Bluebird Disaster

[gwarnerjr]

Yesterday I had five healthy bluebird chicks shoving at the entrance every time I walked by. Twice one was out on the ground. He surely was to young to fly so I put him back in the house. The last one hatched just ten days ago so I don't think they were ready to fledge yet. This morning things were pretty quiet around there so I opened the top of the house for a look. I was stunned to see four dead babies and another on the ground, dead. There were no marks on them so I don,t know what might have happened to them. There were no signs of mites, etc. Was it my fault for putting that baby back in the nest? Maybe I should have let nature take it's course.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

Maybe something happened to the mother, and the chicks starved. As a general rule, my bluebirds are never seen at the entrance hole, they stay hidden, so maybe yours were looking for food at the entrance. That is only a guess

[Guest]

I would have to go with Emil on this one. I have had bb for about ten years have never seen them at opening. Keith

[CUL Lou~Mich]

Same here. I've had BBs for nearly forty years, and have never seen the babies at the entrance until the day they fledge. Then it's normally just a few minutes, and they jump, and head up into a tree. I'd say clean the nest out real good. Make sure there are no creepie crawlies inside, and get the house ready for another batch. If the female is gone, it might take the male a few days or weeks to attract a new mate. CUL Lou

[phillip26r]

Question about Bluebirds:

Will it be the same pair that nested before if they are still alive?