OH man what to do??? I wouldn't plug the hole cause that for sure would make them go to the bluebird box. Adding a wren guard now to the blues box would be a bit risky unless you could really watch closely after up put it up to make sure mom and dad accepted it. A really easy gaurd is using a shoebox, cut one side off and attach to the roof so the other side is covering the hole, this way it has sides too. You could try it anway as long as you could watch closely, I think that is what I would do. Chances are though with the boxes that close the wren may have already seen the hole in the blues box. I sure hope it doesn't go over there. Like I said those nestlings aren't safe until day 7. Donna

That's why I suggested the suet. It may not be a perfect solution, but it should get them through the cold spell. If you choose to try mealworms, you could place them out in an open dish. Or tie an empty cat food can sized container to a nearby branch? Other birds will eat them as well, so only as an emergency to keep the babies fed until the weather warms up enough for the parents to find insects. Of course, if it rains, they drown. My local feed store sells the dried mealworms. Blues won't usually take those, but in a situation where their young are starving I think they will.

What mlkbskt said is correct. A nestbox should never be mounted on a fence/tree or post of any kind unless it can be baffled. Conduit works best for mounting nestboxes on and stovepipe baffles are cheap and easy to put up. Nestboxes should also be put up at least 15 feet away from any trees. With just one egg gone I would think either House wren (are they in Texas?) or House Sparrow. The House Sparrow will usually just go in and smash the eggs and or kill babies and adults that may be in the box, however it could have gotten interrupted by the Bluebirds too. That is why a sparrow spooker is very important to put up after the first egg is laid. Sparrow spookers are easily accepted by Bluebirds. Wren guards are a little trickier though but do help if wrens are in the area. It is best to put them up during egg laying though to make sure they are accepted. The whiter end and ring on the egg is normal, I have seen it before too. A mockingbird would not be able to get into the nestbox so it would not have taken the egg. Is the hole on your nestbox the 1 1/2 inches that is standard for the Bluebird nestboxes? It shouldn't be larger to prevent Starlings or Red Bellied Woodpeckers from reaching in and grabbing eggs or babies. As far as the heat, I know it can kill nestlings if it gets too hot but not sure about affecting hatching, normally the Momma just wouldn't need to incubate as much. Day 15 is not out of the norm, I have heard of eggs going up to 20 days and still hatching. So the eggs can still be good, but if something got one chances are it could come back and get the rest. Raccoons love to reach into nestboxes and pull out babies/eggs and incubating female but they usually do it at night so the momma would be gone/eaten and probably all the eggs if it were a raccoon. Raccoons are everywhere even if you don't see them, they are there! I would keep a close eye on the Blues and see what they are doing. Are they still going to the box or not? Usually they will not give up on the nest if an egg is taken like that, so the nesting should still be ok and also they can sit on eggs a long time before they give up on them. Good luck, hopefully you can get this nestbox safe and can have a successful second nesting. Don't let the first nesting fool you since it was successful, an improperly mounted nestbox is a failure just waiting to happen. Read up at sialis like you said you were, there is tons of great info on there! Donna

Here's some early reviews for me.. Honey Bear Acorn Squash... Nay. Table Queen was better in every way, though it succumbed to PM faster, the yields were better and it had a better more unique taste. (For a diabetic option, pick those early and they have a wonderful nutty flavor with low sugar.) Alexandria Zucchini.. Big Yay! These were my best producers in my garden, picking 1-3 a day from a single plant for months, and all the other zucchini didn't do well, including... Spineless Perfection... Nay. Poor production, weak plants. French Filet bush beans... still love these beans! And keep producing until frost! Fortex Pole beans... also very awesome. Harvested more beans than I can eat or freeze already.