Search for a new Papa

This is the cage I bought. It keeps the robins out although they will hang on it briefly trying to reach inside. I use a small ceramic bowl I bought for my gecko (lizard). They eat mealworms, too.

Our bluebirds find the robins kind of pesky and they have a zero tolerance attitude about them. They do not allow a robin on the arbor...not even for a second. But other birds are OK. We have a male goldfinch that likes to perch on top of the pole that the nestbox is mounted on and the BB don't bat an eye.

Dave your newest photos are just gorgeous and so is the New Man of the house. He must be a really good guy to help with the babies. Hope your weather has cooled down a bit...we are supposed to be in the 90's for the next 3 days, too hot for sure. Continued success with the Blues!

Yes, Rose, he is very dedicated and seemingly fearless, at least out in the open. He chases HOSP, and even buzzes the bluejays and robins. I plugged up the NABS style nest box for fear he would fly in there and get trapped by a HOSP.

I have been finishing my workshop the past 2 days (drywall and painting), so I haven't spent as much time with the cameras as usual. Still I managed to get some rather unusual shots today.

That's my goal anymore --in flight shots and unusual shots. Here are a few of the latter.

Stretching while balanced on the left foot.

Now the right foot.

Blue angel

A better shot taken a bit later

Don't you just hate it when someone walks in front of you when you are taking a picture?

Here he is in a non-unusual shot.

And finally, one shot of Mama.

Wonderful shots Dave!

Hey, that bird is doing the hokee pokee

LOL...Mrs. Ed!!!!

I love your pictures, they are really something. My blue bird couple has abandoned their eggs, and moved to the box that I have been catching my sparrows in. This is very upsetting. She laid her eggs May 22nd and everthing seemed to be going well. Then all of a sudden she quit sitting. The four little eggs are still in there while they are building another nest. Only 30 feet away. He will sometimes sit on top of the box with the eggs in it but she won't. The VanErt trap is amazing. It worked everytime. What an invention!!!! I guess I should remove the old nest and eggs but I really am still hoping..

This message was edited Jun 18, 2009 3:02 PM

Well, if she laid her last egg on May 22, and began incubation then, they should have hatched about June 4. I usually remove the nest after 21 days, candle the eggs and force her to start again. Normally they will keep sitting on them for about a month before they give up on their own.

Maybe they were infertile and she knew it. They say birds can sense movement long before the eggs hatch. I guess that means an experienced mama could sense the lack of movement. In any case, I think you can remove the nest and eggs.

Please keep us posted. Thanks for the the comments about the pictures.

Goof luck.

Dave

I removed the eggs last night. They were building their new nest with gusto. I wish I could take pictures like you do. They were getting their nesting material out of my neighbors grass planter and they would sit on top of the box with the grass hanging out of their mouth. Just too cute. The eggs I took out had discolored and one was cracked. Very disturbing..... I love your site.....Thanks so much for your postings...

Well, here's a little update on my bird soap opra. The chicks are 14 days old today and are all doing well. You can tell they are growing fast, not just via the nest cam, but already they are peeking out. In fact, I wonder if they will stay in that nest box for the full 17 days they should. We are expecting temps near 100 degrees here tomorrow and Sunday. That little nest box seems awfully crowded and is going to be hot. They discovered their voices 2 days ago. Now, when they hear (or see) an adult approaching, all five start yelling. You really couldn't call it singing.

The step-dad is working out like a champ. He feeds guards and even does bathroom cleanup duty. I got three separate shots of him this morning removing the fecal sacs. Don't know if you realize how that is done. Most folks see the adults fly from the nest box with the white sac but never see or realize how it is collected. It is somewhat gross, but then in a way, it's pretty neat. The chick sticks it's butt up to the opening hole, presents the gift and the adult takes it from there. I have a good sequence of about 5 photos. Maybe I'll post it here and then start a new thread. That way people won't have to look at it over and over.

next

For some reason, this server won't accept more than a couple of posts with pictures attached. It usually works better after a post with out a picture, so I'll try that. Very annoying, DG!

Well, that didn't work either. I'll try again.

That did! Finally!!

Last shot. I'll start a new thread a little later.

That is a great step Dad!

I never knew they did THAT!

Well, when my grandmother was eighty I heard her say,"You never get too old to learn something new."

Great educational series of that Dave!

Pretty gross, but really interesting too. I did not know that it was "presented" to the parent. I really thought it was just in the nest and removed.

I just love your new dad for being such a trooper.

I knew they took them away from the nest, but the process involved is fascinating. Great series of pics. He is doing a magnificent job considering they are not his offspring.

He sure is a great step Dad or maybe even Uncle. Wouldn't it be fascinating to know or sure! with it being so common for new mates to destroy the formers chicks, it sure seems a good possibility that they really are related. As keen as their senses are about so many things, it certainly seems plausible that he somehow knew if they were related and so jumped in to take over when needed.
I just love your pictures and education classes Dave!! Thanks for giving us the inside scoop on the poop, too!
Ahh, the Bluebirder's life! *sigh* ^_^