Clean Nests or Abandoned?

Date: Fri, 09 Mar 2001 08:55:44 -0800
From: "Leah Hawks" leahhawks"at"hotmail.com
To: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: clean nest question

Hi, from Napa Valley,
Last year my nest box had bluebirds actively going in and out, but when I cleaned it out at the end of the season, the nest was very clean. I assume there were no eggs or young, but the bbs (more than two)were around all season and using my watering/feeding stations. I can't imagine a nest remaining clean even if the eggs had been stolen. So I wonder if bbs sometimes start a nest and then give up on the location, or...??? And do the parents leave droppings in nest box?
Leah

Date: Fri, 09 Mar 2001 15:04:19 -0400
From: Haleya Priest mablue"at"gis.net
To: leahhawks"at"hotmail.com
Cc: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: Re: clean nest question

Haleya Priest Amherst MA

Hi Leah - excellent question - RE: Clean nests. Bluebirds leave very clean nests for the most part. They eat the egg shells and take out all fecal matter. The only exception to this is the remains of a deceased baby before it fledged; a few fecal sacs from the day or so before the babies fledged; or if they were nesting during cold weather and had to feed earthworms. In this case the nest will be lined with a muddy coating.
Can you remember whether the nest you speak of was flat or still very cup shaped? If it was very flattened, no matter how clean, you can assume all babies fledged successfully. The flatness suggests babies and parents having flattened the nest by sheer weight over the course of the nesting phase. If the nest was still very cup shaped - as if it were brand new - then we would assume the nest was abandoned.
Let us know if you remember. :-)

Haleya

Leah Hawks wrote:

 Hi, from Napa Valley,
 Last year my nest box had bluebirds actively going in and out, but when I  cleaned it out at the end of the season, the nest was very clean. I assume  there were no eggs or young, but the bbs (more than two)were around all  season and using my watering/feeding stations.  I can't imagine a nest remaining clean even if the eggs had been stolen. So  I wonder if bbs sometimes start a nest and then give up on the location,  or...??? And do the parents leave droppings in nest box?
 Leah

Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2001 15:00:44 -0500
From: "Bruce Burdett" blueburd"at"srnet.com
To: leahhawks"at"hotmail.com
Cc: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: Re: clean nest question

Leah, et al,
In answer to one of your questions, I'd say "Yes." In my experience, Bluebirds sometimes do start a nest and then give up on the location, - or simply change their minds for some reason which we can only guess at. I've seen first-year birds start rudimentary 'nests' late in the same summer that they were hatched, but such nests never amount to anything. They're like young beavers, in a way, which sometimes start rudimentary dams in poorly-chosen locations. These dams never amount to a whole lot either. The anthropomorphists among us might conclude that they're "practicing" or "playing house" or "making believe," as young people do, But I am one of those who believes that Bluebirds are NOT people. They're great little birds, but we should resist the temptation to believe that they are more than birds, or that they have human motives. You know, I suppose, what the name "Leah" means.

Bruce Burdett, SW NH

----- Original Message -----
From: "Leah Hawks" leahhawks"at"hotmail.com
To: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Sent: Friday, March 09, 2001 11:55 AM
Subject: clean nest question

 Hi, from Napa Valley,
 Last year my nest box had bluebirds actively going in and out, but when I  cleaned it out at the end of the season, the nest was very clean. I assume  there were no eggs or young, but the bbs (more than two)were around all  season and using my watering/feeding stations.  I can't imagine a nest remaining clean even if the eggs had been stolen. So  I wonder if bbs sometimes start a nest and then give up on the location,  or...??? And do the parents leave droppings in nest box?

 Leah

Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2001 15:12:06 -0500
From: "Robert E Rager" rerager"at"bright.net
To: "Bluebird Cornell" Bluebird-L"at"Cornell.edu
Subject: Clean nest question

If the nest is perfectly cup and no evidence of flattening at all it abandon. If you shake the nest you'll see particles of fuzz similar to dust then some babies were present. Normally I find fuzz , an insect not eaten (large one)
Rager N/W Ohio

Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2001 16:59:41 -0500 (EST)
From: BluDahlia"at"webtv.net (George Newberger)
To: mablue"at"gis.net
Cc: leahhawks"at"hotmail.com, BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: Re: clean nest question

Hi all; For the most part when my nestlings get finished with a nest it's prettywell mashed down and some times kinda messy. But ocassionally I find a complete nest in nice cup shape and nothing happening---the parents either left or were killed. I watch it for a while and if there is no activity I carefully remove the nest and place it in a shoebox for later use when I have to replace a nest for one reason or another. Case in point---one box last year had only three eggs,of those one did not hatch and one nestling died. The nest was a mess--so I removed it with the remaining 12 day old nestling and rebuit the nest.The only thing available was wheat straw in a close-by field. Hey, I wouldn't even claim it ! The parents watched me and checked out the box for quite a spell before they finally reclaimed the box and remaining young'n. You should have seen the look they gave me --wheat straw !!!!
George N E Ohio

Date: Fri, 09 Mar 2001 14:20:05 -0800
From: "Leah Hawks" leahhawks"at"hotmail.com
To: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: my clean nest

Hi, all,

Well, SOMEbody's clean nest, anyway. No, I didn't monitor, I had no inclination to do so, just saw lots of activity at the site, and let well enough alone, and enjoyed the close up of the bbs at my waterer, right outside my office window! When I cleaned the box, there were earwigs under the nest (I wouldn't want to sleep there, either), but otherwise it was a perfect cup, clean and neat. I imagine abandonment, or something else in a
better neighborhood...

