Your Comments - AZ

Did anything hatch? When and what hatched? I am curious.

We just inspected the interior of the box and found all the bluebird eggs intact under nesting material. One may have been damaged a bit. Looks like the elf owl covered up the eggs with nesting material. The owl has not returned as of 5/21/05, 11:30AM.

Sadly, this morning we found the female bluebird deceased about 50 yards from the box. Missing feathers make us pretty sure our female was the one we found dead. We're wondering why?

Ornithologists please chime in if you are there.

Birdland WCA

The four bluebird eggs are still in the box.

Interesting that the female bluebird was spending the night with the eggs (although not yet brooding them). I wonder if this behavior is a response to intense nest site competition. Based on our experience with other cams, this nest site received A LOT of continuous interest from multiple bird species as the same time. There have been other cams in other years where violet-green swallows and bluebirds have fought over nest sites -- with the result that the nest box went unused. Don't know how fierce competition is there, but it might be interesting to compare with an area where habitat has been destroyed and nest site competition rises dramatically.

I can't be certain but as of approximately 5:30 cam time, all the eggs appear to be gone. I had checked on them about an hour or so ago, and the eggs (or their broken shells) were still in the nest.

DAH

At 4:10 Eastern DST (5/18/05) I saw the Elf Owl in with the Bluebird. What's going on? I saved the image.

somewhere the info changed to the blue bird.. is this the owl nest? The pic is titled bluebird

I bought an box for a hoped-for elf owl to inhabit. It has a 1 1/2" hole. What is a "Predator guard" to discourage woodpeckers, and how does one make it, or where can one buy it?

Gina Bryant, Sun City West, AZ.

I never seem to catch any activity when I come to this cam. Are the birds still around? Owls or woodpeckers? Thanks!

Where are the owls are they on a date or something???????

In a "showdown" between an Elf Owl and an Acorn Woodpecker for a nesting cavity, which species would have the advantage? (I'm guessing the woodpecker, based on the aggressiveness of some eastern species.) Also, what form does this competition take? Is it only physical intimidation? Or are there other factors involved?

when will they officially settle in?

What's all that stuff in the bottom of the box and when can we expect to see an egg?