First, Relaaaaaax. It sounds like you are doing all you can. If those babies are 15/16 days old, they should fledge in a few days. I would not interfere. Do you have another nestbox you can set up for her (the little hussy) to get busy with?
I think Dave_in_VA had a situation like this? One female chased the other away?
BlueBars

Lord knows, Lisa, no way could I advise you or shed any light, but I'm interested in most all of the posts, since they do give us a heads up on things that could happen...I can't imagine a Mama just quitting at this stage of the game...what a weird and scary situation...Since they are so close to fledging, wouldn't Papa take over completely? Please keep us posted and we all hope for a very happy ending...

Donna

A rehabber worth his/her salt will not take babies as long as the parent(s) are around to care for them. Baby birds are always better off with the parents.
Linda C

Linda, I apriciate what you are saying. So far Papa has been doing a bang up job.I do NOT want to interfere. Somethig great happened after running my erands. Both the Female and Pop ran off a Starling that got to close to the box. The Female went into the box upon her return. I believe she took out a fecal sack! I was on the phone so I am not sure but she DID go into the box! I saw some movement in the back of the box,( this box has U bolt holes we dont use that I have taped over so light comes in from the back of the box). We shall see what fledge day has to bring. Looking at my calendars from the last 3 years they have gone on day 18 ...will be Sat. this week. If this Female assists in fledging I am going to have to say this is last years Female and she insist the Papa is more than "the baby daddy" time will tell. I will let you know what happens!

Lisa, I think RELAX is just the right advice. I've read recently that sometimes the female bluebird WILL begin a 2nd nesting attempt even before her first brood fledges if there is another available nesting site--rare, but it does happen. I don't think she'll hurt the first brood and it may be that you've figured out a quirk in her personality: impatience!!!!
Hang in there and keep us posted.
(BlueBars, this is some of the new information I learned while reading the book in YOUR thread!)
Kathy

OK I can relax now, the jury is in. This HAS to be the same Mom from last years last nesting. She is going into the box today, still not feeding though. One big peek so far this morning, JR had his whole head out and Pop came with a worm he was there beak wide open! This is why we do this! LOL I have been around this block enough times to know they may leave while I am typing this or not untill tomorrow. I hope they do wait till tomorrow because it is cold and wet today with possible severe storms later in the day and tonight. I have not figured out how to give them the weather report so they stay put one more day! LOL Pop does not look like he is coaxing them out yet so I will cross my fingers for tomorrow. BIG DEEP BREATH!

Glad to hear. Sometimes they do fledge just before a rainstorm. Maybe they need a bath! LOL
Our last 2 fledglings bailed out just as the wind kicked up. It actually seemed to give them a boost on their first flight. That night, it poured rain.
Keep breathing LOL.
BlueBars

OK Lisa...it's 2:45 pm central time...What's going on????? Hope they fledge tomorrow too! Hope you have some leftovers for dinner, cause I bet you won't be cooking! Put DH on the lookout when you give us an update and think of all the MANY times you advised me to relax!!!!LOL...

Looking forward to the rest of the story, and I bet it's a good one!

Donna

Donna, here is the rest of the story in detail for you. Well it was an eventful day but not really all in a good way. One baby was insistant on leaving though both Mom and Dad (and yes it is definatly Mom) kept trying to push it back in the box when it peeked. Karen jinxed me when(bluebirdbaby) she came to get the meal worms I got from Sunshine for her (you have to be a current customer to place orders) and she asked me why I didn't have any Sparrow Spookers up. My answer...I dont have HOSPs! Well not 1/2 hour after she left, the baby Blue is 1/2 way out of the box and I hear some squacking on the empty box....YUP you guessed it a pair of HOSP! I got a stone and wipped it at them, darn near hit the Male (lousy aim)and they took off. So now I am trying to watch the baby, see where the dang HOSPs went, and I look up and see a big Red Tail Hawk doing cricles overhead.....I ran out screaming and waving my arms, clapping, jumping up and down yeliing GO AWAY! GO AWAY! Well the big Vultures decided to join the Hawk and it went away, they don't like the Vultures thank God! Of course the Blues had put out the warning cry and the baby was safely hunkered down in the box so I took the oppertunity to go potty, get some more worms, grab my Sparrow Spookers and feed the poor dog who has been wating 1/2 the day. I guess it was nap time so I got the Spooker on the TRES box, figured I was stupid to have run the HOSPs off and should have let them keep checking the box out so I could trap them. The baby started peeking again just as DH was getting up from his nap and wanting dinner......UUUUGGGG I CAN'T cook now....the Baby will surly leave while I am heating up the rosted chicken I got yesterday, and there HOSPs and a Hawk out there somewhere! I got luckey and DH wrinkled up his nose not thrilled with the warmed up chicken idea so he went to get Kenyuckey Fried LOL. Good thing he did, Baby #1 was nearly out, I glanced down for just a moment to get a better look with my binocs and off it went straight up into the trees, I MISSED IT! Mom started talikg to it right away, I tried to get close enough to see it but got cussed out and Clicked by Pop. Anyway Mom got the baby up where she wanted it and I sat there watching the other three in the box tease me the rest of the evening. I gave up at 9:00 no activity for an hour, I listened to the box and I am sure they were sound asleep. I put the spooker up in case I am not up before the HOSPs are. My alarm is set for 5:30 AM. So far I have about 11 hours invested in staring at that box, I have a bad case of Binoc arm and cirles around my eyes, but it was worth it, I know the one baby got off ok and that the other 3 are safe for the night...I will do it all over again tomorrow! LOL

Shoot, I wish I would have stayed longer. I would love to see you waving your arms like a mad woman!!! Thanks again and let us know when the rest of the blues take flight!

