Bluebird questions answered! (bluebirds, bluebird eggs, baby bluebirds, bluebird nests, bluebird box, bluebird nestbox, bluebird nestlings, nestboxes, mealworms, FAQ, and much more!)

I am so sad today. I have been trying for years to raise blue birds and each time it ends in a disaster. I had 4 little ones in the nest and I’ve been checking at least twice a day to see if they’re ok. Last night they were fine and the parents were feeding them. This morning part of the nest was outside so I knew something was wrong and they were gone. I had snake quards installed this year and I thought that surely cats,raccoons, fox would not be able to get their paws in around the spikes. But they did. This was the second nest of babies this year in addition to 2 nests of Chickadees. I have yet to see any bird fledge. I blamed it on the snakes last year and the year before but the snake guards keep them away. It had to be a cat or raccoon or fox but how did they reach around those spikes and take them out thru the hole?
Thanks,

Lou

Lou, very sorry to hear this…it’s tough to lose them but it must be especially hard to have it happen over and over again. I’d say that something is on to you and knows that your box equals a tasty meal. If you check your box too often, you will leave a scent trail that makes it easier for predators to find, so be careful about that. If you walk to the box one way, leave by a different path.

It’s hard for me to picture the spikes you’re talking about. Can you email me a picture of your box setup? That may be the most helpful thing (address below). I’m wondering about other clues…any animal hair left on the spikes? Are there other birds that may be in your yard or around the box like house wrens, house sparrows, or starlings? Is there any sign of the nestlings left at all (bones, feathers, partial bodies nearby) or are they completely missing? Make sure you’ve read through Bet Zimmerman’s Sialis.org Problem or Predator ID page (mouse over for link), too.

Hope to hear back from you!
Email me at dheiser@wncn.com

We found a baby blue bird in our yard this morning. It can’t fly so we watched all day and went to check on it at dusk only to find out it couldn’t fly because it only has 1 wing. The other wing never developed. We brought it inside at dark so critters wouldn’t get it. I called all over this morning to find out what to do with it and everyone I talked to said it should be euthanised, which needless to say really upset my daughter. What can we do with it? It obviously will never be able to fly.

Barbara, tough question, but I certainly wouldn’t euthanize it. I’d be more likely to adopt it as a pet or even let it go again than kill it on purpose. The parents might feed it for a while if you put it nearby to where you found it (”safely” up on a tree branch or high in a tall bush). Of course, the adoption route would be time consuming (and costly), so that’s not a perfect solution either. There’s got to be a wildlife rehab center around that would take it I’d think. Maybe a veterinary college would try a wing transplant surgery? Difficult dilemma…

Dave,
Thanks for getting back to me. Sorry I’m late getting back to you but I’ve tried to not think about it for a while. I’ve tried so hard to be able to watch them fly. I’ve had so many get to the pin feathers stage and still get eaten.

I knew that snakes were a problem because I caught one in nest and had eaten all 5 birds and couldn’t get out. Sorry but as frightened as I am of snakes I did kill him. I bought the snake guards at a wild seed store so they are not new. They are screwed to the front of nest over the hole. They are metal about 4×6 and about 6 inches deep so that’s why I was sure that they would be safe. I still can’t figure how the animal could have gotten his paw down in there. The wires on the guard are turned back all around the edges so that a snake would be stuck if he tried to crawl up to the hole. I thought this would also happen to an animal. It left gray hairs on the post and some scratch marks.

Lou

Recently, baby bluebirds left their nest. Now after about a week, the male parent keeps coming back and chirping for all he’s worth. He will put his head in the box and just sit there and chirp, fly away and come back doing the same thing. This has been going on now for about 3 days. I thought at first he might be calling for the female, but I have seen no sign of her.
Could it be that there may be a dead baby in the nest? Or, could it be that they left and he didn’t know it, and are wondering where they are? But, he was always right there feeding them, with her.
Why is he coming back time and time again chirping like something’s wrong? I haven’t really looked inside the nest yet, but can’t see anything moving inside just by looking. I don’t really want to disturb anything and he not come back. Are you familiar with this behavior? I feel so sorry for him and am thinking something’s wrong. What should I do? Your help is greatly appreciated.
Many thanks!
LH

I have a nest of 5 baby bluebirds in my back yard. My records show that they should fledge between Friday, July 10th and Tuesday, July 14th but 2 of them fledged on Wednesday, July 8th. They were both on the ground on the side of my house all day on Thursday. That evening one of them hopped back into my back yard. He is still in the back yard and the parents are feeding him. I have not seen the other one since Thursday, hopefully he is in a tree. It is Friday evening and the other 3 have not fledged. Should I do something to help the one in my back yard that fledged early, he can only fly about a foot off the ground.

Lou, sounds like a raccoon or cat this time. They are very persistent, I’m afraid. Once again, very sorry for you. You might want to try the pole baffle we’ve been using (pictured above). I made it myself following directions in an “Enjoying Bluebirds More” little magazine put out by Bird Watcher’s Digest. Plans for a similar stovepipe baffle are included on the baffle question link at the top of the page. Hope this helps…don’t give up!

