Five bluebird eggs in the nest!
Three… then four… now five… five bluebird eggs! Awesome! We figure that Saturday was egg #4, and Sunday was egg #5, so that means today is day two for egg sitting. Our female bluebird is definitely on the nest most of the time now. I accidentally scared her out this morning when I opened the box. You’re supposed to make noise as you approach and give her the chance leave on her own terms. I usually just tap on the box a few times, and she quickly flies out. When nothing happened, I figured she was out grocery shopping and opened the nestbox up…whoops! Note that this is why you approach from the side and never just peek in through the hole. You might get an upset bluebird in your face!
Now depending on the schedule you use, Eastern bluebirds generally sit on or “incubate” their eggs for 12-15 days. So, that means our first arrival should be sometime Easter weekend! We can celebrate Christ’s atoning sacrifice and resurrection with the new life of hopefully five baby bluebirds! Last year we had two nesting cycles…one with all five eggs hatching and a second with three out of the five. You can check out the bluebird blogs from last spring and summer by clicking on the Archives tab over on the right of the page (starting with June 2008), or just click here for the first one, “Eastern Bluebirds (and babies) in our backyard.”
“Hey, Dave, enough with this bird seed stuff already! It’s mealworm season! A nesting mama bluebird needs her protein, you know. And another thing, let’s get this plate fixed. A lady could get hurt out here!” Yikes…she looks a little feisty, huh? Of course, this picture was taken after I scared her off the nest…
Dad is still around. He swooped at me once then left me alone. Don’t worry, Mr. Bluebird, I’ll be careful with your eggs. Don’t nip the head that feeds you!
Well, I’ll keep you updated over the next two weeks, and we’ll try to get these beautiful birds eating some mealworms out of my hand. I’ll still check the box every few days just to make sure we’re not having any trouble with predators and that all five eggs are okay. Should be a fun journey, so stick around! Dave
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Comments
Oh that is just too neat, Dave…. I just love bluebirds… AND—I hope that ours return. So far, they have not… I’m just hoping it’s still too soon up here on the plateau.
Keep us posted… I’m so excited.
Hugs,
Betsy
Bluebirds look like fantastic birds although I have only see them in pictures. Hoping the best for these eggs and the family, I guess you will keep us up to date..
Congratulations. That is exciting. I have a pair of bluebirds that come to my feeder for mealworms, but they haven’t nested in the boxes I have in the yard.
THAT IS AWESOME! I just told Jeff – I have got to get a box! Maybe that will be my one thing I accomplish tomorrow?
The bluebird eggs are yet another omen. “Carolina Blue” in the old days was the color of the bluebird eggs.
I’m really enjoying the bluebirds. Can’t wait for the fledglings!
Yippee – 5 eggs! Wonder if she’ll have one more? Great pictures, Dave! You know I do love those bluebirds.
By the way – I noticed you asked my sister at Carolina Wings where she finds the shrike. If she hasn’t gotten around to answer you – I’ll tell you. She sees that bird when she takes her garbage to the dump! Funny…but probably a good hang out for food…and they like that barbed wire. Hope you can find one!
Oh my…five eggs! You are a lucky family to maybe have that many blues eating from your mealy worm dish!!
I can’t wait to see the pictures you get from these babies!
Your pictures are always so vivid and nice of your blues!!
Keeping my fingers crossed..that all 5 hatch!
This is our 4th year to have a nesting box and we have had at least four bluebird nests made. The first two were very successful and we were able to watch the babies grow and fly off with mom and dad. Last year they made their nest and believe it or not we had a late snow in Texas. We never saw them again after that. This year we have a problem. Our bluebirds built their nest about 2 weeks ago and were here faithfully every day. On Monday of this week which would be the third week we saw the mom and dad hovering around the nesting box. I was gone the rest of the day but my husband told me that after that time he never saw them come back. The next day and a couple of days after that we saw the dad come back and sit on the fence but would not go into the nest. He hasn’t been back and we checked the nest to find five beautiful little eggs in the nest. Is there anything we can do…my husband took the next out because the sparrows were trying to enter. Help
I have already had a family of 5 Bluebirds hatched. I cleaned out the box and it was vacant about 2 weeks. I saw more activity at the box and when no birds around, I checked and they had started building another nest. They have been stopped now for about a week and the nest is less that a third built. Should I just leave it alone or what?
Beth, hi! If they’ve started another nest, definitely leave it alone and see what happens. Unless something has scared them off, they should do another round of eggs before August comes. :-)
Sheila, yes, it is best to take the old nest out…less likely to get problems with ants that way. Your bluebirds will quickly rebuild the nest for another round of eggs…unless it is too late for nesting in your area. They can go as late as August.
Well is it August 3rd and my bluebirds have come back and sit on top of the box at times and on top of our clotheline. I have seen them look in the box but the nest that was started weeks ago has not changed. What should I do? These new bluebirds look like they could be from the first babies because they look and act kind of immature. Should I keep the started nest or just throw out and see what happens. I was sure hoping to get another family this year. Thanks for your info.
No I have looked and I use a plastic cup (made from the bottom half of a 1/2 gallon milk carton) with holes in it for drainage if necessary. I dust with Sevin in the box and the cup.There has been alot of activity in the back because of building a deck but with the first family in the spring we had activity back there too with building a garage. We do have more mockingbirds than I care to have and don’t know if that is a deterant either.
This is very neat. But I have check my house two times and the first time there were 4 eggs this time there were 5 eggs but we had a storm with lot of wind and they never came back. It has been 3 days now, not either one are around any more. I like your page I have read, but I need to know from some one if they will come back. I am just sick about my little bluebirds.
Went ahead and emptied the started nest and will wait and see what happens. Saw one sitting on the box after that so we will see. Have seen several in the area but don’t know where they are nesting.
Marie, don’t give up yet…bluebirds that are waiting on eggs to hatch can be very discreet and often go unnoticed. During the hotter summer months, they don’t need to incubate the eggs nearly as much, so you may just be missing the times they’re checking in. Keep watching!
Hope you get one, Beth!
My bluebirds have built 3 nests this year and the third set of babies are fledging! After the first batch fledged, I didn’t get the nest out soon enough to suit them and they built a 2nd nest right on top of the first one! So I carefully pulled it out of the box, took the old nest out, and put the newly built nest back in! They had another 5 eggs in the 2nd batch and then a third!!
Hello all…we had 3 nests also this year.
The last ones fledged 2 wks ago, and have disappeared!
We feed them meal worms every day, but they have not come to the feeder in 2 wks. Do you think they will be back?
I am in Silver Springs, FL….I assumed they would be here even in winter.
This is our first year with them, and they have had 3 fledgings and ate every day at the feeder.
Help!!!!!!
Denise, they should be back any day now. Some people call this period “Bluebirding 101″ when they all disappear for a week or two and the parents (dad especially) teach the new babes high up in the treetops. Once this “school” is over, the whole family should return!
Grrrr! Neither have ours, but I remember now that once our last group fledged in 2008, we didn’t see any bluebirds until into October. I’m hoping we’ll get ours back soon, too!
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This will be exciting.New baby Bluebirds in time for Easter.
Blessings,Ruth