Lol Donna. Unfortunately I don't have the time and dedication to feed the blues mealworms. However, one year the male lost his mate and had 4 nestlings to take care of, and I fed waxworms that were in a small cup on top of the box. Mr. Blue would grab one or two, then immediately go in to feed. When they ran out, he was chit chit chitting, as if to say "more worms, please!" I would think, however, that one or two days old would be too young for them to eat mealworms/waxworms. I'd think they'd only need a little food. I think I'm more concerned for the parents being able to feed themselves, but I've seen them dive for insects in 30-40 degree weather! Thanks for the feedback!

When I lived in the Northwest Territories it was really hit and miss for a successful nesting season for tree swallows. If cold, rainy weather persisted for a few days, the birds would abandon their nests to forage further afield for insects. This could happen any time during the season and it was often a little heart wrenching to clean out the nest box in the fall and find five beautifully fledged out young, all dead. The parents were forced to abandon them in search of food. As for their fascination with the chickadee house I cannot offer any explanations or advice. Who knows what goes on in the brains of birds?

Hi Sue, There is a "Tree Swallow Protocol" which describes how to set two or three bluebird boxes in such a way (distance and angles) so that a pair of each, BBs and TSs, will nest near one another, and protect one another from intruders of their same species. It's also used to get Tree Swallows, Blue Birdss, and Purple Martins to nest peacefully near (25-35 ft.) one another. You may have to muddle through the site, but it's worth the effort. I'm including a link. It really does work. In my case, I don't allow the TSs to nest in the PM rack. I will close off the gourd they want and move it about 30 feet away. If there are TSs nesting within 25-35 feet of the Purple Martin rack, they will not bother the martins, but they also won't allow any other TSs to come close. TSs win; PMs win; Carol's happy. Here is a link that might be useful: Tree Swallow Protocol for nesting birds

My best guess would be that the tree swallows built a nest somewhere else and it was taken over. I've seen a bird lay an egg in an empty box once before. Tree Swallows are limited in their time to lay since they are neotropical migrants, and have to get back to South America. I wonder if you could put a fake nest under the egg so the babies have a better chance of survival?