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July 3 - Empty nest! Special
thanks to Caldwell County Elementary School for their continued dedication to the Nest Box
Cams. We look forward to working with them next year!
July 2 - our last shot of the lone nestling as it awaits its turn to fledge.
July 2 - By sunset, only two nestlings remain—they later departed the box within
an hour of each other.
July 2 - As dawn broke, the second nestling was already on
its way out of the nest.
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July 1 - This is one of the last few images of all five
nestlings in the nest before fledging. |
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June 30 - The young birds may fledge in the next few
days. In preparation, they will begin to stretch their wings and take practice flights
inside the box. |
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June 29 - The young birds are now just over two weeks
old and living space inside the nest box will become extremely tight. |
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June 28 - Feeding in action! The grub just deposited by
the parent is clearly visible in the gaping mouth of the nestling. |
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June 27 - A tiny bit of pink flesh remains just along
the base of the wings, also known as the scapulars. |
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June 26 - The parents will begin feeding the young
through the entrance hole in order to prepare for their eminent departure. |
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June 25 - At nearly twelve days old, the nestlings are
fully feathered and can be sexed. Notice the emergent pin feathers on this male. |
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June 24 - The mouth of one of the nestlings is loaded
with a recently deposited meal. |
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June 23 - Open wide! this nestling is determined to get
the next food delivery. |
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June 22 - Notice the bright blue head feathers on the
left-most nestling. |
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June 21 - The male enters with an insect for the
begging chicks. The chicks' increasing appetites require parents to deliver at least one
item per chick per hour. |
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June 20 - At 5-6 days of age, the nestlings can open
their eyes. Much of their head and wings are covered in feathers. |
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June 19 - At five days old, the young birds are able to
wriggle about the nest and open wide for a large moth brought in by the male. |
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June 16 - While the female broods and warms the young
nestlings, the male delivers a food item to her through the entrance hole. |
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June 15 - The last egg hatched sometime during the
night so we awoke to a nest of five healthy nestlings! |
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June 14 - At about 8:00, we see the broken shell of the
fourth egg, minutes after hatching. |
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June 14 - By 6:30 this morning, three of the five eggs
had already hatched! |
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June 13 - The eggs have been incubated for twelve
days—they will hatch some time in the next two days. |
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June 12 - A nice shot of the female vocalizing inside
the box. |
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June 11 - The male is seen here apparently rotating the
eggs, a job typically left to the female. |
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June 9 - A very attentive male checks in on the eggs
during the female's off-bouts. |
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June 8 - Eastern Bluebird eggs are pale blue 95%-97% of
the time, rarely eggs are white. |
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June 7 - An interesting view of the female as she
contorts her neck while incubating. This female spends an average of 15 minutes on the
nest and 3-5 minutes off. |
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June 6 - Ever watchful of the world outside the nest
box, the female peers out the entrance hole. |
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June 5 - While the female is away form the nest, the
male enters and does a routine check of the eggs. |
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June 4 - It appears the female is vocalizing, possibly
to the male. She may also be panting if she is hot. |
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June 3 - Installation of a new camera provides us with
a crisp image of the beautiful female upon her nest. We expect this clutch to hatch
between June 12 and 14. |
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May 31 - The fourth egg is laid. Even if the female
lays another egg, she will likely begin incubating today. |
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May 30 - Shortly after sunrise, we glimpse the third
egg in the nest. |
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May 29 - Second bluebird egg is laid approximately 24
hours after the first. |
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May 28 - Our first peek at the first egg laid in the
clutch! |
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May 25 - The female is visible with a beakful of
nesting material, a sure sign that a second nesting attempt is eminent. |
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May 22 - A male and female bluebird are seen entering
the box for much of the day. It is likely this pair, who just fledged five young, will
attempt a second nesting. |
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May 21 - FLEDGING DAY! Although our cameras
were not recording during much of this nest attempt, we were able to see five young
bluebirds just before they left the nest for the final time. |
