A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Hobbies, Crafts and Creativity The Bird Lovers Forum Who is this in my bluebird house?

I watched him fly in and out all afternoon but never did see him get any nesting material. But then again the house comes furnished.

Possibly a nuthatch?

THIS is a Carolina Chickadee, also a cavity nester and a GOOD bird to have in your bird house.

I thought that too Thornius but I didn't know they'd nest in a bluebird house. I didn't see that in any info I looked up. Maybe because I leave them alone? But it will keep the bluebirds from coming back and that's the whole purpose of my house.

I was going to say chickadee as well. Sorry they will keep your bluebirds away, but the chickadees can be so friendly - try feeding them from your hand sometime - they can be quite tame.

I love the chickadees. they are SO cute with their little masks.
your blue bird house doesn't have a perch below the hole? I guess they figure it out though, don't they?

Bird houses SHOULDN'T have perches. It encourages predators and the WRONG kinds of birds, like Starlings.

oooppps! live and learn, I guess.
I put a perch on both of mine.

It wont really hurt. It's just best to keep them plain.

So, after these are hatched should I clean it out and maybe the bluebirds will come back? Will bluebirds wonder whose been laying in their nest?

The chickadees must have only been visiting because Friday I saw Mr. bluebird sitting on top of the house and when I walked toward it he buzzed my head. Today, I put out Lizzy's food so she wouldn't follow me, and hurried out there and got a blurry picture. EGGS!!!

Yep, your SECOND clutch is on its way. You'll soon have your second batch of bluebird babies!

and here they are. Not a very good picture but we didn't want to bother them for too long.




the mom and dad don't even buzz our heads anymore. I guess they figure we're not going to hurt them. We won't be checking anymore until these are gone.

Yer doing GREAT Young'un! I'm so proud of you! We had exactly ONE pair of Eastern bluebirds in Hermitage, TN when I moved here almost 19 years ago. I put up 25 nest boxes around town and now we have HUNDREDS! My son got approved to rent a house today, here, and when we went to see it for the first time the FIRST thing I noticed was a pair of bluebirds in the yard......MY Godchildren!

Sheri - those eggs are such a pretty color! Thanks for sharing all this with us!

is your son renting one of your bluebird houses?

Good question, sheri--- I would be interested in teh answer to THAT question as well

and sheri--I love the pics of the birds--
I have only ever had 1 pair of bluebirds--bnack at "the farm" they had 3 or 4 eggs, that I one day found on the ground in front of the nesting box, the parents were nowhere to be found. a few days later we found the male along our fenceline--he had been caught in a rainstorm & drowned. I guess the female pushed out the rggs & left???

in what had the bluebird been caught? I don't think I've ever seen a drowned bird. So sad.

This is our 2nd clutch this summer. We put up our house and they started building the very next day - we hit it just right. There were 5 eggs the first time and they all hatched. They were gone from the next 3 or 4 days and more eggs were laid - 5 again and all have hatched. I'm amazed. I didn't realize they'd lay so soon again.

We placed our box exactly the way the instructions said, greased the pole and put wire underneath it to keep critters from getting to the eggs or babies.

WOW so you got instructions huh?? There was nothing with my house when I bought it. As it was nailed to the fence post we left it at "The farm" when we moved.

To answer your question we had a bad storm--and when my husband was out the next day after the storm, assessing things, he found a dead drenched & soggy male bluebird.---He came & got me, so I saw him too. and yes it was sad.

we did get instructions with the birdhouse but I found them online too. I think at the Birds n Blooms web site.

Wonder if the drowned bird was sick to start with.

well if he was sick, I didnt notice. I used to watch the pair fly in and out of thier house.---But I guess anything is possible.

I will try to remember about the birds & Bloom site--should I ever get a place where I can put a Blue bird house. Thanks for the information.

Also try the forum at Birder's World. Just look for a guy there named Thornius.