Kendra, my third nesting is on day 14/13 today (hatched over two days). I lifted the nest and brushed out the bottom on about day 6 so hopefully no blowfly larva here either!

Donna

I didn't realize you could lift the nest up and do that this is good to know I'm always learning on this forum from everyone. Great picture of babies I so love these birds best mothers day present I ever got was my bluebird
box 5 yrs ago. Good Luck!!

Looking good Kendra! Try to give them a break from this heat! I can't imagine ANYONE on this forum is out of this awful heat??? Seems the entire country is suffering.

I'm glad to hear about all these 3rd broods! I only have one bid nest left...at my other site. 4 Bluebirds that are 14 days old. Here in my backyard, all the TRES and Bluebirds have fledged as of yesterday.

Why must the nesting season go so fast?? One of these years I'd like a 2ND BROOD from my bluebirds!

~Tim~

Yes DeeDee you can just lift the nest with a hamburger flipper! SO easy! The blowfly are usually at the bottom of the nest during the hottest part of the day and you can just lift the nest and brush them out! : )

They are darling Kendra. Great picture !
Carolyn

The babies from the third clutch are now 8 days old. What a difference. No more naked appendages. The pin feathers are coming in wonderfully. While they are doing fine and have full crops, I found a ton of blowfly larva under the nest and had to do a nest change. As I took each one out to inspect it for any attached blowfly larva, each one in turn pooped. Made a new nest, bagged the infested one, and all five should do just fine now.

AAAWWWWW.

Glad you got the blowfly larva out Kendra!! Gosh I hate those dang blowflies, they are usually bad here but this year I have had hardly any in the boxes.

As far as nestlings pooping when you pick them up, when I cleaned out the nestbox of TRES that the HOSP had gotten too and I picked up the live ones they all pooped too. One on my hand but then I got wise and let them poop off to the side before I put them in my hand. LOL!

That is a great shot of the nestlings! I didn't take any inbox shots of my third nesting. I am hearing them calling in the woods but it is so hot out again today I am mostly inside and just keeping the mealworm feeder full. I can't wait to see the fledglings!

Donna

All five successfully fledged either last night or this morning. I did not get to witness it this time, but checked the nest this afternoon and all babies were gone. Will continue to listen and look to the trees. I'm sure they'll be back for mealworms in a week or two.

Congrats Kendra. so glad they were all Ok. I never had any blow fly larvae in my nests. Had a little trouble with ants, and that may be why one of my bbs died, but it was older. My latest nesting I greased the pole right away, no ants or insects of any kind.

Thanks Sagrinin. I had trouble with ants during their second clutch and I didn't even know it until they fledged and I went to remove the nest. I had checked under the nest for blowfly larva, and didn't see any ants at the time. I guess they all made it because the ants must have infested the nest after I was no longer doing nest checks. I won't forget to grease that pole again.

Always a very happy but sad day when the last babies of the season leave. Mine have not come back after fledging 4 weeks ago. The baby Hawks that have been hanging out here have moved on. Don't know if the Blues will return now or not, my Robins have gone into hiding to. I hope they at least come back before Fall migration, I have 5-6 thousand worms for them! SO Kendra (and all) guess we get caught up on the housework we didn't do LOL Blessings to all and just think in about 8 months we get to do it all again!: )

That is such a bummer that yours have not returned in 4 weeks. With all those mealworms you've got, I sure hope they return soon! The parent birds from this clutch are still coming everyday for mealworms, they just don't usually bring back the fledglings until a week or two after they leave the nest. The hummingbird juveniles are out and about now, and I am inundated with them this season. Last night the air was thick with dragonflies and there were Chimney Swifts and Barn Swallows swooping all over. I was out on the deck, and they would pass as close as ten feet over my head to feed. So while there are no more nests this season, there's still plenty of bird stuff going on.

It is kind of sad when the last blue babies have fledged. What are we to do now?? As Lisa said, we can now clean clean clean. I still see my blues around but don't see any robins and not a whole lot of anything else. As Lisa said, before you know it we can do it all again. This was my first year for blues and I have learned a lot from this forum. Thanks everyone!

After almost two weeks, the parents are bringing the babies from the third clutch to the mealworm feeder. I couldn't get a good photo of the group of them begging, but I did get a cute picture of momma blue feeding a young female.

Great shot Kendra! I still don't know for sure if only four or all five made it from my third nesting. I only see four at a time but for some reason I think all five are here. Not positive though, they don't all come as a group...mom did most of the feeding of the fledglings this go round. Both adults are looking really scruffy in their moulting..Fledglings have been feeding themselves for some time now. The all come to the mealworm feeder...that is when there is room as we have at least 11 Orioles that visit the mealworm feeder several times a day too. Plus they went through 2lbs of jelly in two days! I know they will be leaving soon though...they sure are pretty.

Donna

I envy you Donna. Orioles are just so gorgeous. I suppose going through that much jelly must get expensive though. My adult Blues are also starting their molt and are looking pretty scruffy as well. My third clutch fledged after yours, and the babies are just starting to be able to feed themselves. They prefer the parents feed them if they're nearby.

Orioles are really pretty and I have been getting lots of photos of them too. Ok, now we are at 4lbs of jelly in four days. LOL! But today they didn't eat quite as much jelly. The jelly isn't as pricey as the mealworms though. I have been putting out both live and rehydrated dried ones as they have been eating sooo much. I went through approx 5,000 dried ones in a weeks time and have been going through 500+ live ones a day.

Thought you might like to see some photos Kendra...

Donna

Wow Donna, absolutely gorgeous photos. Thanks so much for sharing those. The males are just such a stunning orange, it's hard to think of it as a natural feather color. They just seem to light up. That is an awful lot of mealworms to go through. You sure are devoted! I love spoiling the Blues, but could not come up with those numbers. Where do you offer the mealworms to the Orioles? Do you have a special feeder for them? Those pictures are just awesome.

Kendra, the Orioles just found the feeder that I have for the Bluebirds....I will post a pick of it. It's a homemade jailhouse style feeder.....it has seen better days though...it is kinda warped...it is on its 7th year though...

I didn't realize you could put the feeder on a deck or close to the house. Is that so?

sagrinin....you can train bluebirds to come to any type of feeder and put it pretty much anywhere you want it....just takes a little time and patience.

Donna

It does depend though on what you have scurrying about. I had to move mine from my deck and put it on a post with a stovepipe guard because chipmunks would raid it. I guess you're lucky Donna that you don't have that problem and can keep it up on your deck. You do have a beautiful setup. How lucky you are that you can watch the Blues and the Orioles from so close.

Thanks Donna, Kendra and Everyone - I don't have a deck so I could hang mine in a tree near the house. I haven't purchased one yet, but I saw a couple at the Wild Bird Unlimited Store. Plan on going there. There is a fellow in my neighborhood that rings a bell when it is feeding time and here they come. I would like to work at something like that. I still see my blues around and they seem to be hanging out in a very large tree out at the edge of the golf course near my house. I love watching and like everyone else, I get nothing else done.