As the pressure of population increasingly regiments us and crowds us closer together, an association with the wild, winged freedom of the birds will fill an ever growing need in our lives.
– Edwin Way Teale, introduction to Songbirds in Your Garden, 1953
We took a short trip to Prosper, TX, for the Fourth of July weekend. I expected the eggs to hatch around 07 July. But when I checked the box after arriving home on the Fourth, I found two newly hatched chicks and one little blue egg. I checked a few minutes later and the remaining chick had hatched and Mama had eaten the eggshell. Female bluebirds eat the eggshells to replenish depleted calcium levels in their bodies.
Recently a raccoon has been raiding the yard at night, tearing up bird feeders and opening the birdseed storage barrel. Not one to underestimate the persistence and ingenuity of a raccoon, I worried that when the eggs hatched the chicks would be a midnight snack for this 
marauder. A little peanut butter in a live trap and Rocky was soon in raccoon jail. He was not a happy camper, tried to bite and urinate on his jailer. Terms of his release were that he move to a neighborhood with no human neighbors. Up until his release, Rocky claimed he was ‘entrapped’. Some FeBreze was required post release. The things I do for these bluebirds!
It’s hot now and heat is a killer of bluebird eggs and babies. I have the box located so that by early afternoon it is in the shade of a live oak tree. The Sparrow Spooker is attached and we are ready to rear these babies. Most of the time our babies fledge on the 17th day. That means these should hop out into the big wide world on 21 July. Hopefully this will happen with no drama.
Total chicks fledged from this site is 67.
Third Brood 2016
- First sign of nest building 15 June
- Three eggs 21 June
- Three eggs hatch 04 July
ng the box. I walked out to remove any nesting material the sparrows might have put into the box, but when I opened it I found Daddy’s corpse.
called Daddy’s name, asked if he wanted worms and he flew to the feeder. I then was sure this is Daddy. He flew off and returned a few minutes later with the four fledglings from our last brood. He Picked up worms and fed all the young’uns.
Summer weather is here and it always seems to take a toll on the adult bluebirds as they work from before sunrise to dark feeding babies and ferrying away poop. I have the box moved so that it is in the shade of a Live Oak in the afternoon. Sparrow Spooker installed, of course. Also two blue ceramic bird baths so they don’t have to go far for a drink or cooling bath.
when they hatched. When we got home I found four teeny, just-hatched chicks and two unhatched eggs. The next day, one of the eggs was gone. I have to assume the bluebirds removed it. A couple of days later I removed the remaining unhatched egg.
Mama completed her second clutch of six little blue eggs on 13 May and began incubating the same day. Six is a big brood. We’ve only had that many eggs one time before. Four eggs is more common. A brood this big crowds the chicks in the box and is a strain on the adult birds to care for so many. I’ll feed supplemental live mealworms, but the parents still have to catch more bugs and carry more poop away.
putting out dried mealworms as a treat and they have learned what time breakfast is served. Not a lot going on during incubation, but as soon as those little blue eggs hatch Mama and Daddy will be busy, busy bluebirds!
These bluebirds are all about raising babies! No sooner is one brood fledged until Mama begins building another nest. I always remove used nests and hose out the box between broods. No need to risk mites or other parasites. I think this is one of the reasons the bluebirds return brood after brood and season after season. In the wild, they often change nest sites after one brood.
brood hatched and fledged. I’ve seen three of the young in the back yard following Daddy around while Mama is starting another nest and laying eggs. By the time a bluebird is a month old, it’s fairly self-sufficient. Photo: Mama wing-waving to Daddy.
Mama III has completed her nest, laid five perfect little powder blue eggs and begun incubating them. She’s been busy. Like most birds, bluebirds don’t begin incubation until all eggs are laid so the chicks will hatch and fledge at the same time. Most of the time they lay an egg a day until the clutch is complete.
generally count on 13 days. Since incubation began on 24 March, that would mean the eggs hatch about 06 April. They typically fledge here on the 17th day, meaning fledging will occur about April 23. Mama and Daddy are going to be without their security detail and supplemental food for this brood. Carolyn and I have cute little yellow beach house rented on Perdido Key, FL. Leaving in a couple of days and won’t be back until after the chicks have fledged. The parents shouldn’t have a problem, bluebirds survived for millions of years without human intervention. Their downward spiral in population began when European Starlings and House Sparrows were introduced to North America. But thanks to legions of bird lovers putting up millions of bluebird boxes, bluebird populations are once again stable. Their current conservation statues is ‘Least Concern’. Quite a comeback story for these beautiful little thrushes.
Wel
build a nest. She started building last year on 11 March. Won’t be long until the new bluebird season begins. Unfortunately we will be gone for several weeks and I’ll miss reporting a lot on the first brood. I’ve had a goal for a long time of putting a hundred new bluebirds on the red dirt hill. We won’t reach it this year, but maybe next. We are sitting on 86 and ten chicks in a year is about max from our site.
Happy to report our third brood of the season has successfully fledged! The third brood is always the most difficult. Fatigue on the parent birds and the hottest part of summer always make this one risky. One little bird stayed in the box longer than the others, but finally jumped out. Like always the parents take them down to the creek and perch them high up in some mature pecan trees.