New Bluebird eggs in middle July!

This year is unlike last year. Lots of bluebirds renested in July, some in boxes swallows had vacated. Swallows are gone, only three infertile eggs found in one box.

South Side

The just hatched nestlings in the the top photo of the previous post are fully grown in Box 14 (no photo). In Box 9 there is house wren activity. I have a photo of just sticks, did not see the possible nestlings way in the back.

Box 5 had three nestlings, very sleepy. For a second I wondered if they were dead but got some movement from them.

Possibly there are four, but if I lose track and they fldege, will count them as three.

North Side

Here were the surprises. In Box 11, empty for weeks, was this female. I opened the box thinking it was empty.

I came back 20 minutes later, and there were three nestlings and one egg. I took that photo through the slot, not disturbing them. 

In the last box, Box 18, had some success with my theory of "move the boxes from the masses of people on the prairie". We now had two bluebird eggs. This box had swallows before and you can see the bluebird nest on top of the swallow nest, which ends at the loose feather.

The house wren family at Box 17 fledged the 6 young but now laid 6 more eggs! The wrens tend to take over the neighborhood, and the male fills all empty nearby boxes with sticks.