Four hatched over the weekend

 There are now four chicks with eyes closed, the fourth is hidden under. (I lost track of the number for one post, see the 7.11 post for later count)

I won't check on them very much. In about two weeks we can check off this clutch as a success.

Eggs still eggs. Hatching maybe by next week.

 I've been limiting these summer visits due to pests I need to avoid. I did check them today, and the eggs still have not hatched. They have been there at least 11 days. Incubation is normally 12-14 days. Then 15 more days in the box.

Schedule is here:

https://pioneersparkbluebirds.blogspot.com/2016/05/bluebird-timetable.html

I found two adults in the area, one seemed to be a juvenile, the May clutch.

Eggs

The box now has axle grease on the pole to keep any ants out. I always do that with active boxes.

More eggs! Only a single pair nested, but now more eggs

 The pair on the South side that raised three young left the box empty for a while. I checked that and the one next door. No swallows had taken that one all thru May. Since the box was cleaned and empty, they built a nest in the same box where two young died. This rarely happens, they usually move.

I have not seen the parents but once. This is the female.

I will check the box again about two weeks from now, as the pests in the prairie get worse now. I don't feel like walking much through grass. But in two weeks we should have partly grown young, probably eyes open but not much past that. If it goes long past that, I will check once in July.

Swallows

 I checked four boxes around where the single flock of Bluebirds was raised. No new nest was found.

I had worried about the fate of several nests in the burn area (see previous post). Checked two likely boxes. It looks like the swallow chicks survived. They may have been eggs during the burn, so there may be no smoke risk.

Swallows are finishing up nesting. These birds are ready to go in a week. You can see full body feathers and quite alert birds, usually 5-7. 

They are not ready to fly but are flapping wings. You can see the tip of the wing feather going from pin feather to full feather.