Everyone is different on what they do. Some don't feed mealworms at all. I like to keep the Blues around so I pretty much feed mealworms from the start of nesting until they leave in the Fall, for me they leave the end of October. Personally I think feeding the mealworms at fledging time is the most important as they need to keep the babies fed and safe out of the nestbox where there are so many dangers to the fledglings. I wouldn't stop now if I were you but that is up to you and your budget. I generally go through about 10,000 mealworms in a month or less and I also feed waxworms and sometimes even crickets. The fledglings will eventually follow the adults to the mealworm feeder and eat out of it on there own if you keep feeding them. Normally my first nesting fledges stay around through the second nesting too although sometimes the adult male won't allow them to stay and they get chased off. I am hoping the male this year lets them stay. I have the same female this year that I had the last two years. In September I usually switch from live mealworms to rehydrated dried ones as there are less and less live bugs available to them so they take the switch quite well. Good luck to your Blues, mine are due to hatch next week which is the earliest I have ever had them hatch here in WI. Donna

the end of the story! 5:45 out the door with my coffee and blankie, it's cold and there's thunder in the distance. Guess what, nobody is up yet but the Hummers and Robins. The box is silent. A Dee is the first to the feeder, then those chirpy little House Finch babies LOL OMG they are SO loud. Pop finally showed up at 7:15 and out poped a baby face the minute he landed on the box. They got a light breakfast and then they were off to start the wing warm ups. Mom hussy showed up an hour later, checked the box, got herself something to eat, stuck her butt up then left. I could hear baby #1 peeping up in the trees and Dad took off with some worms. They both came back and decided to get down to business dangling food in fron of the box and calling. Baby #2 jumped out about 9:00 right up in the trees, baby #3 went at 9:45 and baby #4 within a few minutes, guess she didnt like being alone. They were all good little flyers and all went to nearly the same spot. Just minutes after baby #4 left Hussy Mom was back on the box doing her little shake my tail feathers dance, she's shameless!Dad came and waved at her. She and Pop both had a fit when I took the box down so I hurridly rinsed it out and put it back up. I will get it cleaned out better while they are busy this afternoon so I wount get cussed out. SO about 15 hours to get all 4 off to a good start, no HOSPs no Hawks, just a Blue Jay that Pop Blue and Mom Oriole ran off, the sun is out and no storms comming anytime soon. It will be very interesting to see if she stops feeding nest #2 on exactly the same day!

Hi Liljanjan, I have no experience with Mountain Bluebirds, but that is a very interesting story. I think a crow could make a meal out of bluebird babies but not sure about fledglings. So you are saying by hanging up a crow near the box that deterred them? I would like to invite you to share your story and join the bluebird nut cafe and we will provide you with all you need to know about these birds. It is way more active and you will get fast answers to your questions. Hope to see you there. -Tyler http://bluebirdnutcafe.yuku.com/

Congrats on adding more blue to the sky! Hopefully, you will see many more fledgings. Sometimes they fly out so quickly, you blink and miss it. Other times, the parents tease them for hours, call them, and hover in front of them with food to coax them out. The funniest one I ever saw (wish I had a picture of this) one fledgling changed his mind in mid-fledge; one wing and one foot out, and one wing and foot still in the box. He must have stayed there a good 20 minutes trying to figure out what to do next. He eventually made it just fine, heaven knows how. Sometimes they are super flyers, popping out and turning in mid air to head right up to the tallest trees. Landing is another matter. I've seen one grab a bunch of leaves and hang upside down for a while, holding on for dear life until he gathered the nerve to fly up higher. They can climb very well, too. It always amazes me how the parents will guide them from one place to the next, and then gather them all up for the night, all snuggled together in a row. I used to think they always fledged first thing in the morning, but I've seen them fledge all times of the day, just before a major thunderstorm, even once at dusk. The most important thing though, is NOT to scare them when fledging time is close. The last thing you want is for them to fledge out of fear before they are really ready. Always keep good notes on your calendar so you know when the age of the nestlings, and do not open the nestbox after day 13 (remember unlucky 13). BlueBars Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sialis.org/premature.htm