This a.m. beautiful WEBB pair let me get very close with the binoculars, but the female did give me a long stare. All their friends came at the same time, titmice, acorn woodpeckers (friend?), black phoebe, somebody with grey and yellow, and others I couldn't get close enough to...beautiful sound. Last year had a tree cavity with woodpecker nesting in, I thought I was living in a nature video!

I am a bird/nature lover, so I enjoy every species and consider it a gift when I happen by the window just in time to witness a bit of it... have even had a hawk, a chuker and quail on the deck; I have a friend who regularly gets 5-6 wild turkeys on her deck! Yuk on the clean-up there...

Thanks for replies. Leah

Date: Fri, 09 Mar 2001 14:32:09 -0800
From: "Leah Hawks" leahhawks"at"hotmail.com
To: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: wheat straw

Hi, George,
I am so surprised they went in with the human help, good for everybody! I collect clean nests, make sure they are buggy-free, and have a few of them in my home. One is an oriole nest with fishing line, orange twine, horsehair and the usual fuzzy and fine material, along with a huge twig, so it hangs in my office by the loop of fishing line at the top!
Leah, Napa Valley

The nest was a mess--so I removed it with the remaining 12 day old nestling and rebuit the nest.The only thing available was wheat straw in a close-by field. Hey, I wouldn't even claim it ! The parents watched me and checked out the box for quite a spell before they finally reclaimed the box and remaining young'n. You should have seen the look they gave me --wheat straw !!!!
George N E Ohio

Date: Mon, 03 Jun 2002 14:30:17 -0400
From: Linda Tucker tuckerlg"at"kenyon.edu
To: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: Babies Fledged or Gone?

Hello All,

I'm a first year "nester" and everything was going great, but right about the time the babies were about to fledge, they just disappeared. Mom & dad disappeared for a few days, also; now they are back, but no babies following them around. The nest itself seems totally undisturbed, just empty. Did they successfully fledge or.....? Thanks, Linda

From: "Doug Rohde" d.rohde"at"attbi.com
To: "BLUEBIRD-L" BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: Fw: Babies Fledged or Gone?
Date: Mon, 3 Jun 2002 14:21:12 -0500

Linda,

It is usually 7-10 days after fledging before we see the "kids" in our backyard. Right now we have 9 kids (from prior two nestings) in the backyard while mom & dad feed the 4 babies in their current nest. I look forward to watching all 15 (mom, dad and 13 kids) in the backyard soon. Your "kids" will be back soon!

Doug
Highland Village, Texas
----- Original Message -----
From: "Linda Tucker" tuckerlg"at"kenyon.edu
To: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Sent: Monday, June 03, 2002 1:30 PM
Subject: Babies Fledged or Gone?

...

From: hubertrap"at"webtv.net (Joe Huber)
Date: Mon, 3 Jun 2002 15:40:08 -0400 (EDT)
To: tuckerlg"at"kenyon.edu, BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: Re: Babies Fledged or Gone?

Hello Linda, When BBS fledge they do disappear for a few days as they are busy feeding the young and keeping them together in trees. They have no use for the nest box. sometimes it will be two to three weeks before you see any sign of any of them. The adults generally return after a couple weeks to plan another nest. Even then you may not see much of the young for several more days. This is normal so sounds like everything is ok. Joe Huber

Charter member NABS, Charter member OBS, Life member OBS Joe Huber
hubertrap"at"webtv.net 

http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/HOUSESPARROWCONTROL 

http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/RoostingBluebirds
 

27.1171494 N Lo -82.4124222 W
He who ask a question is stupid for five minutes, He who never ask a
question remains stupid forever, Chinese Proverb.

Mon, 3 Jun 2002 14:30:36 -0400 (EDT)
From: Linda Tucker tuckerlg"at"kenyon.edu
To: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: Babies Fledged or Gone?
Reply-To: tuckerlg"at"kenyon.edu

...

Date: Mon, 03 Jun 2002 20:01:25 EDT
From: "Rwatts" rwatts"at"mymailstation.com
To: tuckerlg"at"kenyon.edu, bluebird-l"at"cornell.edu
Subject: Re:Babies Fledged or Gone?

about the time the babies were about to fledge, they just disappeared. Mom & dad disappeared for a few days, also; now they are back, but no babies following them around. The nest itself seems totally undisturbed, just empty.
Did they successfully fledge or.....?

If it was about the right time, and the nest itself was undisturbed, chances are they fledged just fine! We can't all be lucky and see it happen. One thing you might check is whether there is a "whitewash" of poop on the back of the box--very often it seems as if the fledglings, um, "jet-propel" themselves out of the box! (There is a starling nest in the eaves of our school building which is great for pointing out the "whitewash effect" to kids.)

Rhonda Watts
Wilton, N.H.
"Are you marching 22/9/02? Visit http://www.march-info.org for details."

Date: Mon, 03 Jun 2002 19:07:28 -0500
From: jacqueline tamm bjtamm"at"execpc.com
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: tuckerlg"at"kenyon.edu, bluebird-l"at"cornell.edu
Subject: Re: Babies Fledged or Gone?

Hi Linda, and welcome to the wonderful world of bluebirding. It sounds like they fledged - I'd almost guarantee it. When young bluebirds fledge, they don't follow their parents around, but sit in a tree and wait for Mom or Dad to bring them food. Newly fledged bluebirds are very vulnerable after "flying the coop", so it is advantageous for them to stay put, especially for the first few days. Sooo, wait a few days and watch closely, I'll bet you eventually will get a glimpse of Mom and Dad bluebird feeding their fledglings in a tree somewhere. And if you take out the old nest, get ready for the Mom to shortly begin a new nest and family! Good luck
Bob T. Muskego Wisconsin

Linda Tucker wrote:

Hello All,

I'm a first year "nester" and everything was going great, but right

...

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