Dead mom (I think)

18 years ago

Had a very active bluebird house with one batch of babies already. There was much activity - mom and dad at house, then I went away for a few days and when I came back there was no activity whatsoever. I'm new at this so I really didn't know what to do so I waited 1 day and then opened the box and checked and I think the mom is dead in there. I didn't want to get to close so that's what I think anyway. What do I do if anything. And what is this house sparrow deterrent I'm reading about. Thanks for any help I'm a little sick about the whole thing!

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Comments (14)

renee_2006
18 years ago
I'm very sorry you might have lost your mama bb. There have been several posters who have had trouble of one kind or another this year. If you think you saw the mama bird dead then I would check again to make sure of what I thought I saw. If you do indeed find that your mama bb is dead then clean out the nestbox.

The house sparrow deterrent your wondering about is called a Sparrow Spooker. It is mounted onto a nestbox AFTER the first egg is layed and removed after the nestlings have fledged. Go to the weblink below and you will find information concerning sparrow spookers.

I hope you are mistaken and mama was just sticking tight to her nest.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sparrow Spooker
dzyg
18 years ago
So sorry if your momma blue is dead. Ditto what Renee said. Read this sight for everything you need to know about cavity nesting birds www.sialis.org

Sometimes momma blues stay on the nest during monitoring, hopefully that is what she is doing. Do a recheck and clean out the nest if she is indeed dead.

Donna
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janie_may
18 years ago
I'm so sorry. Ditto again to what Renee posted. It could be that your momma was just sitting tight but if you check again and she's still there, go ahead and touch her back. If she doesn't fly out after that then the news is not good. :(
bluebars
18 years ago
Bluebirds in particular are very tolerant of our monitoring. Sometimes the female will sit tight, especially if she is incubating eggs or brooding hatchlings. But she will most likely at least look up at you. You don't want to scare her (or yourself) and cause her to fly out suddenly. If she has indeed perished, try to notice if there is any trauma which could indicate an attack (usually house sparrows--HOSP).
Visit the link below for tons of helpful info about monitoring, and HOSP.
BlueBars

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sialis.org/
cbyrne
Original Author
18 years ago
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE INFO...SHE WAS DEAD. I HAD MY HUSBAND REMOVE HER. I DID NOT LOOK TO CLOSE BUT I DIDN'T SEE ANY OBVIOUS TRAUMA. SHOULD I CLEAN THE NEST BOX OUT ENTIRELY (NEST AND ALL)?
lisa11310
18 years ago
Clean out the box. If the nest is clean save it for emergency nest changes. Sorry about your Mom Blue. :(
cbyrne
Original Author
18 years ago
I HAD SO MANY BLUEBIRDS BEFORE THE MOM WAS KILLED...NOW I HAVE NONE. IS THIS RELATED TO THE MOM BLUEBIRD BEING KILLED BY THE HOSP?
bluebars
18 years ago
cbyrne, Do you monitor the nestbox regularly? Are there a lot of HOSP still around? They are not nesting, are they? I hope not.
After such a tragedy, it is likely that the bluebird's mate will go elsewhere. Keep monitoring, and keep your nestbox clean and ready. It is getting late in the season for your area, but not impossible that another nest could be started by a new pair. If not, spend your time learning all you can to keep them safe for next year. Visit the link below to learn all you can. Those youngsters you saw earlier in the year will need nestboxes next year.
Meanwhile, keep visiting the Bluebird Forum, ask any questions you might have, and enjoy the pics that are posted. Before you know it, we will all be having empty nest syndrome as the bluebird nesting season ends.
BlueBars

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sialis.org/index.html
cbyrne
Original Author
18 years ago
Bluebars,
The nest boxes are in my yard and I watch them...if that's monitoring then I guess I do (I don't look inside should I). They are clean. I've only seen maybe 2 HOSP and no I don't think they're nesting. I am very happy...today I saw a dad and a teenager at my feeders so I guess they are still around.
debbie321
18 years ago
So you have a Sparrow Spooker up??
bluebars
18 years ago
cbyrne, Yes, you can and should look inside, with one exception: When the nestlings are about 13 days old (remember unlucky 13) they are very active, and you must prevent premature fledging.
Blueirds are very tolerant of monitoring. As you approach the nestbox speak quietly and then tap lightly, so that if a bird is in there, she can leave without scaring the both of you.
Did you go to the link I posted above? Click on Monitoring and read about it there. Keep good notes on a calendar so you know what to expect and when. There are a lot of problems you can prevent if you know what's going on.
BlueBars
cbyrne
Original Author
18 years ago
No spooker yet...Yes I did get the link it's in my favorites and I reference often! I do however think there will be no more nesting in this box this year. I'll definitly be on top of this next season.
timothy_birdlover
18 years ago
Cbyrne, look at my post "Sparrow Proof" I have some pictures of what I did to my nest box to keep the sparrows away. It really is working good so far. (keeping my fingers crossed)
bbcathy
18 years ago
Cbryne In my experience if you see 2 hosps then you have at least 20 hosps!!! They are lethal to Bluebirds and all other cavity nesting birds. If you do not plan to control them (non native invasive species) then you shouldn't have nest boxes. There are many ways to do this and sialis has all the info. Help us help the Blues. Good Luck
Cathy

Dead mom (I think)

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