When it rains it pours tree swallows and blue birds

Our school nesting box endeavor is surely paying off this season. A pair of tree swallows have chosen one of the two boxes on the east side of the building.

And, a gorgeous pair of bluebirds have laid their first two eggs in one of the two nesting boxes I put on the north side of the building. This is a photo of the male hunting from his stake.

That looks like a lovely setting for both a school and birds, OP. I'll bet you've got a great bunch of students.

That is great news OP!

*fingers crossed!*

When are the kids out of school this year?

The kids' last day is June 24th. Are you doing the math mrs. ed? I couldn't open the door on the nesting box this a.m. because it's so humid it's swollen closed so I don't know the egg status. But I'm figuring, #3 today, #4 tomorrow, #5 Sat. then incubation for two weeks. Hatching on June 13th, fledging about the 30th or July 1st.

Interestingly enough, last year's clutch hatched on June 10th! I'm attaching a photo of them hatching.

That's neat to watch. This is the last week for kids here.

The tree swallows' behavior is different from the bluebirds. I didn't realize the female was in the box when I opened the door today. She cowered inside the nest. I gently, quickly closed the door. Oops! So, is she laying eggs? I'll keep my eye on the situation.

My understanding is they like to line their nest w/soft feathers, so tomorrow we are taking kids outside to toss feathers. I hear they will swoop to catch the feathers. Sounds like fun. I'll keep you posted. We will, of course, do this way out in the meadow away from the boxes.

This is one of them peeking out.

Forgot to thank you pelle. Glad to be back in touch with you all.

It is neat Garden! The best line so far this year was a student telling me he saw penguins on the nesting box!

Hey, sialis has some good information on tree swallows.

http://sialis.org/tres.htm

That's cute about the feathers. Can't wait to hear about the kids. I was just wondering how much they'd get to see, and I thought I remembered that they were in school for a while.

Thank you mrs. ed. I never thought to visit sialis for info. I was googling but didn't come up w/much. It's all about the kids for me. Nothing better than growing believers.

I went to Sialis when I was trying to find out about the Chickadees nesting. Such a good site.

Very interesting and exciting, OP. Hope things work out the way they should in both boxes.

This has been a bad year for me. Mama is working on her third nest already (five eggs, six days into incubation). Both earlier nestings were failures for different reasons, and today she lost her mate. I don't think she knows what happened to him yet. It happened about an hour ago and I am still upset over it. I don't want to go into the details on your thread but it was a HOSP attack. I took pictures but they are too graphic to post here. The villian only lived a few minutes longer than Papa.

I guess Mama can make it alone, but she will need help, especially looking for food once they hatch. Hopefully she will attract a new mate soon.

Hope you have better luck than last year.

Dave

OMG Dave. I'm sooooo sorry that you have lost your bluebird friend of so many years.

thoughts are with you.

Marna

Hi everyone :)

OPbirder, am I understanding right that the birds lay an egg a day? They don't lay them all at the same time? That is such a nice thing you are teaching the kids :)

I don't see any swallows around here and really had no idea that they would go to a bird house, I have a lot to lean don't I, I need to be in your class too lol

I have put a couple more blue bird houses around and the blue bird population is finally starting to build up around here after about five years of trying to atract them so I'm a happy camper.

Dave so sorry to hear about your buddy but you got the culprit! I'm sure momma will make it with your loving care for the blue birds, you feed them well, I'm sure she will take full advantage of that esp. now!

My birds here are really starting to respond to feedings and the plants I have growing, I can go to someone else’s yard and it's pretty quiet, my almost two acres is noisy! So I can tell I'm doing something right :)

LeBug, the birds usually lay one egg a day (sometimes they will skip a day), but she won't begin incubation until the last egg is laid. That way all the eggs will hatch at the same time.

Excuse me OP, I know that question was addressed to you.

Dave

LOL Thanks Dave :) I always watched the blue birds in the bird house when I was a lot younger but never noticed that, I wasn't very observant then apparently :) Never even thought about how they laid their eggs.

Really I'm just happy the blue bird population is building back up, now I just wish I could get the quail here and I would be totally happy!

i AM SO GLAD TO HEAR OF YOUR SUCCESS THIS YEAR. THE CHILDREN MUST BE B=VERY EXCITED. oops!!! please forgive the CAPS. didn't realize it was on.....sorry ;-(
I think it would be very much fun to participate in a feather toss. you seem to think of such fun activities for your children.
Dave- I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I know your heart must be breaking.

