Cyn, they typically fledge between 17-19 days old. During fledgling, the parents will be singing and calling them to encourage them to exit. They may also have food and briefly land at the hole and fly off with the food. You will know they fledged if you watch the box for some amount of time and don't see the parents visit. In my case, they were chit chattering to get me away from nearby trees. It was loud and they'd perch close to me. This gave me the signal that they likely went. I peeked into the box. If they're there, they will sense you and you will hear them hunker down inside the box. If they've fledged, you'll likely not hear anything, and the bluebirds won't land nearby and chatter at you or dive at you. I was only dived at once after fledging while at the box. For me here in N.E. Ohio, my blues typically fledge on day 19. Rarely have they fledged earlier than this. This year was the 2nd year I could recall having bluebirds fledge in July on day 19. My first successful nest ever fledged in June on day 17. Don't think I've had them fledge sooner than this, and that was my 2nd season. This is my 6th year with the bluebirds. ~Tim~

Lisa - thanks for the play-by-play. Your little Hussy sounds like such a character! Congrats on the five new blues!

I am sooooooooooo sorry, I will finish the story for you. Got to tell you what we found that night, what was so 'surprising': [This is after we watched the fledgling video several times and saw a shadow across the outdoor camera lens...] We decided that we had better go outside and check the yard to make sure there were no fledglings on the ground before we let our 4 dogs out for the night. Two of our dogs have birding instincts. By this time, it was pitch black (after 9pm). And thanks to our list's researchers, we know there was no moonlight. We each took a flashlight and went out the back door, Dave went one way, I went the other. I headed toward nest box and as I was walking past it, my light caught something out of the corner of my eye that didn't fit ...I saw something on the TOP of the outdoor camera. I YELLED to Dave "It's a snake!!!!!!!!!!!!!". As he was coming to me, he told me to get a reacher [a device used to help folks pick up things beyond their reach], which I gladly did so I could get away from the snake. I grabbed a digital camera but I was too shaky to set it to flash so I don't have a picture from then. This snake was coiled up on top of the outdoor camera!! Coiled twice or three times, it looked HUGE! What first ran through my mind was that the camera might be warm, especially since it'd been on all day. Is the warmth what attracted him? Don't snakes work that way? I've seen Dave try to get a snake we saw in the spring with the reacher and he wasn't successful. Where am I at this time, you ask? Halfway across the yard of course! As Dave extends the reacher toward the snake, it extends its head and body in the other direction as it tried to span the distance between the top of the camera to the underside of one of the patio umbrellas. Just like in the jungle movies. Eeeekkkkk! Reacher-with-snake in one hand, flashlight in his mouth, Dave's moving toward me to grab a plastic bucket that has straight sides and a lid but the lid had a hole in it. I'm screaming "He's going to get out of there, there's a damn hole in the lid!" and my 'Snake Rangler' said "He can't climb up the sides!". I finally edge slowly toward the bucket. As I peeked into the it, flashlight on the snake, I started yelling again "It's got diamonds, diamonds...look at the head...it's triangular...it's a rattler." We have rattlers in these parts. I've not seen any, thank goodness, but some of the male neighbors enjoyed regaling me with stories of them when we first moved here. That and little scorpions which unfortunately I've seen in our basement. I digress. Dave took the snake bucket to the yard past the gate so the dogs wouldn't get at it. He put a flat stone on top of the hole. It took me some time to get to sleep. Of course, I was seeing the snake reaaaccchiiinnnggggg out to me. But I was mostly wondering if the snake was attracted to the warmth of the camera. I didn't say I was thinking logically that night. I was concerned that if the snake was attracted to the heat of the outdoor camera which is the same as the IN BOX camera, are nest boxes with those cameras putting our chicks in danger??? === That's where my head was that night. Keith Kridler, expert and nice guy, identified the snake as a rat snake. They can crawl up ANYTHING, they have good eyesight and probably was watching the nest box for days, and can detect vibration. You know what it's like when a box of 5 15 day old chicks start to flapping their wings and all that kind of activity. Amazing, huh???? Linda...

hello friends....boy i feel loved....my real life friends and family couldnt care less about my remodel project but its good to know someone cares :) lets see..after much obsessing and sleepless nights.. and making a few sales people nuts lol i chose a subway tile in bianco (white) but not stark.... i got a sample of the current dye lot for appoval before i placed the order.... the color appears to be "perfect" with my cabinets and counter.. although my husband just picked the order up yesterday..... after looking thought tons of pictures magazines i decided to follow my gut and go with a less is more thought.... and went with a subway with a crackle finish....the tile is also by horus art ..i beleive the tiffany collection ....i am not doing anything special over my stove...keeping it simple so my cabinets and granite have nothing to compete with ......the crackle gives it warmth and i think the look is going to be timeless and elegant... i hope so anyway ..... i have learned alot from the experience and my tastes are pretty simple but elegant and less is more is my new mantra....i will post pics as soon as we get it up on the wall..... my camera has been kidnapped by my son but i will try to post a sample board in the next few days.... again...thank you for thinking about me.... lysa :)