Bonkers! I am so sorry for the loss of your adults!! How wonderful for the babies though that they had you there for them! Great job!! Your story is amazing though, was it hard to get them to take the mealies from you or were they just so hungry that once they realized there was food there, they took it??

Donna

Thanks Donna! It WAS hard to get them to take mealworms from me in the beginning. The rehabber said at their age, they most likely won't accept them right away. She was right. I called her back and she told me to be persistent but not forceful - just to hold the mealworms and blueberry bits near their beaks and to touch their beaks gently with the food. It took a little time but they finally opened their mouths and let me feed them. Once they made the connection that this odd-looking thing (me) was coming to feed them, it got to be pretty easy. I used a pair of blunt tweezers to feed them.

This is one of the most amazing bird stories ever! What an awesome job you did!!! Your care and concern for those babies, and calling a rehabber, saved their lives and I applaud your efforts. Perhaps your story just might help someone else who otherwise wouldn't have a clue as to what to do!

I have no idea if any rehabbers are in my area, or where the closest one might be, but now I know how important it is to know!

GREAT, GREAT job Bonkers, and many thanks for sharing.

Donna

Good save, Bonkers. Only another bluebird lover can understand what you went through, waiting to see if the parents would come back. How lucky for those little ones that you were on duty. Your actions validate the purpose of this forum --providing us with the tools and support to deal with difficult situations. While the outcome doesn't always go the way we'd like, you had a happy ending so score one for the good guys!!!
Kathy

Sweet story, Bonkers. I had the same sort of situation with my purple martins this summer.
Tammy

I found myself holding my breath as I read until I got to the end of that story!! LOL!

Ann

Thanks so much everyone! Your kind words and support mean so much and I am very greatful to you all! :) Tammy, I'm so sorry to hear you had a similar experience with your martins. What happened? :(

Below is one of my favorite photos I had taken earlier this season. Mama was in the middle of building her 2nd nest, when one of the kids from the first brood flew up and demanded to be fed. The little stinker carried on for several seconds but Mama completely ignored him or her.

bonkers, Thanks so much for sharing your experience and that wonderful picture.
How odd, that both parents disappeared! Losing one is bad enough. So glad everything turned out well.
Having never seen this, can you tell us more please, how you could tell "just by looking at their skin" that they were severely dehydrated? (We almost never think of taking photos at such stressful times.)
BlueBars

What a wonderful story, so glad it had a happy ending, so sorry about the parents, wonder what could have happened to them. Anyway, I'm so glad that they had you looking out for their well being.

Great job!
Linda

Sure! I could tell something wasn't right because the skin along their backs was very yellow and wrinkly looking. Quite some time ago, I read that yellow, wrinkled skin is a sure sign that nestlings are dehydrated. Their skin should be smooth and light pinkish in color. I'm kicking myself that I can't remember exactly where that was - I'm thinking it was somewhere on this forum or maybe on the Sialis site. After I did a few feedings, I did notice that the color and texture of their skin began to change.

As far as what happened to the parents, I've thought of everything from pesticides, to hawks, to cats. When we returned from vacation, we were astonished to see an adult male bluebird sitting on the nest box. He peeked inside several times, gave a loud "turr-lee" call, and flew off. We thought maybe, just maybe, this was "our" male but he never stuck around long enough for us to find out by doing a "mealworm test."* Since then we've heard distant bluebird calls and have seen adult birds in our yard from time to time. I can't help but wonder if these are the parents. I'll just never know.

*Both birds were trained to come to a feeder. A new male or female would be clueless about it.