A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Hobbies, Crafts and Creativity The Bird Lovers Forum flown the coop!

I built my first bird house. Blue birds made a nest, had babies, and left without saying goodby! ha ha I've been watching the mamma and pappa come and go and i've been listening to the chirp chirp of the babies. And OH how i LOVED to watch pappa chase off woodpeckers and blue jays. I knew it was any day the babies would be leaving their cozy box. but, POOF! they left in a blink of an eye....not a blue bird in site....where'd they go? mamma, pappa and all those chirp-chirpedy babes....GONE.

They may be back. bluebirds often reuse the same nestbox three or four times a season. The babies hang with their parents for a year and help feed and care for the NEW babies so by Fall, you will have a family flock of from 15 to 30 bluebird siblings and their parents. Then, the next spring, they will split up into breeding pairs with OTHER bluebird flocks in the area and the cycle repeats itself.

thorn was right....they're back!



going inside


how's it look in there, honey?


this next pic is very dark...were about to get a little storm.

cool

Ahhhhh! How cute is that?!

Alice

Told ya'!

they were only there that one day.

They often do that. bluebirds will often check out SEVERAL nest boxes before deciding on ONE.

I've read about cleaning out the boxes after they've had their babies. (the photo above...no bird has used that one yet. I think that one gets too much afternoon sun??) I'm planing on moving that house during the fall/winter.
anyway, on the one they used before...should we clean it out..let them rebuild a new nest?

Wait until September or October when they are through nesting. THEN, clean out the Nest box. In Winter, birds pack into nest boxes at night to escape the harsh elements.

Ok, will do.