I also advise not to clean out the box. It is illegal to remove eggs and nesting material btw. Are the sparrows still around? Maybe they are harassing the EABL pair and causing her to delay laying. This could also be the females first nest and she isnt playing by the rules. The weather can also delay egg laying if it is cold. Keep an eye on the situation the next few days an hopefully she continues to lay. You could pair another box to keep the HOSP distracted until she finishes laying. Once she has finished laying and starts incubating, I would put the sparrow spooker back on. Good luck and keep us posted!

My Blues nest is done here but I do not expect an egg until the week of the 26th. In 6 years that has always been the earliest, one year I didnt get one till Mothers Day. Don't worry if they take their own sweet time they will eventually "get busy" LOL!

Kathy -- when I went back out, I decided that BOTH nests look like they are primarily twigs, though there certainly are some more grass-like pieces as well as a few small seedheads (maybe dried sedum?) in the second one (it's also not as deep). I pulled out the one that was clearly all twigs (had a very deep "cup" in the middle but no eggs), but I left the other because I just wasn't sure. Here are the two pictures: first is the all-twig one that I removed today (how well do I need to clean out the box? I think there are a few twigs on the floor since I didn't have a brush with me). The second is the other box. Just a note: these two boxes are fairly close together because last year we had tree swallows and I had read that tree swallows and bluebirds will "share" space if there are two boxes. Swallows won't let another swallow pair nest nearby but will leave the bluebirds if they want the other house. I think what I read (on Audubon site or somewhere) was to put the two boxes about 10-15 feet apart. I know that's not what you do if you want actual bluebirds to use them both, but we were hoping to keep a pair of bluebirds in the one if the swallows returned this year (those swallows are GORGEOUS birds, too!)

Remove the nest and clean out the box. I do this the very day the babies fledge. Hose it out, then scrub with water and a little bleach, and rinse again. This will take care of any possible parasites, etc. Leave the door open for a day to let it dry completely. Hopefully, Mama will start a new nest pretty soon. Last year, my Mama blue began her 2nd nest 13 days after the first brood fledged. This year, she waited a little longer. The babies fledged on 5/2 and today she laid her 5th egg! Congrats and I hope you have more little blues soon! Donna