Repairs and fall check started

I moved one box on the South side, as it had been buried in mare's tail and sumac bushes. Also some tall Indian grass there. It was a good location a few years, and I could not move it while it was being used by bluebirds for two clutches. The boxes are both now at least visible from the path:

I managed to haul a shovel for the post hole on a bike.

Spotting Young Bluebirds

There are still young bluebirds around. The parents may feed them or they may get around on their own. The feathers are sort of messed up in the nest on the chest and belly. Once out for a few days, they often have this scaly look:

The breast may be stripy or scaly looking and the bill is a thrush bill, pointy.

Indigo buntings have a strong blunt bill. The young have a more uneven mix of blue and brown. An adult in the tree and the more dark looking one on a wire. The female is brown.

Reporting Bluebirds in Nebraska

The report has been simplified, and swallows are no longer reported. You need to count eggs and then number of birds fledged.

LINKS
On line Bluebird Report

Bluebirds Across Nebraska

23 fledged, four left in a nest on August 6th

UPDATE: 27 Fledged (all season), no birds left in nests (8.11.)
Bluebirds

This will be the last post this season, other than I may give a link to submit counts if you have boxes yourself. Or google Bluebirds across Nebraska.

The three that were in Box 8 on the south side have left:

On the North side four birds reamain in the last box (17) on August 6. I will add a note below when they have left. I've put little white numbers on the birds. One is in the middle covered by the other three.

One parent was found nearby on the golf course side:

8.11 UPDATE: All 4 left that nest

WRENS

On the South side (where I have no need to check till September clean up) some wrens still nest. This box has at least four, probably more.

20 Bluebirds fledged, 7 in two last boxes

Bluebirds

The North bluebirds are getting along fine, eyes have opened, though just a slit here:

On the South side, two were in Box 4 still, their siblings left three days ago. I told them it would be a good idea to go and find your own food now:

I came back 20-30 min later and they had left! These two were in a nearby tree, probably the same two:

They had not seen much of the world so far. But they do know what food looks like if they happen to see it.

In Box 8, the three in the box had put on quite a lot of feathers in two days. They will leave in a week or so.

I took a bit of video as well. 

The parents are both here, they were a bit angry, attacking me with the help of an Eastern Kingbird:

Some Late July success and some drama

North side

The only box left with bluebirds had four nestlings rather sleepy. I could get some slight movement at 9AM but they obviously have not opened their eyes yet. Next time they should be active.

South Side

I have not had problems with chicks on hot days so far, but here we had one box not doing well. The more grown nestlings were all doing fine. Box 4 had two left in the box and two in the tree. I saw three birds in the tree (after I took the video) so at least the parents are still around.

This one in the tree is likely a sibling of the above two:

Bit of video of the same

The next box, Box 8, had four young nestlings as it did last week, but not very active at all. I  can see at least three. One of them is dead in this picture, a recent event. The other two were moving just slightly.

The wrens next door had fledged, some 5-7 of them in Box 7.

Box 11 that had the "blob" hatching on July 9

All four fledged successfully and there is just an empty nest left:

Persistence pays off, third nest a success!

Bluebirds

The bluebird boxes I take care of are at Pioneers Park in Lincoln NE. The prairie at the top of the map has been poor for bluebirds. It has too much human traffic. I have moved a few boxes to a tree line along the golf course border and the box marked X has the four eggs hatching today.

The map with X for location and the Box 17 picture.

I believe this is the third attempt at nesting for this pair. Box 16 had two eggs and there was some attempt earlier in May. Box 18 has an active wren nest and the two species seem to get along when the eggs have hatched.

On that map above there is a black line at the bottom, that is the South side

South Side

There are three nests left.  The Box 4 young are coming along from a week ago naked pink things. 

Box 8 just about ready to open eyes by Sunday, but still quite pink.

Box 9 had one left of 5 and it fledged. If checking boxes you find a grass nest with feces you can be sure it was bluebirds if there are no feathers or masses of sticks. This one I had seen the young but sometimes you just get the nest to count as possible success.

Here we then have the final box to check, number 11 that had originally on July 9th these:

and now had four ready to fly if the had to.

It's quite possible they will be out next week. This may be the last photo. I also got a little bit of video, but they were not very active. Just as well, I did not want to flush them out too early. 

WRENS
Wrens also have come along fast. These are next to the Box 9 bluebirds. The nest has more sticks and the young are fully feathered at this size (smaller than bluebird) and have the long wren bill:

Final bunch of eggs hatching this week

On the North side, the one pair of bluebirds still has four eggs, their final attempt this summer. They had not hatched. So from 18 nest boxes on the North side, only four bluebirds fledged this season.

South Side

Nesting activity continues. The angry bluebirds at Box 9 still tried to attack me. There was obviously something inside, and it turned out to be the last of the five.

In Box 4, the four had just hatched. 

There are at least three that I can see. Will keep track of it. Then Box 8, with four eggs, had just two hatched. I found that if I whistle a bit they will raise their head. One did.

(Sorry for the gap after these pictures...scroll down)

Then the Box 11 set that had the odd ball of a chick now has these

I would be surprised if they are gone in a week, but will be quite grown by then.

Sparrows and Swallows

House Sparrows nested in a box on the North side earlier. 

All that is left is feces and feathers. The swallows left the feathers and the sparrows use them.

When I go through the 32 boxes in the fall, I usually find one or two swallow nests that did not hatch at all. Not sure if they were infertile eggs or if cold weather that ruined the clutch.

Bluebird attack!

Bluebirds

There are still many active nests. The family on ths South side at Box 9 has the most advanced nestlings, their second set. The five are fine inside, I just took a very quick look. The pink skin shows that they have maybe a week to go.

But outside, the parents and a kingbird joined to attack my helmeted head as I approached the box. A picture and  video.

As I was back at the road, they suspiciously made sure I really left. A dickcissel also made alarming noises near the box. They do not nest in boxes.

The four eggs were hatching on Monday, three days ago, so I had to go see how they were doing.

On the 9th:

Now there were four hungry mouths, with eyes closed at this point.

And we have video as well: 

There are two nests with four eggs. The one on the North side from a pair that abandoned two eggs in the nest next door.

WRENS

I seem to have more wren nest than last year, at least four active right now. I may have missed some as they nest after the bluebirds to the end of summer. The nestlings on the South side had just hatched, with some eggs still there. Among the mess of sticks the male puts in to make a platform is a perfectly smooth grass nest.

The parent was near by. They make a lot of wren chatter noise but never attack me. The parent is here.

In box one of the South side a set of eggs after swallows left weeks ago. That was so hard to get a photo of, I will not open it again.

Finally the mystery of boxes 13 and 14 on the South side was solved. Some bluebirds tried it at first with two eggs, then I saw wren activity. For weeks I did not check it.  It had a clutch of wren eggs that hatched and were raised and left, except one runt died in the box. The birds tend not to use that box again. So they went to box 13 next door most likely for their second clutch. Those are eggs now. Last check on those, the boxes are too much work to get to in tall vegetation. The nest had a few feathers too, but the wren sticks are there over the original bluebird grass nest.