Going near the box will not usually cause problems, but it should not be opened after day 12 after hatching because it may cause the chicks to fledge prematurely. It's actually helpful to check every few days (some people check every day) to make sure all is well. Bluebirds are remarkably tolerate of humans, and they can't smell you.

You don't have to necessarily clean out the old nest. A lot of people do, but bluebirds *will* build a new nest right on top of the old one. I personally would leave it alone since you aren't sure if the egg is new or old. Sometimes bluebirds eject old eggs, and sometimes they don't. Someone else may correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think there is any harm in leaving it there if it is not viable.

Hope that is some help!

(P.s. Maybe the box can be moved after this nesting for easier future monitoring?)

The old nest should be soiled (baby poo)and pretty flattened. If the nesting material is fairy clean and there is a deep nestcup she may be building, however the ants bother me. I would take a hamburger flipper and lift the nest to see whats under it, it there are lots of bugs or blowfly larva I would remove all but the top layer of the nest. Leave the egg as it will cause no harm if it is old. Put petroleum jelly on the pipe just under the box and on the inside of the top of the pipe if it's open to stop the ants as they can kill the babies.(be sure the adults wont get it on their feathers). Check out sialis.org for tons of Blue Bird nesting info. Good luck and keep us posted!

Ohhhh, I missed the ants. Yeah, take out the nest with a spatula and check it out. If it is infested with bugs then I would remove it and fashion a new nest out of grass (that's why it's helpful to save abandoned nests too).

The only poo is around the entrance hole and down the front of the box, and the nest is very deep. But I happened to think that if it's a new nest there should be a second egg today, yes? So if there isn't another by tomorrow could I consider that the "all clear" to clean the whole thing out and do the bleach spray?

lisa1310, thanx for the tip for the ants. The box is on a wooden post, but I could still use the p. jelly. There were ants earlier this year and I used my faithful standby DE (diatomaceous earth) sprayed all around the post and the bottom of the box. That seemed to take care of it, but I didn't think about it being washed off w/ all our rain. (Oh, and I've spent a lot of time on the sialis site - thanx!)

Please take the box off the post. Raccoons, Snakes, Squirrels, Cats ...so many things can get those babies and the Racoons will even reach in and eat the Mom sitting on the nest. You can put a pole up in the same area with the box at the same height and facing the same direction. She should accept the change. This is covered in sialis also. Please please move that box!

Thanx for your urgency. I had read about predator guards on sialis, but b/c I've lived here 6 yrs. and have never seen a racoon, snake, squirrel or cat, I didn't think it was necessary. I can't exchange the post for a pole, and my husband won't do it - says there are higher priorities; so I'm going to try making the conical baffle which sialis says is approved for posts. If I can't, I guess I'll just leave the box open. :-(

There's still only one egg deep inside the nest, so I just removed the whole thing. OMG - solid mass of ants underneath! Makes me sick. That's one thing we have a real problem w/. Anyway, I sprayed it out w/ the hose and scrubbed it well, then sprayed w/ a 10% bleach solution and left it open.

If I'm able to get the baffle done I'll smear the p. jelly underneath and close it all back up.

Oh, one other thing. If I can't do the baffle could I just put carpet tack strips (listed on sialis as covering all predators) all around the post for a temporary fix?

Raccoons are everywhere, even if you don't see them, they are out at night, not during the day. Cats too are everywhere. It isn't hard nor expensive to take a box off a wooden post and put it on a piece of conduit and add a stovepipe baffle, coneshaped baffles (unless you make a huge one yourself) are for squirrels and raccoons can get right over them. I have put up several nestboxes myself, pounding the conduit into the ground with a sledge (you don't need to dig a hole), adding the baffle and attaching the box to the conduit with one hole straps made for conduit. It is easier and quicker than you think. You sound like me and my hubby about 7 years ago. That is when we lost a nesting of five baby blues to a coon because the box was mounted on a wooden post. Yep, we got that box moved pretty quickly after that!

One other thing about your nest...when nestlings grow and fledge the nest flattens out and is not deep anymore at all after fledging. If you are seeing a nest with a deep cup yet..chances are those nestling may never have fledged to begin with. Odd that an egg would be left though but you never know.

I have no clue about the carpet tack strips...not sure what they look like or how they would work. One thing about conduit, you add vaseline under the baffle and no more ants..very easy fix to your ant problem. Good luck...

Donna

Massive ants.....not a good sign at all. Carpet tack strips may work for other predators if that's all you can do right now. If you want to leave the box up and try again you MUST monitor it. Ants may have eaten those babies or been attracted to dead babies (house sparrows could have killed them, wrens could have tossed them). You need to get rid of the ant problem. As Donna says , it's not hard or expensive to sink a PVC pole, but if you just cant do it now and can take every other precaution you may get lucky. I appreciate your willingness to try and for reading the sialis site. Don't be afraid to go check on things, the Blues will not leave their babies because of you.

I've been consumed w/ getting ready for new carpet (done yesterday!) and am now back. My cleaned-out box is still open until I can safeguard it. Dzyg, I hear what you're saying about the racoons. I had lots when I lived on Cape Cod and in CO; but I'm out a lot at night here and I've never seen a single one - which has surprised me. Also, I went back and looked at the nest and realized it *is* somewhat flattened; what's deceiving is that the egg has gotten pushed down under part of the nesting material which makes it appear deep.

Lisa 11310, I did monitor the previous nest. I was initially checking it every 2-3 days, but then I read somewhere that you should only do it once weekly. I didn't check it after day 12 b/c of the danger of causing the chicks to fledge prematurely. Then I waited 9 more days b/c sialis says it can take up to 21 days. Should I have done differently?

I've read and studied the info on sialis re predator guards, trying to decide my best course of action. Altho the tack strips would probably work, I agree w/ the person who said they're inhumane. I'd really like to keep the wooden posts if possible; it says the stovepipe baffle works on them. I can get 10" x 2' ducting, is there any reason that wouldn't be effective? Does it make a difference whether what's above the baffle is a wooden post or a metal pole or conduit? I know squirrels can jump quite a distance; could they jump over / around the baffle to the box which is mounted so the entrance hole is at 5'?

I've checked the open box for ants and haven't seen any more since putting the vaseline on the post.

I think adding the stovepipe to the wooden post would work just fine! I would put it up so the top of the stovepipe is about 4-6 inches under the bottom of the nestbox.

Actually checking every 2-3 days up until day 12 is fine and sometimes can prevent problems. It is fine to check that often.

Good luck!
Donna

Yay! I'm so glad to hear all that. I just got back from Lowes where I picked up all the baffle materials. I already have 1/4" hardware cloth on hand; would that be OK, or is there some reason to use 1/2"?

Also, the bottom of the box is 52"; did I read somewhere that the top of the baffle should be at least 48"? Which is more important: the height of the baffle or the space b/t it and the box?

Thanx for continuing to help!

I have never heard that 48" thing, but if you put the top of the baffle about 4 inches under the bottom of the box, it would be at 48". I think the space between the ground and the baffle is more important as you wouldn't want it so low that a coon could reach up over it and climb up, if that makes sense. If they start climbing and then reach the baffle, they are out of luck. But for the most part if they reach up they can touch the bottom of the baffle, when it wobbles it deters them from even trying to get up.

Donna

Its better to concern some specialized person so that you can get the correct way to follow.pet transport