May 21, Day Three of Nestbuilding

This female is going for the sloppy look. I'm guessing the first egg will be laid tomorrow.

May 20. Day two of nestbuilding

May 19. Day One of Nestbuilding

Four days after the first brood fledged, the female bluebird has started to build her second nest of the season.

May 15, 2018

An empty nest, a successful fledge. Looking forward to the second clutch.

Day 16 and Fledge Day!

Taking turns looking out of the nest box before taking the big leap! Fledged in the early evening, I missed it of course. When I went outside, the daddy bird flew at my head, so I knew the babies were safe in a nearby tree.

Day 15

Day 14

One baby is looking out of the nest box hole. The nest box camera has been amazing, but there have been times recently that are hard to watch. Two of the babies are large, one is medium and then there is the smallest. This little one does not get its share of food since it is usually underneath the rest of them. At times it appears very weak. Last night was the first night the mother bird did not stay with the babies. It stormed and was very chilly. While this image portrays quiet, chaos best defines what is going on most of the time now in the nest box. The babies are practicing with their wings, preening and fighting.

Day 13

Early morning, Day 13

Wanted to show that the mother bird is still staying with the babies overnight. I had read that mother birds only stayed with them for one week after hatching. Perhaps it is because it is still cold at night. At the time of this image it was storming, with strong, cold wind-driven rain, something I always worry about. Thankfully the nest appears to have remained dry. This box was made for the heat of the summer, it's a bit larger with vents along the roof-line. These vents can be filled in during colder periods. I love this image.

Day 12

Day 11

Day 10

Babies are already starting to exercise their wings. Sibling fights for space also starting.

Mother is still staying in the box at night with the babies.

Mother bird keeps her head at the hole of the nest box, if it gets cold she sits on the babies. Night of the 9th day.

Day 9

Day 8

Day 7

Day 6

Day 5

Screen shot shows wing feathers forming. Eyes are beginning to open.

Day Four

Mother bird must have been frightened out of the nest box overnight, she was gone when I checked the camera at 4am. Lucky the babies survived, as they can not regulate their body heat for the first week of life.

Day Three

Day Two

Screen shot

April 30, 2018. One day old.

During breeding season, Bluebirds in Iowa experience both extreme cold, and extreme heat. This April was the coldest in Iowa history. Mother bluebird delayed egg #4 by a full day, due to cold wet conditions. These eggs laid in this box during freezing temperatures, and all still hatched at exactly 14 days! What a blessing!

Hatching in progress! April 29, 2018

Mother bird left the box with an egg shell while it was still pretty dark outside. It was very cold, below freezing. I was so worried, but she returned. Soon the last egg would hatch.

Screen shot of mother bird brooding eggs

Night time image

April 15

Egg #4 was delayed one day due to cold and rainy conditions. I am concerned as to whether the three first eggs are viable any longer due to the very cold temperatures over night.

April 13

Egg #3

April 12

Egg #2

First Bluebird Egg of 2018

Laid on April 11, 2018. Harold R. Spencer Bluebird Trail.