Tclarkwood

2 of the eggs do not seem to be hatching? The chick seems to be growing some but it doesn't look very healthy. After my first brood was very successful with 5 chicks I believe this brood is going to be a different story. I have so many hawks swirling around my yard and property that I believe it has disrupted all of the wildlife on my property. I have a pair of Red-Shouldered Hawks that had chicks and they are teaching them how to hunt now on my property. It is a noisy mess! My chipmunk problem is not as bad now.

Would the mother have removed a dead chick? I suppose that is a possibility?

Weird... when I checked on Monday I had 4 eggs. Now I have 1 Chick and 2 eggs . What happened to one of my Chick/eggs?

Regarding finches eating nyjer versus BOSS. I lived in Pennsylvania from 2011-2014 and the American Goldfinches would empty my nyjer feeders in one day up there. Conversely, I will fill up my nyjer feeder in November here in Alabama for the finches and siskins and they will not eat 1/2 of the feeders contents in the winter season. Something about the northern birds is different. They seem to crave nyjer whereas the southern birds that migrate down for the winter seem to focus on BOSS. I still put out the nyjer every season just in case the siskins come down to visit me. They didn't come last year since they are irruptive and had plenty to eat up North. Believe me.. There is a regional difference on how much nyjer seed gets eaten by the birds based on my experience of living in both places.

I use 40 lb bag of BOSS from Tractor Supply for 18 bucks in Alabama. Best price I have found anywhere.

All 4 eggs are laid so i guess incubation started this weekend.

I guess she has been around! Ha ha !

Still no sign of the female since she built the nest on Sunday. So where has she been the 3.5 days? Pretty interesting.

My female built a brand new nest this weekend so I am just waiting for her to lay eggs for the second brood of the season. I do find it interesting that ever since she finished building the nest that I have not seen her since. I am always curious as to what these birds do at different times? For all I know, she may be out on a special diet trying to get extra calcium before laying the eggs? I have not seen the male or the chicks that hatched last month in several days?

That is a good explanation for what he is probably doing but don't you agree that it is peculiar that he does it around the same time each year and that he stays around this window all summer and the rest of the year? He only exhibits this behavior after the first brood each year and then he doesn't do it again until the next May. Pretty interesting. Maybe he forgets that he did it last year? Somehow he gets used to his reflection because the box is only about 15 feet from this window and sometimes they will have 4 to 5 broods in one summer. This is one of the busiest bluebird couples that i have ever seen. The ones I have at my yard in Birmingham do not work half as hard as these bluebirds at my parents house. I think that is it very interesting how there can be so much variation between breeding pairs. They are not all the same because some couples work much harder than others.

Does anyone know what this behavior means? This male has been doing this every May for the last 4 years at my parents house. We cannot figure out what he is trying to do and he is very determined. If you try to run him off, he returns within minutes and starts doing it again. After about a week, he will stop and start helping to build the second nest of the season with the female.

I figured out why my pair has not started building a new nest yet. They still have 2 chicks flying around everywhere they go trying to get a meal off of them. The male has even taken a bite of suet of my suet cakes and given it to them to try to get them to full! I suppose when the chicks finally leave them alone that they may try to start a new nest?

Red Ryder

My parent bluebirds fledged all 5 of their first brood but they have not started building a new nest? I'm wondering if I need to clean the box with some soap and water? All I did was rake the old nest out. I'm wondering if there is something left in the box that is preventing them from starting a new nest? Any ideas? I know that sometimes they will only do one brood in a nesting season.

That's a tough call.... Is there any way you can block the cat from getting to the nest by adding some type of barrier so the cat cannot find the nest? I might try that and take my chances on a snake unless you have a lot of snakes in your area. I'm not sure that a bird could find a vent to get in or not if that is not the way they normally enter. The Carolina Wrens enter my back screened in porch occasionally and I have to help them find their way out so I'm not sure they would be able to find that vent unless you have seen them use the vent before.