Baby Bluebirds

Even though we did everything wrong -- poking a stick into the box before we realized there was a nest; checking the nest just as the mother began incubating the eggs; opening the box on what I think was the afternoon after the babies hatched -- the bluebirds never abandoned their nest.

There were five eggs in all [the one with the scratch from the stick is closest to the entrance hole]:

Five babies hatched:

One week on, all five babies are still alive:

We won't open the box again, because the babies will be getting ready to fledge by the weekend, and we don't want to scare them out of the nest before they are ready.  But we should know when they leave the nest, because the adults have decided nothing is more important than the mealworms we deliver every afternoon.

They let me take five photos from less than ten feet away.  They're sitting on top of the feeder right now, wondering when I'm going to deliver their next meal.

Bluebirds lay more than one hatch of eggs a year, and I'm wondering whether they'll choose our box again.  It was unusually cold when they began building the nest, so the backyard was mostly empty.  [We never noticed the adults building the nest -- that's how completely shut off from the outdoors we were, in the first few weeks of April.]  I think our noise and our proximity as the female finished laying the eggs caught both birds off-guard.  There's absolutely nothing about the site of that box that would appeal to bluebirds in the first place, and it's a miracle all our interference didn't cause them to abandon their eggs at the outset.

Calder thinks I'm crazy: why would the bluebirds go elsewhere, when I'm delivering up a four-course meal for them every afternoon?  I guess we'll wait and see.

Comments

[Abacaxi Mamao]

Those eggs are gorgeous! Wow, what a color.

[shannon]

I agree with Calder--especially when all the eggs hatched and look like healthy babies now. They'll be all pleased with your spot! Are there eggshells you can retrieve as souvenirs?

[Lilian]

Wow, this is awesome! We don't have any birdfeeders, I wonder if we could start feeders and maybe add some birdhouses. I really know nothing about birds...

[magpie]

Wow - that is cool!

[Naomi]

and I'm wondering whether they'll choose our box again

Dude. Free mealworm delivery. That's like having a house right next to the grocery store, only better.

[landismom]

Great photos! And what an interesting succession to be able to show your kids! No one's nesting in our yard this year, I may have to develop a mealworm program.

[Kirsten]

Wow, how awesome. I'd love to hatch some chicken eggs next year - so cool for the kids to be able to watch the process like that.