Dave....that is heartbreaking about your male BB. I hope Mama finds a new mate soon. :-(
My pairs' 2nd nest is going well; 5 eggs since yesterday and no villains in sight. We're keeping a vigilant watch with our fingers crossed!

OP...I have a pair of tree swallows this year for the first time. Their box is 25' from the bluebird box and they are sharing the yard peacefully. I am thoroughly enjoying the tree swallows...they are such characters. I took my kitty perch outside to clean it off and they were swooping down to catch the kitty fluff that was airborne. I heard nestling "chatter" from the box today when I was outside in the garden so I hope to see them fledge soon.

How fun for your school kids!!!

Dave, I'm so sorry about Papa Blue.

Thank you everyone, for your condolences. I think I'll start a new thread to track how this all plays out. I am sorry OP that I hijacked your thread to the extent I did.

Dave

This message was edited May 30, 2009 7:02 PM

Dave, you are welcome to be president of my thread anytime! I'm just sick about your sad sad news.

Thank you for giving LeBug information. Everything I've learned I've learned from you Dave.

Sacarv - I've got four boxes up this year. Two on the north side of my building, and two on the east side. One is vacant on the north side, and a pair of bluebirds have 4 eggs as of this a.m. in the other. However, I'm quite concerned about this pair of bbs. They do not seem to be aggressive - same problem as last year's pair. They do not appear to be chasing the house sparrows away. I watched for a while this morning, and in this bad photo the female bb is perched on the roof near a male and female house sparrow. One the buiding are two light fixtures and a red fire alarm. There is a hosp nest behind the bell w/chicks. They will probably fledge in about a week. I don't know if these are the parent hosp or if they are interested in the vacant nesting box.

I'm going over later this afternoon to put a trap in the vacant box. But I am worried about the adult bluebirds - as we all are after hearing Dave's tragedy.

I do have a thought about protecting the bluebirds. But, let me tell you about the tree swallows. They have at least 5 eggs in one of the boxes on the east side. I was so nervous about disturbing them that I didn't have the door open very long! The adult bird only flew off the nest after I had the door open and was looking at her. The eggs are much smaller than the bluebird's, and there are some white ones and some pinkish ones. Here's a photo of our feather tossing yesterday. One of the teachers told the students that Ms. Buck sacrificed a pillow for the birds so as the kids were tossing feathers they were chanting "sacrifice, sacrifice." It was pretty funny.

So of course the tree swallows were soaring and swooping in the meadow while we were throwing feathers, did not approach us. As soon as we all tossed, the wind blew the feathers right back into our faces! Pretty funny.

Some of you might remember from last year that I balance on a step ladder with my point and shoot camera in one hand while I look into the nesting box. This is what I saw this a.m. in the tree swallow box. Very out of focus, but hopefully you get the idea.

Yep, those feathers came from my pillow!

Congrats OP!

There are no hosp on the tree swallow side of the building. I witnessed the swallows dive bombing hosp, starlings and grackles and chasing them off prior to selecting a nesting box.

It's almost as if the bluebirds attract hosp. I do not believe the female bb has begun incubation because in the past two years bbs have laid 5 eggs. If she has she's crazy with the villains lurking. When I go over later this p.m. I will put up a sparrow spooker along with the trap in the other box.

What do you all think about me moving the bluebirds' box to the side of the building w/the tree swallows? Any thoughts?

Thanks pelle. Birdie - I'm really not creative. I got the idea from a blue birder, but mrs. ed suggested sialis, and it was mentioned there, too. I am generally spontaneous, and follow through on ideas. I figure, what's the worst that could happen? I've cut up a perfectly good pillow, and there are feathers all over the place! And the best thing? Forty-five 9 year olds will have the time of their lives and might be bird advocates as adults. Thanks for your nice comment.

LeBug - Did you know birds constantly rotate the eggs so they develop properly? (Thanks Dave for the schooling)

OP....my swallows get really feisty about anybody coming into their part of the yard. Fortunately, it is a quiet side yard and I am the only person that goes over there to tend the perennial border. Because of this, I have not been peeking into their box as I have been with the bluebirds. I worry about them less. Not to mention that I am sure to be actively dive-bombed if I try!! My BBs are so passive.....they will not lay any real claim to the bird bath or the meal worm cup. I put the worms out on a schedule but I wait until I see at least the male before I leave them...otherwise, the mockingbirds will take the bowl over and not allow them to feed.

