Eastern Bluebird Eggs
This evening when I monitored the nest box, I was pleasantly surprised to see two eggs! I put this nest box up last summer, hoping it would be used this year. It was fun to watch the female collect dried grass from my yard and carry it to the box to construct the nest. I look forward to watching my backyard Bluebird family grow this Spring and Summer!
Bluebird Trail
Six Eastern Bluebird Eggs!
We have 3 nest boxes is the yard. Each year the Bluebird pair has a first brood in this same box but this is the first year we have had 6 eggs!
Bluebird Helper from 2018 ( Baby feeding babies on fledging day )
This is a short clip from a video of the 3rd nest of birds fledging last year from our front yard nest box. This older sibling fed the remaining birds between babies fledging. Several of the older babies fed the third babies and some of the young fed the new fledgling on the feeder too.
Eastern Bluebird
Nesting Eastern Bluebird
Babies in the box.
Birding Workout
After bathing captured this beauty resting on the edge of the bath
EBB hatchlings
Eastern Blue Bird chicks in nest box
Bathing Beauties, Eastern Bluebird and Summer Tanager
First time to see together these beauties. The young EBB is from the April fledging
Eastern bluebird pair
Pair of Bluebirds
Newborns
2 little Eastern Bluebirds less than 24 hrs old.
Feathering
Young bluebirds
6 day old eastern bluebirds. Doing well. =)
Eastern Bluebird Baby
After 100% hatch rates for the 1st and 2nd broods for this nest, only 1 of the 5 eggs hatched for the 3rd brood. This big bluebird baby is getting a lot of food and developing fast!
Eastern Bluebird
Second brood of the season. Seems one egg did not hatch.
Bluebird Brood
Bluebird Chicks
Third nest in the box this year.
Rare am visit.
Eastern Bluebird eggs
Bluebirds!
Bluebirds
Eastern Bluebird Eggs
Fledge Day
A few photos from the flegding of Eastern Bluebirds Jun 24, 2018
Nest Building
Second brood of the season
First brood of the season.
Eastern Bluebird babies in a Gilbertson nest box. Box is set up in yard relatively close to the house.
Patio Nest
My 1st Bluebird Nest Box Attempt
This was my 1st attempt to attract Easterns Bluebirds to my backyard.
2 days after putting up the box, Mom and Dad were busy building a nest.
Shortly after that, eggs were laid (5 total), all five hatch and the incubation process began.
I had purchased a HD nature cam and installed in the box prior to nesting. I was able to view and record the whole process the entire time.
All five babies fledged on June 15th, 2018 without harm.
It was an awesome experience and can’t wait for the next brood.
All gone.
Second nest of the season fledged.
Bluebirds
Bluebirds are probably 14-15 days old. Photo taken 6/14/2018 by Fr. McKusky.
First Brood Bluebird Fledglings
Bluebird’s Second Brood!
Babies one week after hatching
The parents of these three birds had laid 5 eggs; two of which were lost when a house wren pilfered the nest two days before the hatch. These babies hatched in spite of the fact that one of the remaining eggs was cracked.
Baby Bluebirds
Photos both taken on the same day, June 7th, 2018. Saw the father bluebird feeding the nestlings through the hole.
Bluebird Nest
Mother Bluebird
This is Mother Bluebird.
Bluebird babies
All five huddled together and ready to fledge. This was the first nesting attempt in this nest box we built this Feb. All five eggs hatched and made it and 3 days later left. Taken May 18, 2018.
Lost 2 eggs. Unknown reason.
Bluebird Nestlings
These are the bluebirds nestlings that hatched from the 5 eggs. A total of 5 nestlings. Hoping they all stay healthy.
Just hatched!
Just hatched and ready to be fed! Eastern Bluebird chick.
Juvenile Bluebirds learning to hunt
Juvenile Eastern Bluebirds watching the male parent hunting food. They each tried afterward.
These 3 are part of 5 nestlings from the first brood (all successfully fledged) at a nearby nestbox. They have stayed in the area to help the parents with the second brood that are now getting close to fledging.
The Squeaky Beak Gets The Grub…
One of the Bluebird chicks assumes this posture every time it hears a sound outside its nest, expecting food to magically appear. Sadly, this time it was me making the sound, and the peep went without…this time…
More Backyard Bird Babies…
Three of our four Bluebird peeps on the lookout for the parents…
Another dusk photo, with ISO 3200. Touched up with Ps.
Hatching Eastern Bluebirds
Eastern Bluebirds in the process of hatching. Guy in the middle looks hungry.
Bluebird eggs
The second nesting begins
Newly hatched bluebird
BATH TIME
PHOTO IMAGES EXTRACTED FROM VIDEO TAKEN IN MY YARD AT MY BIRDBATH. YOUNG EASTERN BLUEBIRDS REMAIN IN THE AREA AFTER HATCHING, THEY ARE JOINED BY A CARDINAL, CAROLINA CHICKADEE AND TUFFED TITMOUSE. 1ST TIME I HAVE EVER OBTAINED FOOTAGE OF 4 DIFFERENT BIRDS ATTENDING THE BATH AT THE SAME TIME. THE CARDINAL EVENTUALLY BULLIED THE OTHERS AWAY.
