I have heard of Blues skipping a day...usually early on in cool weather. Our weather was stinkin hot today...temp was 95, dewpoint was a whopping 78 and heat index was 105. Seriously the temp wasn't that bad but with the humidity it was crazy hot out there. You normally have similar weather to us, could it be the heat or will that be hitting you tomorrow? Can't believe I am saying this but I wish we could get a little rain. A week and a half ago we were so cold (highs in the upper 50's/low 60's) and in 5 days we got just under 4 inches of rain, now it hasn't rained in over a week and we are in the 90's. Ugh we have just been going from one extreme to the next around here this summer. I am soooo glad my Blues fledged before this humdity hit though!! Every bird you saw today just had its beak wide open trying to cool off!

Donna

We are getting that heat and humidity tomorrow. I really wanted to get the Wren guard up today but didn't dare. Didn't take the spooker down because I THOUGHT I saw a female HOSP on the fence near the box. There was also some grassy nesting material put in the box before the egg was laid. My blues have always used pine straw. Strangely the Dees have been looking in there too. I have 3 other empty boxes!!!! Will be doing a lot of box watching tomorrow.

Well questions answered. Defiantly the Mom and not a new female. It was not the spooker or a Wren. New egg laid today, Wren guard up. We shall see what tomorrow brings! So they CAN miss a day in warm weather! Also the grasses that were added before the 1st egg was laid have now dried and turned close to the color of the pine straw. She may have done this before and I just didn't notice it. No HOSPs seen or heard today.

Good news you got the second egg!

Ok and I could bite my tongue that I said I wanted rain. We did get some last night, not much but I would rather have done without that storm that came through WI. OMG it was awful, the winds were so strong, our yard was littered with branches this morning, lost half of a large silver maple tree, smashed a ceramic birdbath I had, knocked over and off the deck several potted plants. I went out to save one plant and I thought I was going to get either blown off the deck or that something was going to hit me. I heard something about 70mph winds. I couldn't sleep worrying about the bluebirds either and my worry was unfortunately well founded. Momma Blue was injured last night and is now only using one leg. I have no clue what is wrong with it or if it will heal or not, she is holding it up against her. She had started a new nest yeserday but hasn't resumed that at all today but she is feeding the fledgings. Not sure if they are all out there yet or not, they fledged on Wednesday. I thought I saw three of them today but I am not sure and they have now taken them to the neighbors yard.

I do have two eggs now in the other Blues nestbox so I think they made it through the storm ok.

Donna

OOOHH I hope she recovers quickly.

YIKES! I live in WI, but we didn't get that storm. Hope your Mama Blue recovers quickly, Donna. I have still not seen my fledglings. I hope they are OK. Mama and Papa seem to be feeding them. I see them take the mealworms and head to the trees. I have a 2nd egg today in their nesting box. I'm very happy about that. Also, two broods of chickadees are being fed from my mealworms. I see the parents take them. (My neighbor and I both had a chickadee brood, a 1st for both of us, and he does not provide mealworms.) Went and bought more mealworms today, especially since I'll be expecting another brood of blues.

You are lucky mlkbskt, that the storm missed you. It was crazy, I would rather of had a downpour of rain than those winds! I hope my Momma Blue recovers too, has to be hard on her. I know she wants to be starting another nesting but that seems to be put on hold right now. She flew over to a tree by the nestbox today but never went to the nestbox at all, the male did though.

How cool you have two broods of Dees at your mealworm feeder. How many in each brood? I had one pair nesting in my yard that fledged 6, they are coming to my mealworm feeder too. Dees are such cute little birds!

I would think you would be seeing your baby Blues any day now. They will start following the adults when they come with worms and eventually follow them right to the feeder and beg to be fed.

Donna

My bluebird laid egg one on Monday (Memorial Day) got really hot outside.. she skipped Tuesday.. another egg on Wed and Thurs... All three fledged this past weekend! They do skip from time to time.

Yes! Skipping can happen and it has oddly happened to both my TRES and Bluebirds! And strangely enough at the EXACT same time!

As for the fledgings...you are more likely to see them as they get older. After they 1st fledge you may faintly hear them in the trees but mom and pop will sing and churp at you to silence them, thus making it difficult to locate them. But it's very smart of them to do! They know how to protect their young, that's for sure! As they get older and stronger they'll fly more into the open and eventually perch in the open with the parents. Congrats on that again!
-Tim-

I don't know how many Dees in each brood. Both my neighbor and I had them in birdhouses that you cannot open to monitor. I need to change that for "next time". The Dees sure are coming fast and furious for the mealworms. It's funny though, when a Blue flys up to the feeder, the Dees fly off, like they feel they should make way for the Blues, the larger bird.

I also saw a nasty house wren coming for the mealworms! Ugh! And, I saw a male HOSP stop for a drink in my birdbath. Double ugh! I rarely see HOSP in my yard as I do not have any seed they like. Any idea how to keep wrens out of the mealworms? Probably not.

The 2nd brood is now up to four eggs. Will be curious to check it again later this afternoon.

Hope your Mama Blue is mending.