Four active nests with two having hatched chicks! But a small disaster...

The box I posted a picture of last time (13) on the North side had four eggs a week ago, Now all four eggs are gone. If it is the same pair as last year (or sometimes on of their offspring), they had the same thing happen last year! House sparrows and wrens are suspect. The pair last year tried three times and raised at least two chicks.

On the North side one other box has four bluebird eggs. The nests with swallows active around had very few eggs yet. It tends to be a tight two weeks when they all decide to nest.

On the South side we had a nest with four bluebird eggs:

They all hatched but looked exhausted. I can't even see the bills.

Another pair decided to go with 3 eggs. So we have 5+3 and 8 is actually good for two boxes.

I was there at 8AM. They look exhausted, hatched the day before because the shells are gone. One bill is pointing right. The birds do not mind me opening the box and whatever part of the day, the parents immediately return to feeding as soon as I leave. Other nesting birds may be more particular, so if you have birds in your yard, best to get to a routine checking the nest.

These four pairs are going to be my bluebirds, the disaster nest will probably move to the empty box next door. I fully expect a fifth pair to nest in May.

Several full clutches of Bluebird eggs

The pair on the North side, if it is the same pair, had a bit of bad luck last summer, but eventually raised at least two nestlings. Now they have a full set of four eggs in the box, where it was just one egg a week ago.

Swallows allowed me to check a few nests. Some had more than three eggs, but none I found had the full 5-7 eggs. Cool weather and less insects times their egg laying and incubation.

Bluebirds nesting

I'm not going to photograph each egg this time, but I will get as many photos of the chicks as I can. On the South side two sets of eggs are full. Box 4 even has five. I will keep an eye on that for a week.

The other boxes had swallow nests, but only found a partial clutch in one. I will need to get a better list of the boxes with swallows nesting in them next time.

Birds selecting boxes

The bluebirds have been around the boxes for a while. They have been around the area perhaps all winter, but now the boxes interest them. I checked a few boxes the bluebirds have been around and none had a grass nest.

A number of boxes were the object of tree swallow interest, and these did have grass nests, but not complete. One had a bit of feathers. It may be that the one nest was on top of an old nest, but there was only maybe only one such box. I cleaned nearly all last fall. In any case, with warm weather and swallows catching insects, there will be nests in early May.

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