Karen

Lisa, my fingers are crossed that you'll get to see the rest fledge. In all my many years of bluebirding, I'd never witnessed a fledging until last year. I needed to take down some of the boxes at one of the trails because of some impending construction and was waiting for the 2 babies inside that were due to fledge that day. One was peeking, but after watching for a while, I decided I'd better go and take down the other boxes. A few minutes later I was back and watching and I must have missed baby #1. Mama was visiting the box, then flying to a nearby post and baby #2 was peeking and leaning. I watched for over an hour and he just wasn't budging. Mama was trying to be patient, but eventually she flew off. Less than a minute later she came back---with DAD. He landed on top of the box, JUMPED UP AND DOWN 3 TIMES, then flew to the post, all the while chattering non-stop. That baby was out in less than a couple of minutes and flew towards some small trees nearby. His first landing attempt found him on the ground, but his parents harassed him until he made it up to a branch beside his sibling. My cheeks hurt so much from smiling . . . and then some guy from the Parks Dept. knocked on my car window and scared the bejeebees out of me! I know I was grinning like an idiot and tried to tell him what he'd just missed, but, well, you know the look we get from non-believers!
In any case, keep us posted on your bebbies!
Kathy

the end of the story! 5:45 out the door with my coffee and blankie, it's cold and there's thunder in the distance. Guess what, nobody is up yet but the Hummers and Robins. The box is silent. A Dee is the first to the feeder, then those chirpy little House Finch babies LOL OMG they are SO loud. Pop finally showed up at 7:15 and out poped a baby face the minute he landed on the box. They got a light breakfast and then they were off to start the wing warm ups. Mom hussy showed up an hour later, checked the box, got herself something to eat, stuck her butt up then left. I could hear baby #1 peeping up in the trees and Dad took off with some worms. They both came back and decided to get down to business dangling food in fron of the box and calling. Baby #2 jumped out about 9:00 right up in the trees, baby #3 went at 9:45 and baby #4 within a few minutes, guess she didnt like being alone. They were all good little flyers and all went to nearly the same spot. Just minutes after baby #4 left Hussy Mom was back on the box doing her little shake my tail feathers dance, she's shameless!Dad came and waved at her. She and Pop both had a fit when I took the box down so I hurridly rinsed it out and put it back up. I will get it cleaned out better while they are busy this afternoon so I wount get cussed out. SO about 15 hours to get all 4 off to a good start, no HOSPs no Hawks, just a Blue Jay that Pop Blue and Mom Oriole ran off, the sun is out and no storms comming anytime soon. It will be very interesting to see if she stops feeding nest #2 on exactly the same day!

Well YIPEEEE!!! Congrats to you and your blue family...What a long and exhausting process for you and probably for Mom and Dad, too! You are going to need a very long nap this afternoon!

How wonderful to hear that 4 more little blues have made it..

BTW, what are you cooking dh for dinner??????

Donna

OH I havent even THOUGHT about dinner! I may decide not to feed him again tonight! LOL He would not listen when I told him to mow just before the babies hatched, now I have a yard FULL of 2 foot high weeds, one could easily lose a small child in this mess. If I have to go deal with that I will be way to pooped to cook! ;D

Lisa...My mama blue is on her second nesting with four eggs...don't know when they will hatch, and I won't let my yard man mow anywhere near the box...he thinks I'm nuts and yes the backyard looks very weird...2/3 mowed and 1/3 pretty shabby looking, and will keep getting worse over the next couple of weeks..LOL! Glad I'm not planning an outdoor cookout anytime soon...

Hope you get some rest and let dinner be take-out!

Donna

Congrats Lisa on seeing them fledge! How fun! LOL on the eye circles, I have them too as my Blues are nesting quite a ways from the house this time so I am constantly at the window with binocs in hand. We just have one egg right now so it will be awhile.

Ok, I have never dared ask dh to not mow by the birdhouse. LOL! I have made dd go way around it though plenty of times and she always got mad about that. This years nest is more out of the way so no having to go around it.

Donna

LOL, ok it's all in the presentation, when given his choices for dinner, I did not sound excited about any of them....he decided on take out pizza...not an easy feat as it's a 30 mile drive! LOL Still got 2 ft tall weeds! Im too tired from "my " fledging....the weeds will be there tomorrow when I have had a good nights sleep!

Night Night Lisa, and may your dreams be blue!

Donna

I'm sure the fledglings will grow up and become adults and tell bed time stories to their kids of these wild and crazy women who ran around yelling waving their arms around to protected us.
Keith