Update at Site #2: 4 Fledge Successfully

15 years ago

Wow you guys, I've been SO busy I haven't hit the forum in weeks! Been wanting to get on but usually when I have active nesting taking place I'm away from the computer.

Anyhow, remember how I mentioned a while back about the box with the HOSP before the blues moved in and layed 4 eggs?

All four hatched and I watched them grow and monitored till around the 14th or 15th day then quit out of fear for a premature fledge. Anyhow they fledged a few days ago and I even heard them calling in the trees! Man how I love to hear that raspy fledgling call! The local HOSP don't seem too happy about it...haha!

Also to note, I had a tragedy at my 2nd box there. I had a nest of 5 TRES babies and 4 were taken overnight on the the 1st week. I was stunned to find one swallow remaining. I also failed to mention that the box was within 8 feet of a tree and mounted on a 2X4 with 4" PVC top to bottom. (Non-wobbling)

However I now have both the blue's prior box and the TRES box mounted on 1" EMT with the 4" PVC baffle. I moved the TRES box several yards away on neighboring property and it now sits in the open away from trees.

BTW,here at home 1 nest of 7 TRES fledged and one of four. the nestbox with 4 has ANOTHER nest of four eggs being incubated. My blues 3rd nest attempt again failed after 14 or so days of incubation. However some days (even cooler ones) Mrs. B did not incubate at all and wasn't seen. They now moved to my other pair of boxes with the TRES and she again has 3 eggs due to hatch on the 11th. BTW I dissected those other 3 that failed to hatch. They were fertile! I found embryos in all of them! Mrs. B's poor incubation must have been to blame as they seemingly died early and I candled them and found blood veins. This is the 4th attempt at my backyard site this season and 4th to have 3 or less eggs. I haven't seen 4 or 5 eggs in a nest here the entire season. I must have a young female.

Sorry for the horrendously long post! I hope everyone is enjoying the last month or two of the nesting season. It goes too fast! This hasn't been a stellar season for me but I'm glad to have witnessed the 4 successfully fledge.

- Tim -

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Comments (3)

dzyg
15 years ago
Congrats on the successful fledging of the 4 Blues! Hope they nest again for you. Sorry about all the problems with the Blues at your place and the TRES too, hope things improve there. We always mount boxes on conduit with stovepipe baffles. The stove pipe is cheap, easy to put up and does deter raccoons. I found a coon print on the bottom of one of my baffles one time, babies were safe inside the box and the coon did not try to climb up.

Donna
kendra2003
15 years ago
Congratulations on the successful fledging. Less eggs could also mean you have an older female. Sometimes as they age, they lay less eggs. While there certainly could be raccoons around here, my biggest problem is with wandering cats. They have tried their best, but they cannot get past my 8" stovepipe guards. I would not be without them. Plus I like that if ants become a problem, I can put Tanglefoot on the pole under the guard so the ants can't get up, and it can't get on the birds. You have had a challenging season so far. Thanks for all the work you do to help these birds.
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ohsoblue77
Original Author
15 years ago
Not a problem and thanks Kendra and Donna. Kendra that's a good point and something that I didn't realize. I've noticed too that this Female is very friendly. I clapped from afar before checking on her eggs and she stood in the hole for a while then flew into a tree behind it. She sat there when I was at the box and watched.

I got to see the fledglings again today! They are flying very well! They fledged on day 19 and they always seem to around here, regardless of whether it's early or late in the season. However their landings are the weaker side. they flutter then land. They are moving around more and showing themselves more. Also they're getting louder and easier to find. The 1st day is always a challenge to locate them...But I've witnessed them fledge AT LEAST 3 times! Got to see at least 2 - 4 take their 1st flight in these past 4-5 seasons. I still have to get 4 more conduit pipes for the boxes here at home! The main reason I am using PVC is because I started with it non-wobling and have plenty for 2 ft baffles. I just need more pipe and hose clamps. I already have the 4 PVC caps.

BTW Kendra at site #2 2-3 neighbors have cats. One was at the bottom of the post one evening but I chased it off. I found 2 Robin Fledgings dead in the neighborhood. Thank goodness our blues are so good about keeping their young HIGH in the trees! What's wrong with these robins? They aren't so smart about the youngin like the blues. I've even had my blues outwit a hawk when it was in the same tree as the fledglings!

Thanks for the input you two! Hope things are going well in your neck of the woods!

Update at Site #2: 4 Fledge Successfully

Comments (3)

dzyg

kendra2003

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Update at Site #2: 4 Fledge Successfully

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dzyg

kendra2003

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