My first Bluebirds & then Tragedy!!!

My first Bluebirds & then Tragedy!!!

by Mary
(Nashville, TN)

The day the babies were hatching

The day after I put my first bluebird house up (complete with baffle) 2 bluebirds started building their nest. I was so happy! Before I knew it, 4 eggs had been laid! I couldn't wait. The chicks started to hatch on a Thursday and I took photos (above). The next day I took more photos but they didn't look too good.

Horror of horrors on Saturday when I went to check on them. They (all 4 of them) were completely gone! No evidence of them anywhere. I don't think it was a bird attack as their nest was completely clean and there was no evidence they had ever been there. Nothing on the ground, no sign of a struggle - just completely vanished! I was so upset. The only thing I can think of is that it was a snake - although what's the use of a baffle???

The male has consistently come back, but I didn't see the female for a full 2 weeks - and now he's wooing a female but I'm not sure it's the same one.

In any event, he is desperately trying to get her to nest, but she doesn't seem to want any part of it... I did remove the nest after the tragedy.

Am hoping they will return to nest; nonetheless, it is wonderful to watch them!

If anyone can put my mind at ease as to what may have happened to them, that would be great! My next question is, will they nest again in the box?

Comments for
My first Bluebirds & then Tragedy!!!

Average Rating

Click here to add your own comments

Jul 23, 2010
Rating

bear raid
by: Anonymous

We had a pair of bluebirds using our box for the first time this summer. They built nests in two, but had not laid any eggs, then a marauding black bear tore down all three boxes! The male came back for one day but seems to have left now. We hope they'll try again next year. Any suggestions for keeping the bear away. We have no feeders up in summer here.

May 23, 2010
Rating

Our guess is......House Wrens
by: Kelley

We have nesting pairs of bluebirds as well. One of our nest boxes was occupied by a black-capped chickadee. We welcome all birds but House Sparrows so we were fine with the chickadee using one box. We check our boxes daily.

The chickadee had 5 nestlings that were 4 days old. The next day...GONE!! We couldn't figure out what happened. Then we witnessed a House Wren trying to build a nest right over the chickadee nest.

Additional online research revealed it is common for the House Wren to toss the babies out. They are competing for food and the less competition the better.

If the babies are tossed out possibly a predator most likely ate them while on the ground. Keep a look out for a House Wren in the area!

May 01, 2010
Rating

My own sad tale....
by: Anonymous

I've been watching my bluebirds nest for weeks now. Finally I see mom and dad bringing food into the nest. I walked around a few days later and spotted a baby dead on the ground. Opened the birdhouse and it was cleaned out. No sign of anything. What could have happened? I'm so sad.

Apr 17, 2010
Rating

baffle size?
by: Anonymous

How long is your baffle? I have seen recommendations of at least 24 inches to keep out raccoons. The same thing happened to two different bluebird couples in two of my nest boxes last year. I am looking for a good baffle now to prevent this from happening again. I believe my nestlings were taken by raccoons.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Bluebird Invite

Hummingbird House

A Home For Hummingbirds

Handcrafted From
Wild-Bird-Watching.com

Dove/Robin Nesting Shelf

Fruit Feeder

Subscribe To Our Wild-Bird-Watching.com Newsletter/E-zine It's Free! You'll get the lastest news and happenings of the Wild-Bird-Watching.com Website - Delivered to Your Inbox. Know When We Add Live Cams and New Videos