Hello Michael, First I am glad you found this site, I was happy when I found it to, but I would like to invite you to join the bluebird nut cafe and we will provide you with all you need to know about these birds. It is way more active and you will get fast answers to your questions. Hope to see you there. http://bluebirdnutcafe.yuku.com/ Secondly your bluebird pair have committed to that nest with eggs so they won't abandon it easily. How much rain are you getting? One year I had blues there were several days of rain and no bugs except earthworms around to feed the babies. They didn't survive despite the parents efforts. My guess is your pair has left to find a food source and will return. I do find it odd that they left when you are providing mealworms. I would recommend you ask this question on the bluebird nut cafe site to get other's input. -Tyler

Suzanne, this bluebird box looks great, I love how you can view the nest without opening the box. Funny, I had checked Ebay before purchasing the house I bought from Duncraft and didn't see these boxes on there at the time, although I am very happy with mine, it was just a bit pricey and the price on the one you purchased looks a lot more attractive. If I get lucky and attract bluebirds to nest in my box next spring, I may look into purchasing another box and this one looks good to me. Please let me know how it works out for you. Good luck! Linda

I make my own using 8 inch plastic pipe about 12 inches long. I cut out a bottom from 1 inch thick pine, drill holes in the wood as a drain, then staple a wire basket to the wood bottom out of 1/4 inch hardware cloth. The top can be tricky to attach, and I am still experimenting with different ways of doing this. Sometimes I use roofing shingles and sometimes I cut up soft drink cans to make my own shingles. I make the opening oval shaped (seems to be most effective) I have been using these boxes for almost 20 years and have had great success with them.

I found this on another site about which birds in the US lay blue eggs - http://sialis.org/blueeggs.htm Not All Blue Eggs are Bluebird Eggs "Just because eggs are blue doesn't mean they were laid by a bluebird. Bluebirds are cavity nesters, and VERY rarely lay their eggs outside of a cavity. (When desperate, they may use a ledge or other location. See photos.) Some people who report finding bluebird eggs in odd locations (in a potted plant for example) are really seeing eggs of another species, like the American Robin nest, eggs, and nestlings in these photos. House Finches lay eggs that are bluish-green, and sometimes use a nestbox. See more photos. Starlings also lay blue eggs, but they are bigger than bluebird eggs. About 4-5% of bluebirds actually lay white eggs. Robin hatchlings are much larger than bluebird hatchlings, and have longer tufts of white fuzz along their spines and forehead. They are incubated for about 12-14 days, and fledge in 14-16 days. Birds that nest in an "open" cup (vs. cavity nesters) need to develop and get out from their vulnerable location faster. Photos by Bet Zimmerman. "