Fledglings

Yupp, box checking time again. And yupp, more exciting news! This week we did it on Friday, so as not to disturb the Memorial Day celebrations at the cemetary.

All the boxes were checkable except for box number three, which had babies in the process of fledging. so here's an update:

C1: 3 tiny tiny babies, just born and 2 eggs. who knows if the eggs will hatch, the babies were just born, so there is still a good chance the eggs could hatch. One of the babies was just waking up from a 'nap' and opened his mouth, then laid his head back down on one of the unhatched eggs. CUTEST THING EVER!!! look at the picture!

C2: Last week, we couldn't check this box because the birds were fledging, but we checked this week, and the birds were all gone! FIVE NEW BLUEBIRDS! :) but even more extraodinary was the fact that the birds had built a nest on top of the old one! You could clearly tell where one nest was and where the other one was. We took the bottom, used nest out of the box and put the newer nest on the bottom. If the nests get too close to the top, the birds could get squished. It also give them a higher chance of losing their babies out the hole.

C3: no check this week, or next week. hopefully when we check them again, there will be five more birds gone

C4: this was the first week to check this box after the birds fledged. good news! FOUR MORE FLEDGLINGS, meaning four more bluebirds are out there in the world! We cleaned out the nest and hung the box back up, ready for another nest.

C5: this box we emptied last week, but this week, no new nest had started being built yet

C6: new box that we hung last week in the middle of boxes 4 and 5, and this week, there was a nest! it was really developed, so hopefully we'll have eggs next week :)

We also checked the other boxes around the city. The R family box had bigger babies this week than they did last week. We can't check that box for two weeks now as the babies grow and fledge.

After this week, our count stands at: 14 fledged bluebirds, 2 new nests, 2 eggs, 8 babies (at different stages), and hopefully by the end of next week, 5 new fledglings :)

Stay-at-home Birds

Hey everyone!

Thanks so much for following this blog and being interested in the bluebirds!

We checked most boxes today...some very exciting news

C1: last week there were five eggs, still five eggs and some very active parents this week

C2: no check because the birds are in the process of fledging

C3: some VERY big babies...check out the picture at the top, they have lots of feathers and are fully aware of what is going on, this is the last time we get to check on those babies

C4: same as C1, no check because they are fledging

C5: this box had not been checked for two weeks while the birds were fledging. We checked this week and all the birds had left! that means somewhere out there are five new bluebirds that we helped bring into the world. how cool is that? we cleared out the nest and hopefully a new nest will be built soon.

C6: yupp that's right, we finally added another box to the cemetary. It is right outside the fenced off area and as soon as we put the box up, bluebirdds flew into the tree. hopefully this box will get some activity soon!

We also check the R family box today and they have five new baby bluebirds. They are tiny meaning they probably hatched a few days ago. When we opened the box, they opened their tiny beaks saying "feed me! feed me!" okay, not really, but they did open their beaks for food. The picture above is of the R family babies.

Like usual, none of the other boxes have any activity. The box at school will be checked tomorrow.

Like usual, if you do have any questions, comments, concerns, comment here!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there! (including our lovely bluebird moms that have been busy at work caring for their new chicks!)

We checked bluebird boxes today, and it was super crowded at the cemetary so we couldn't hang a new box, but we will for sure next week. Here's a run-down on all the boxes:

C1: last week had a fully developed nest, this week FIVE EGGS! hopefully we'll see babies here in the next few weeks.

C2: Last week we had 5 little baby chicks, this week they are a bundle of fuzz. check out the picture to the right. They were all bundled up at the front of the box, so we had to snap pictures quickly in order for them not to fall out. Their eyes are open and they have grown big enough to where their beaks don't take up 50% of their body.

C3: A mother bird was incubating her eggs last week when we checked this box. Today, five little tiny babies chirped happily from inside their cozy nest. In the picture, you can see their eyes, beaks, and fuzz on the tops of their heads. The scaly leg looking things are the beginnings of their wings...cool huh? :)

C4: Like box 2, th

ere were little babies last week, and this week, there were BIG babies, bigger than the fuzz balls in box 2. Sadly, there were only four babies, one fell from the nest and died (proof on the ground). We won't be checking either box 4 or box 2 again for two more weeks, to make sure the babies do not fledge early. Picture to the right is of these babies. Note their feathery-ish heads, beaks, and eyes.

C5: Though we could not check this box today, we still drove by it. We could hear the chirps of the babies on the inside from the ground, which was pretty cool. We put some mealworms on the ground for the mom and dad birds and watched them dive down and pick them up for their babies. We will be able to check this box either next weekend or the weekend after.

R family box: our only active box that is outside the cemetary had five eggs in it. Next week when we check, there should be tiny babies.

the school box has not been checked yet this week.

another box will be added to the cemetary to accomodate the new bluebirds, but it was hectic on mother's day, so we'll wait until next week :)

Meal(worms)s on Wheels

Hello again! Schools has been hectic lately, so not much time to post!

So since my brother went out of town on Friday, we checked boxes on Thursday this week...exciting news!

C1: previously had twigs and feathers, a start of a nest...but this time...a FULL NEST and active bluebirds around the nest...hopefully there will be eggs next week

C2: previously 5 eggs, this time 5 BABIES!!! All five hatched and have fuzzy little heads and bright yellow beaks...they were sleeping when we visited (yes sleeping, not dead, they were moving and breathing :D) the picture is of the C2 babies.

C3: still 5 eggs and active bluebird parents, same as last week...babies by next week for sure

C4: 5 MORE BABIES!!! also cute little fuzz balls with extremely distinct eyeballs...they were also sleeping and all 5 babies hatched. check out the picture to see these babies' eyes. These ones (to the left) are a lot smaller than the ones from C2, meaning they were probably born a few days after them.

C5: last week, this box had the first babies of the spring with the newly hatched 5 bluebirds and one dormant egg. this week, the one dormant egg was still there, but the 5 babies were so much bigger! more than double their size, making it easier to photograph them. In the

picture, you can see the wings and the five babies, though you can see three distinctly. This

box will not be checked for the next two weeks to prevent the hatchlings from fledging early, which nearly always means death for the little baby birds. However, after that, the bluebirds can use the box again for another nest.

R Family box: As said in the post from before, the mother bird was incubating her eggs on Wednesday when we checked it. We went back today to see if we could get a count of the eggs. There are 5 eggs in that box, which will hopefully hatch in the next week or two.

The other boxes were empty, as usual. This week, we also hung a box at school, which I already posted. There is a possibility of adding another box near the R Family box for the new bluebirds that will soon hatch from their nest. Also, we were thinking about adding another box or two to the cemetary to accomodate the bluebirds living there. Hopefully we'll start to see some activity in the other boxes soon too!

After Thursday's check: Total eggs: 26 eggs (1 dormant), Total babies: 15, Total boxes in use: 6, one new box hung

Don't forget, if you have any comments, questions, concerns, requests, anything at all, just leave a comment on the post and I'll make sure to respond! :)

Thanks for being interested!

The father bluebird lands on the bluebird box to eat the mealworms we left for him. Later, he will regurgitate them back to his babies. Both the mother and the father take an active role in rearing the young bluebirds.