do Easter Blue Birds roost in these nest boxes over winter? Since I'm relatively new to BBs' for this spring was my very 1st time hosting these beautiful birds. If indeed they DO, I'd like to encourage them by setting out mealies for them on a regular basic. Thanks in advance.
Kim

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Hi Kim, ours dont usually roost over winter, but they definitely will eat the mealies over winter. Good luck with them.

Hi Bruce, do your Eastern Blues migrate South during the winter?

What's prompted me to ask the question; for the last two days these BBs are busy exploring nestboxes in the garden. Last winter I've noticed my Whitebreasted Nuthatches did indeed overwintered in the same nestbox that they subsequently built a brood of their youngs the following spring.

Photos were taken today.

There were many of them checking out nestboxes, as well as various feeders in the garden. I'm not sure if these were the same Blues that fledged earlier in Spring, or new comers.

My birds do roost in the nest boxes when it is cold. I mean below 10 degrees cold and especially if it is windy. That doesn't happen very often here but I saw as many as three bluebirds huddled together in a box for three or four nights in a row last Winter. I leave the nest cam on 24/7 or I would never have known they were in there. I have seen them go into the box to check it out during the day but I have never seen one enter or leave at night.. They slip in after dusk and leave at first light.

I have many friends further North who are bluebird hosts who report that bluebirds (and other birds too--notably Downy woodpeckers) frequently nest in their boxes, especially on very cold nights.

It is not unusual for bluebirds to be checking out potential nesting sites. They do it constantly during the off season and usually will claim and defend several favorite sites. I have three boxes up and my adult pair check and defend all three every day. In the common area behind our house there is a dead tree with an abandoned woodpecker hole and the bluebirds constantly argue as to who will nest there but the hole is quite large, so every Spring the Starlings chase the blues away and they nest there. Many bluebirds are desperate for nesting sites. That is why we see them nest in mailboxes and drain pipes. Here in Fredericksburg we have several Civil War Battlefields. I have seen bluebirds nest deep in cannon barrels. The last shot below is in our neighbor's newspaper box last July.. Such unprotected sites often lead to unsuccessful nestings, but this one was successful..

This message was edited Nov 24, 2012 9:00 AM

Thank you Dave for taking the time to share such helpful information and delightful pictures.

I'm thanksful of such sanctuary for bluebirds, as well as peace for mankind....

Thank you for such cool picture of the Starlings acquired nesting sites from old woodpecker's nests.

I'm so excited with my bluebirds hosting project. I'll see about setting a bird cam at the nest box site, and putting out mealies to supplement their diet over the colder days ahead.

I also saw a female Bluebird scouting out the old nest box that I've moved to a new location in the garden. Thus far the BBs seem to have left the nuthatch's house alone. The two species seemed to have declared peace. ^^_^^

Lily,

During our cold snap here for the past couple of days in Stafford, Virginia I have had at least 6 Bluebirds in and out of one of my two birdhouses all day each day. Like Dave, I have never seen them enter at night but they seem to be back in the daytime. And I have found a feather or 2 that had been lost during the evening'

Dave - how close are your nest boxes to each other?

David in Stafford

I currently have 4 boxes up. The two that they use most are on the north side of the house and about 35 feet apart and in plain view of each other. With those two it is an either/or situation. Whichever they choose, they will not permit any other bird (regardless of species) nest in the other and I will block off or take down the one they don't choose.

Then I have another box on the south side and hidden from their view by the house and the deck. The tree swallows nested there one year, and the chickadees have nested in it twice. The first time the male bluebird found it and tore up the nest, breaking the chickadee eggs. Last year I put an 1 1/4 inch hole reducer on it as soon as the chickadees started building and they successfully fledged about six little chickadees. I hope to repeat that this season.

I recently put another Gilbertson PVC box up out near the street in front of the house and near to where a pair nested in the newspaper box last year. It is on the opposite side of the house from the boxes my regular birds nest in. This new location is a terrible one because my neighbor's boys have a basketball goal out there, but if the birds are so desperate as to nest in the newspaper box, well, at least this box is higher and would be better than that. On the positive side, I placed it near a beautiful red dogwood tree and hope to catch a few nice shots when the dogwood is in bloom.

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