LH, sorry for the delay in posting your comment and getting back to you; we just got back from vacation…

Definitely check the nest. I’m betting you have ants inside or a wasp nest, but something’s there that’s troubling him. Could even be a snake (see Lou’s second comment above). Be careful as you investigate, so you don’t get stung or bitten if something is in there. Then get “it” out and clean out the old nest, too. You may get another nest and brood still!

Mary, yours have probably lifted off by now and hopefully are safe in the treetops, but that sure was early for a fledging. Wonder if something scared them out? If they’re still on the ground, I’m not sure what I’d do. I’d hate for a cat or raccoon to win the battle, so I’d probably scoop them up to the tree branch nearest the nest. On the other hand, you’d no doubt anger and scare the parents doing so, so it may be best to just watch and hope for the best. It’s whatever you prefer, but I’m probably too late to be of help anyway. Sorry!

Dave,
I didn’t make the connection until you said that you wondered if something scared them. On Wed morning I noticed that the bluebird box that normally faces east was turned facing south. This is my 4th year of raising bluebirds and have never had any predator problems but I knew some animal must have moved the box. I’m thinking it was a raccoon. Two of the babies fledged on Wed. Wed evening I sprayed the pole that the bluebird box is mounted on down with a silicone spray to keep any preditor from climbing the pole. I usually spray the pole as soon as the female lays the eggs but had not done it with this clutch.

Dave,
I have one more question that I hope you can answer. The last 3 baby bluebirds fledged on Saturday July 11. On Sunday I took the old soiled nest out of the box and discarded it and then washed out the inside of the box. To my surprise on Monday I noticed the female bluebird had started building a new nest. She has already had 3 clutches this season so I am surprised that she is building a 4th nest. Is this normal? I thought bluebirds only have 2 or 3 clutches in a nesting season.

Mary, I have heard of four clutches in a season, but it is rare. It’s probably due to several things: a favorable nesting climate where you are this year, an active bluebird couple, AND your diligence to quickly clean out the box each time. Pays to be an attentive landlord! :-)

Hi Dave,

I am SO happy to report that my worries over the male bluebird
are put to rest. I still don’t know why he was carrying on so, but now the female is back. She has tidied up the nest and is now setting again. I see both of them coming and going, and her mostly setting. I guess I must leave the worrying up to them. They know better than I, what they’re doing. This is the second setting. Is it best for me to clean out the nest when it’s empty or let them do everything at their will?
Many thanks for your reply.

LH, clean the old nest out as soon as your last bird fledges. The bluebirds will quickly rebuild a fresh nest when they are ready (as late as early August typically), and you greatly reduce the chances of getting ants in the next clutch. Since they seem to be content and on their way again, I’d leave it alone for now of course. :-)

I am very happy to report that my female bluebird has now laid four eggs in her 4th clutch this nesting season. I know that it is the same female because the babies and juveniles from the other three clutches are still coming back into my yard to eat mealworms and interacting with the male and female. I live in south central Texas and it is 98 degrees here today and August is normally hotter than July. My female laid her eggs for the 1st clutch in mid Fed so she has been busy a long time. When it is this hot the female does not sit on the eggs during the day, only at night. I will keep you posted on the success of the 4th clutch.

Dave,
As you know, this is the 4th clutch for my pair of bluebirds. Two of the eggs hatched on Monday, Aug 3rd. I know that there were two babies, I took pictures of them. It is now Thursday and when I looked in the box, there is only one baby bird and two unhatched eggs. If the other baby died would the parents have removed it from the box? Also, how long should I wait before removing the unhatched eggs.

Mary, I know bluebirds can remove unhatched eggs themselves but a missing nestling is most likely a predator issue, especially given your previous early fledging and turned box. I’d say some animal is stalking your nestbox. Do you have a baffle (can’t remember) and a proper hole size (roughly 1.5 inches)? Has the hole been chewed at and enlarged? Could you be overmonitoring and leaving a scent trail (try instead to leave by a different path)? I’d encourage you to go through the options under missing nestlings on the Sialis troubleshooting chart and go from there. Be on your guard!

http://www.sialis.org/predatorid.htm#clue

Dave,
Ever since the episode of the turned nestbox I have kept the pole sprayed down with a silicone spray that keeps preditors from being able to climb it. I also put comet cleanser (powder) at the bottom of the pole to keep ants from climbing the pole (it kills them). The hole is the proper size and has not been chewed at and enlarged. I don’t think I have been overmonitoring the nestbox. I took pictures of them on Monday, the day they hatched and didn’t check on them again until Thursday. It seems to me if it was an animal they would have taken the other nestling and the two unhatched egss too. I am thinking that it could have been too hot in the nestbox. It was 100 degrees here on Monday. I didn’t realize they could die from heat until I read it on the website you referred me to. How long should I wait before I remove the two unhatched eggs.

Mary, the rule of thumb is to wait 48-72 hours since the last egg hatched before removing any unhatched eggs. You’re definitely past that window, so it’s okay to remove them if you can still do so without hurting the other nestlings. Right now, we’ve got an unhatched egg in with three nestlings…I decided to leave it in there because it’s been buried under a nestling.