Nest Box Cam Report - Starring Ms. Blue

[Evelyn Cooper]

The babies fledged Saturday while I was gone to Lake Charles (south) Louisiana to give a bluebird presentation. My husband watched it. He told me all about how each one would take their turn going up to the hole, flexing their wings really hard and deciding to finally take the big jump. I am sure I will spot them high in the pine tree limbs by the garage for about a week, and then see them come to the feeder begging their parents to feed them.

We'll see if Ms. Blue goes for a third cycle.

Stay tuned.

Evelyn
Delhi, LA

[Evelyn Cooper]

The babies fledged June 27th and today Ms. Blue has started the third nesting cycle. It is so hot and will be another one tomorrow. I really hate to see them nesting when it is like this. The one baby that hatched in the box of four eggs on the east side of my house was dead this morning when I checked it. I just have a feeling that every egg that is laid will be infertile as long as these temps keep reaching 100* and over. In a city two hours south of us, it was 106* today.

I am keeping the water flowing for the birds! They are drinking from the ditches where the irrigation wells are going also and they love the fresh cool water.

Evelyn
Delhi, LA

[Evelyn Cooper]

Mama Blue has laid four eggs as of yesterday and started incubating them yesterday. Note I call her Mama Blue because she took Ms. Blue's nest away from her two cycles ago. We've had some cooler days and the thermometer in the nest box with Mama Blue registered 100* which is better than it has been. This box has the solar screen and the one inch cypress nest box. Maybe this cycle will be normal. Having fostered babies in the second one made it not normal and the first cycle surely was not. We'll see.

So far, the Sparrow Spooker is doing a beautiful job keeping all pesky birds away that might interrupt the bluebirds.

Evelyn
Delhi, LA

[Evelyn Cooper]

Two of the four babies fledged very late yesterday evening. One of the two left in the box kept climbing up to the hole, but could not make up its mind to take off.

I happened to be looking at the TV screen and saw that one had left the box. I went over to the window and saw that my 8 week old puppy was out near the box and Mama and Papa Blue were divebombing him big time. He had followed his Mother across the yard and she was out farther away from the box. I am sure that when the bluebirds divebombed him, it got his attention and he didn't follow her. He was looking up at them on the wire near the box and they were blessing him out. I called him back to the house and shut him up in the garage so his running around out there wouldn't disturb them.

On the second cycle, 4 out of 5 fledged, on this third cycle 4 out of 4 fledged. On the first cycle which had two females that laid a total of 9 eggs, 6 hatched with only four live to fledge. Nature is strange. 12 babies from one box to hatch in my yard is a lot. I have two other boxes that produced, so I have a yard full of babies.

I have continued to put out the chunky peanut butter/lard with dry oats and cornmeal mix on the feeder. They come to it nearly every day. I just put enough that they can eat up quickly and it doesn't melt. Other birds come to grab some too. I saw a Carolina Wren feeding her baby a couple of days ago on it.

On days it was really hot and dry, the parents would ignore the suet mix and feed them insects. This is because the insects have the liquids the babies need to survive during those stressful times. Seventeen babies fledged from my yard this year and usually it is more than that. So, with the third pair nesting in my yard and the increase in babies to feed, I do put out supplement feed especially when it is many days of rain or too cold for the insects to crawl around.

I am sure the other two babies will take a leap into the big world today. I have one more box that has 3 due to fledge today and that will end the season for me. If really flies by so fast.

Evelyn
Delhi, LA

[happywebl]

I would love to have a camera like that, but I'm sure I wouldn't get anything done, and I'd probably never leave the house during nesting season either. What a treat that must be!
Barbara
Cloverdale, CA

[Evelyn Cooper]

I will admit that I have been glued to it several times when the out of the ordinary events happened. I turn it on when we are not watching any special programs and leave it on. Also, even when we have programs going, I will click over to check and so does my husband. You'd be surprised what you can observe by just leaving it on and passing by it several times daily, which I do as it is in the den.

I wanted to conclude this report by saying one thing I have observed is that in all three clutches, there was an egg that was hatched on the second day after the others hatched. Also, there was a runt in each of the three clutches. We observed that this runt fledged on the second day after the first ones fledged. Also, noted, was that each of these little runts hit the ground as they could not fly very far.

I witnessed the brood of four on the first cycle coming back near the box and forging on the ground and the parents would swoop down and feed one baby. This little bluebird made it and they still come to the feeder to eat some of the goodies I still offer to help out.

This officially winds down the nesting season. My, it passes faster than any other time of the year. Now, I will get to enjoy the fruits of my labor in the yard and all around my trail. Most will move farther south when the first cold strikes, but I do have quite a few that overwinter.

Evelyn
Delhi, LA
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