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a newbie! i lost a baby... :(

18 years ago

Good morning all and Happy Springtime to you!

I'm Jen and I'm in MN and a huge lover of my bluebirds. We have a love-love relationship going on. :) In the spring of 2004, I moved into my current home and voila, there was a bluebird on my deck! So hubby and I quickly put up a bluebird house that he and his mate promptly moved into, and every year since we've been feeding them (they come right to the deck to eat mealworms from our feeder) and watching them raise their young.

In addition, our yard is host to nesting Tree Swallows, Catbirds, Hummingbirds, Goldfinches and Chickadees. So it's like The Audubon Society out my back windows. I love it.

This year is the first year I've found a dead baby bluebird. It's heartbreaking. Somehow he fell or was pushed out of the box into the yard, and I found him yesterday afternoon. I feel terrible. Anyone know if the parents do this? I don't know how he could have gotten out on his own, their eyes aren't even open yet, he's way too small.

Any thoughts, suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Jen, soon to get a bluebird camera so I can watch Bluebird TV!!! :)

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Comments (5)

bbcathy
18 years ago
Jen this is indeed sad but things like this happen every day out there and we just don't know about it. The baby could have died and the parents removed it (they will do this) but usually they carry them far from the box so that is unusual unless they just dropped it on accident. Is your pole on a slick metal pole with a baffle? Do you know if the other babies are still in the box?
Cathy
erictammy
18 years ago
Jen. Any marks on the baby. Watch the box carefully..it could be a house wren or a house sparrow.
Tammy
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lcmoore99
18 years ago
Jen,

Just have time for a quick message...

first, sorry about the bluebird baby. Unfortunately, it's part of what happens in nature.

Regarding that, if finding a dead chick freaks you out a lot, and of course it freaks all of us out at various times, I would THINK A LOT before you get a video cam for a nest box.

I've had 1 for 3 years added another last year, and I won't go into gorey details, but not all that you see IN the nest is nice. I won't tell you what I've seen UNLESS you ask me to.

I'll be happy to talk to you about the ups and downs of Bird TV.

Blessings, Linda...
dzyg
18 years ago
So sorry about the loss of the baby. Do you know for sure it is a bluebird baby? Have you checked the nestbox to make sure the other babies are ok? Do you have wrens or HOSP in the area?

Hope the other babies are ok!!

Donna
bluebars
18 years ago
Wondering if the other nestlings are OK ... suspect house wren or house sparrow attack ... hope not!
Usually if a nestling dies, and the parents remove it, they take it some distance away so as not to attract predators.
Visit the link below (Bet's web site) for more information; a godsend for newbies as well as oldies.
Bluebars

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sialis.org

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