Boy, do I know the feeling!!! This was my first year, too, and I think I asked about a cozillion questions!!! Congrats, and I hope all goes well!

Donna

LOL me too!!! I think I asked so many I drove ppl nuts!
Now I have two hatchlings (maybe more as I have been trying to trap a HOSP the last few hours and he is smart.
But I have to get him!
I havent wanted to scare Mom BB off the nest since he is out there!!
I am anxious to see if they all finished hatching today!
I am EXCITED! and SO glad I have the Spooker on there!

Donna & Debbie....I feel like a kid in a candy store...lol....I'm a purple martin Landlord also and thought no other bird would come close to the way i feel about those but boy was i fooled....too bad they decided to come here this late in the season.....i suppose this will be their last nesting for the year....do blues come back to their same nesting site each year?....gosh i hope so....i've called all my friends and family about my new residents and their babies on the way....they all already think i'm nuts the way i talk about and take care of my martins....today some of them said......"OK.....i'll be right over to see you off....but this time you'll be wearing that funny looking white jacket"...lol....but thats OK...i truly enjoy my birds and i'll continue to do so.........Good Luck to both of you !!!

Hi Brenda_

This is only our 2nd season hosting blues. We had our first and only nesting in July last year and we were sooooo HOOKED!

We had 2 pair spend the winter here, one of which now has 8 beautiful fledges flying around our backyard and 5 lovely blue eggs in their 3rd nesting, which are likely to be born on the 4th of July.

Bluebirds do tend to come back and/or over-winter near a box where they've had previously successful nests. So even if this is their last for this year, I'd clean the box as soon as this clutch fledges... They like a clean box. :)

best of luck,

Kenn

Here is a link that might be useful: Photos of our bluebirds

Ken....Thanks so much for your inspiration !!!...I see on here that everyone talks about feeding their birds mealworms....there's plenty of natural food around here.....an abundance of it......but if feeding them mealworms will let them get more used to us being around them....(they should know me up close and personal by now just the few days they've been here)......lol.....i'll get some from our local fish bait shop to feed them...i have the 16th circled on my calendar for hatch date and i'll be sure to clean out the nest as soon as those precious babies fledge....i also need to know if these blues will attract more blues to our yard next year?...and there are no words to describe the beauty of the photos on your site !!!!...absolutely gorgeous !!!!!!...Can you check on the blues too much while she is incubating ?....i dont want to spook them away...

Congrats Brenda. Very exciting to see the little ones making their debute into the big world. Watched a baby catbird and mom yesterday. It had not learned to be afraid of humans, so I had to shoo it away from the back door as I was afraid it would come inside with me. We have several blue bird houses with eggs or little ones right now. The brown thrashers just finished fledging in the scuplin vines. My wife has her veggie garden near by and she credits the brown thrashers, blue birds and catbirds with keeping her tomatoes free from worms.

The blues reside here year round and make several nestings a year.

Ken does some pretty work, doesn't he... my wife and I visit his site often.

Shot

Shot......Thank you very much !!!....I'm going to do my very best to make sure these blues are very happy living here...sounds like we needed them here much earlier.....my hubby's tomatoes almost got destroyed by the worms...i many times hand picked the worms off because we dont use pesticides in our veggie garden......not a fun job but in the end it really pays off....hopefully the blues will stay and do that job for me next year....since we live south of you dont know why they wouldn't stay here.... another question i have is about dogs...we have 3 terriers...inside dogs of course but during the day they are outside lots....it seems that everytime our rat terrier gets near the nest or barks....when not even close to the nest, she'll fly out and one or both of the blues will fly away....they dont do this with our toy fox terrier or the jack russell.....i find this really weird.....why not all the dogs and will the blues get used to having them around?.....i sure hope our family pets don't chase them away....i love my bluebirds but i could never get rid of my doggies to have the blues...please tell me the dogs wont bother them....

Your blues will get used to the dogs. My three pugs are a real pain in the rearend and mama blue doesn't pay them any mind. My male even pees on the mounting post.

Every nest I check has the cup lined with my pug's hair. It's funny how tolerant these birds are.

Congratulations on the new arrivals. Hopefully, when they fledge you will get a chance to enjoy them.

Linda