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Abandoned bluebird nest, please help, I'm new

10 years ago

I just joined and am so happy to have a place to go with garden/nature/bird watching questions and discussions. Anyway, every year I have bluebird heartache yet do everything I can think of and read to assure success with these beautiful birds. I had a pair of bbs looking at each of my houses, they finally settled on one and each day the female laid an egg and had begun incubating as far as I know. I went out in my yard one night and coughed near the nestbox and to my surprise she flew out, therefore I believed she had begun incubation. We've had some tough rains in the past few days and I was worried because I have not seen the male nor the female. He usually surfaces when I go out and put mealworms in a nearby mealworm feeder. She usually does as well. But I've not seen either of them in the past three or four days and have checked the nest box for the past two days and there are the four original blue eggs, no sign of mama, no sign of infestation in the nestbox and no signs of trauma. Must I assume that something happened to the female?

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Comments (5)

tmann05
10 years ago
Hello Michael,

First I am glad you found this site, I was happy when I found it to, but I would like to invite you to join the bluebird nut cafe and we will provide you with all you need to know about these birds. It is way more active and you will get fast answers to your questions. Hope to see you there. http://bluebirdnutcafe.yuku.com/

Secondly your bluebird pair have committed to that nest with eggs so they won't abandon it easily. How much rain are you getting? One year I had blues there were several days of rain and no bugs except earthworms around to feed the babies. They didn't survive despite the parents efforts. My guess is your pair has left to find a food source and will return. I do find it odd that they left when you are providing mealworms. I would recommend you ask this question on the bluebird nut cafe site to get other's input.

-Tyler
sagrinin
10 years ago
Michael, I had that happen to me before. My blues abandoned a nest last year. I marked the eggs with a marker and checked to see if they were being turned. They were not being turned. Don't know what happened, but either the same pair came back or a new pair made a new nest in another box. Laid four eggs. I am not sure what happened.
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I HAVE BABIES! I just got back a few minutes ago from being gone several days. Went right out to check the box, and just as I got there mom came flying up. My heart leapt! I peeked in very quickly, just long enough to see some fluff; didn't want to take the time to count. (It's a deep nest and I have to use a little dental mirror to even see down inside it.) Any luck w/ you yet sagrinin? Thanx again to everyone for your encouragement and reassurance!
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michaelhawkins
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you both so much for your replies. I have never been on any discussion forum but am a nature lover almost to a fault. Just looked this am and my nest is unchanged. Still four beautiful eggs, nest perfectly intact, no inside bugs or parasites and no bluebirds. Guess I will leave it for another week before I remove the nest and/or eggs. Thank you so much for the recommendation to join the bluebird nut cafe. For some reason, I've always been a little afraid to join these sites because they want your email and other information and I never know who they give that info to and I don't want a bunch of junk email. But hopefully it's a great place with naturey people like us. Thanks again!!
Windmillman
10 years ago
Don't give up too soon. One of my boxes got a nest and after 4 days she started laying eggs. I got 5 eggs but never saw a bird in or around the nest. I was becoming fearful but today after 14 days I found two freshly hatched birds and also observed activity of both male and female tending the nest. I feel your anxiety. I'm new too.
sagrinin
10 years ago
Try putting a small dot on your eggs with a marker. Check them the next day or two to see if the eggs have been turned. If they haven't, they have abandoned the nest for some reason or the eggs are not viable. My eggs were not viable when that happened to me,

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