A FAMILY-SIZED MEALWORM DINNER
Mom is bringing home a family-sized dinner for her brood tonight. Bluebirds LOVE mealworms, but I’m careful not to offer too many. They aren’t as nutritious as a natural diet and they can be hard for young nestlings to digest.
Bluebirds growing fast
Nests I’m Watching
2nd nest this spring in the same nestbox.
Eastern Bluebird Fledgling
Despite the rain, this little guy is adorable!
Feeding the Young
4 eggs in the 2nd next of the season
Latest nest visit.
Eastern “Azure” Bluebird eggs
Healthy Bluebird chicks!
Nestbox repair
Last Thursday we had a severe thunderstorm with strong winds. A combination of aging plastic and the storm caused the brackets to fail and the box fell off its pole with five Eastern Bluebird nestlings inside. They had hatched about two weeks ago so were fairly mature. My next-door neighbor heard the parents in distress and saw the box and the babies on the ground. He gently put them back in the box and came to get me. The parents were sticking close by so we had to do something super quick. Yes, this is duct tape and a canine cone of shame for a baffle. We knew it only needed to last a few days so it was ugly but functional. The parents were right back in there feeding them on a very regular basis. As of today, I’m happy to report all of the babies fledged and I was able to enter a closed and successful nest attempt. Long live the bluebird babies and their parents. RIP nestbox.
Eastern Bluebird family in Pennsylvania
Greed Is Good
I put out about a dozen newly molted mealworms for the bluebirds every day. Moderation is key. The nestlings should have a variety of different prey items for best nutrition. On cold rainy days like today, the overworked parents really appreciate the family-sized meal. The soft skinned newly molted larvae are a little easier for the nestlings to swallow than the harder skinned ones.
First egg of the second nest of the season.
First Bluebird hatchling!
Tree Swallow and Eastern Bluebird
White Eastern Bluebird Eggs
Easter. Bluebirds
Bluebird nest
This is the first nest box we built and the first nest made it in the same year. The birds laid 5 eggs and all 5 hatched recently.
Uno Baby
Blue Bird hatchlings
Development of the Eastern Bluebird
I watched as these birds developed. The first is one day after they hatched. The second photo is 14 days later. All five birds fledged 18 days after hatching.
Back yard blue birds
Eastern Bluebirds
6 Eastern Bluebird Eggs in Box
Eastern Bluebird Nest Building
Bluebirds nest of four
Fully feathered chicks.
Bluebird feeding
First Bluebird Egg
Bluebird Eggs
Fledged and gone within 5 days after photo taken
Chickadees remove Bluebird eggs from Nesting Box in Tennessee
5 Bluebird eggs were in this nest originally. I found 2 broken eggs on the ground and another was missing the morning of April 24. 2 eggs remained in the best. I put up a camera in an attempt to see what bird was responsible. A few hours later, a pair of chickadees are caught on camera going in and out of the nesting box. I edited 2.5 hours of video down to 12 minutes of activity. Skip to 10:58 to see the egg in the chickadee’s beak. Papa Bluebird returns at (12:06) the end of the video to find his home raided.
Bluebird eggs
5 eggs while checking nest boxes
Eastern Bluebird hatch day
Hatchday at my Eastern Bluebird nest !
Bluebird hatching
Bluebird eggs
Bluebird Young working up courage to leave the nest
Eastern Bluebird hatchlings
Four out of five
Durring nest check noted four eggs of the five had hatched.
First Bluebird Box a Success!
A Blessed Event Today!!
The box is in the corner of my yard and I have been carefully monitoring the activity. The incubation (5 eggs) lasted exactly 14 days as is customary in this part of Indiana (outside of Indianapolis). I live in a cottage in a retirement community and each week I submit an article and photo to our newsletter. I also understand that there is another nest box with eggs in my community. I will be including this data as another site in the ‘Westminster Village North Retirement Community” nest watch group. I will continue to add data and descriptions and photos here to share with everyone. I will submit additional photos as they continue to grow. All chicks seem robust and, at this point, appear likely to survive.
I have my power water gun loaded and ready! I have used this successfully to chase predators — wrens, cowbirds and starlings!
First eggs of 2018.
First nest of the 2018 season. Note chipped egg shell. Most likely from Mom moving the eggs around during incubation.
First Bluebird Brood of the year
Adult left and I had the chance to get a picture of the eggs.
Easter Day Eastern Bluebird
Charlie’s Egg
Momma didn’t want to move
March 31, 2018 nest check
Eastern Bluebird watch 2018
From Eggs to Hatchlings
Backyard bird activity 03-28-2018
Eastern Bluebird nesting in our bird house, other frequent visitors to our backyard feeders… rainy, overcast weather today….
Eastern Bluebird Sublets Purple Martin House
3 weeks ago I discovered a pair of Eastern bluebirds had started nesting in our Martin house. This house was built by my husband and erected in mid summer last year. Several Martin scouts have visited it, but never stayed for more than a few days. This pair of Blue birds are the only tenants thus far. They are beautiful.
Bluebird nest building
Hungry Bluebird Babies
First egg
First egg of 2018