Indigo, I'd leave the partial nest for now and see what happens. I'd also keep a very close eye to make certain the house sparrow is gone--a spooker can't be installed until after the blues have an egg in the nest, so your breeding pair would be in danger at least until that point. It is unusual for house sparrows, especially the males, to leave simply because the box has been left open for a few days. You need to make sure he's not lurking somewhere . . . if he does come back, wait until he and his mate start to build a nest and trap him. That's the best way to insure the safety of your blues. Kathy

Well Tim, get that pole into the ground really securely. Yes, there is time for another batch of eggs. I do have some concern that nest #2 might meet the same fate as nest #1 though. Need to keep a close watch on it. Check inside the box about every 3 days or so and keep a written record of what you find. The Mom will begin incubation once the last egg is laid, and they usually lay 3-6 eggs. No, the babies do not look blue at first. Check the link here to familiarize yourself with normal chick appearance.~~Angie Here is a link that might be useful: Egg to Empty Nest/sialis

indigo, congrats on your successful Dee nesting!! Best of luck to your Blues too! I looked back on my records from last year and in good weather conditions the Blues started egg laying 3-5 days after completing nestbuilding. Of course what we perceive as a completed nest and what they perceive it as could be totally different and weather plays a big part in it too. This years nests at the park where I monitor nestboxes both pairs of Blues that are there took over 10 days to lay eggs after the nest appeared to be complete however the weather was very cold then and I believe they delayed egg laying. I had a pair of Blues house hunting in my yard yesterday and this morning. I am so hoping they decide to nest here too! Donna

Relax she knows what she is doing. Sometimes the female will skip a day and then lay more eggs or maybe she is done. When she is done laying she will start to incubate full time which is not necessarily 24 hrs a day. They know what to do even without our help! LOL Cathy