So sorry this happened.... Sometimes blues will try again in a box where there was a failure - depends on their choices. PLEASE use sparrow spookers as soon as a bluebird egg is laid - they are EXTREMELY effective (nothing is HOSP proof). HOSP euthanasia options can be found here: http://www.sialis.org/hospdispatch.htm. It MUST be done in the most humane manner possible. Van Ert's website is here: http://www.vanerttraps.com/. if you call him he will ship out a trap right away Here is a link that might be useful: sparrow spooker

So sorry to hear about your Blues, Nina. How very sad. Like Bluebars said, you will probably never know what happened which is too bad. Sparrow spookers are a great invention. I have to tell you a story about one this year. I had it on a house that the Blues started laying eggs in. After the 4th egg was laid Daddy Blue disappeared. Momma during this time was so very skittish. One day was a pretty windy day and you could see she didn't like the noise the spooker was making when the mylar strips would hit each other. She kept going into the box but then right back out several times. I decided to see what she would do if I took the spooker off so I went down and took it off. Got back to the house and looked at the nestbox and there was a TRES looking in the box. That fast there was another bird at that nestbox, nothing ever bothered it once the spooker was on it but as soon as it was down, bam something was checking it out. Needless to say it went back up immediately. I didn't intend on leaving it down, just wanted to see if that was what was bothering momma so much. Thankfully on day 5 of Daddy's disappearance he returned and momma settled down. Take Care Donna

I live in Appalachian Ohio in mine country, and in some parts of our county you need a rider for mines on your home owner's policy. I have to have one at a property I own in town since that section was built over old mines. I also have an old coal bank on my rural property. It was mined privately by an individual, by pick and I'd expect it not to have conventional looking excavating, either. There may be no rhyme or reason why this wasn't just filled in and a piece of wood thrown over it and left to rot. It could be anything, actually including an old dug well or spring or rain water cistern where the bricks had been removed and used for landscaping or something, lol. That's almost the exact measurements for my spring cache basin near the house.

Thank you again so much. I cried long and hard this morning after everyone else left for school and work. The house is dreadfully quiet. Last night I woke up at 4:30 a.m. because I'm so used to having to get Casey up to go to the bathroom at around that time. It will be a while before I can sleep through the night again, I'm sure. Annz, what you said has helped me immeasurably to know I did the right thing. I was really thrown for a loop when the vet began discussing treating her and I've been plagued with guilt that I didn't think harder about giving it a try. I must have known in my heart that she was too far gone and that it was inevitable that the end was near either way. But hearing your words comforted me so much. My sister (the only other person I know personally who is as much a bonafide animal-crazy person as I am) told me essentially the same thing. She owns a pet-sitting business and they have had anywhere from 4-7 pets of their own (they, too, have had to put a couple of their pets to sleep during the past couple of years). She told me that renal failure is extremely serious and that Casey was so fortunate to have lasted as long as she did. It helps assure me that I did what was best for my girl. You're all right, though -- it really does just hurt like crazy. It almost takes my breath away at times. I'm grateful that I've been able to spill my heart out here, as I really have no one else who quite understands my grief, other than my sweet sister. In an odd way, I feel like the experience is giving me something, though. I hope this doesn't sound strange, but I've been grappling with feelings of guilt for all the things I didn't do for Casey (should have cleaned her ears and teeth more often, should have gotten her groomed more often, should have taken better care of her, should have walked her more, etc.) I suppose it's all a part of the grief, but it's pointed out to me not to take others for granted. There are a lot of things in my family life and even with friends, etc. that I realize I've been taking for granted, being "too busy" is really the excuse. I'm oddly comforted by the notion that I have the opportunity to stop taking these relationships for granted and really show them how much I care. I don't want to have "regrets" where anyone else is concerned. I don't mean any of this to sound strange. I know Casey had a good life and she absolutely knew she was loved. I just feel like maybe her legacy is to remind me how much I love not only her, but so many others in my life. I'll get through this one day at a time.