God must have some plan for the blue birds, but I wish they were more assertive. It must make them crazy watching me fiddle w/their box, but they just perch on the school building watching and waiting. I agree about the tree swallows. They will follow me to be sure I'm leaving the vicinity!

There are 5 eggs in the bluebird nest this p.m. Friends helped me put the sparrow spooker on the box. The blues hovered, swooped, perched on the building, and chattered to one another for nearly 15 minutes before one went in. I think it was the male. But he didn't stay long. I left soon after that. With another hour of daylight, and their interest, I hope they will adjust.

Tree swallows were active! They're quite a show. Yep. 5 tiny pink eggs.

OP, I had no idea they rotate the eggs! I need to take more time to smell the coffee with these little birdies lol Have you seen them rotate the eggs?

What is a sparrow spooker? Never heard of that one before either, sounds like it's something I need around here! I just bought two more blue bird houses but I'm waiting to put them up in the spring, I have a lot of warblers around and I'm afraid that's what will end up in them if I put them up now, what do you think? That's what happened last year when I put my new BB houses up after spring they just took over :)

Loved the picture of the feather nest that was soo sweet!

I was planting the other day and when I was digging I found a lot of those little brown meal worms like in the ground so many that I started collecting them for the blue birds and hung them on a cedar branch I have planted in my flower bed that they rest on a lot and they cleaned them out in about five minutes time LOL I put the grubs in them too but the BB's don't seem to go for those only the robins. My son gets upset with me because I used to keep them for his fish and now the birds are getting them lol

I have a robin that has about her third set of babies in old vines that grew up my latice on my garage and I can thro grubs to her and she loves them lol When I'm working in my flower bed by there she sits and waits for her grubs or worms lol

Hi LeBug, Here is a page on Sparrow Spookers. They get put on after the first egg is laid.

http://www.sialis.org/sparrowspooker.htm

LeBug, I have a nest cam in my nestbox and I watch her rotate the eggs all the time. She sometimes moves them with her beak and more often rolls them around with her feet. From above it looks like she is riding a bicycle. She also sleeps with her head under her wing. Too cute.

I hate to tell you but any worm you find in the ground is not a meal worm. actually meal worms are not worms at all. They are the larvae stage of a black beetle. Bluebirds do not like earth worms. Their primary diet is grasshoppers, spiders crickets and caterpillars, and berries in the winter.

Dave

This message was edited Jun 3, 2009 7:12 PM

My birds have been having a field day with the winter moth caterpillars....esp. the orioles and bluebirds. Some days, they just pick at the meal worm cup...I think that they are stuffed. I hope that they are eating enough to reduce the numbers on the moths....I will have to wait and see.

Dave...I am amazed that the female moves the eggs around. I might move the nest cam up in my wish over a high powered camera; I would love to be able to watch her care for the babies. I did get a good opportunity to watch a hummingbird nest 2 years ago as one built a nest right above where I park my vehicle (just why, I don't know!). I was able to stand up on the back bumper and get within a few feet of the nest. She did not seem to mind me watching her feed the babies and I got a front row seat when they fledged.

Well, Alison, a nest cam with 100 feet of cable is only about $75. But you will also need a TV or computer with audio and video jacks. The nestcam also has a built in microphone and can pick up any sounds in, on and anywhere near the nestbox. If you mount it out in the open you will get a sharp, colored picture. Inside the nestbox there isn't enough light to discern color, so everything is gray. It has infared lights so you see just as well at night as in daylight.

Dave

Thanks, Dave....I will investigate that!!

Thanks Dave and Pelle for intervening. Two and a half more weeks of school, and I'm home free! It's so busy.

I went back to school this evening so I could watch the birds leisurely. I decided not to open the nest box because this pair of bluebirds are very skittish. I have not seen the male land on the sparrow spooker. LeBug I'll post a picture of it soon. It's a homemade affair. I have seen him go into the box, and the female is incubating. The male guards from the edge of the building roof.

I looked in on the tree swallows. I talked to the adult as I walked up to the box this time. Didn't want to scare the pants, or skirt, off the poor critter. So it flew out when it peeked out and saw me. They don't go far. The pair swoops all around like they're keeping an eye on me. Apparently, ts have weak legs. Fortunately, these new boxes I got have horizontal cuts in the door to help them climb up and out.

Their nest looks exactly like the bb, except much shorter. Can't see the eggs in this photo.

Hey Dave - I just found out about grant money available for teachers to do creative things in the classroom. I'm going to complete the application and see what sort of technology I can get. I thought maybe a webcam for next year. We could open a window and run the cable to a computer in a classroom.