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Bluebirds/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Eastern Bluebird Incubation | 3/30/2012 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: Does the female bluebird leave the nest during the incubation period? There are three bluebirds ... A: She will leave at times to find food, more often in hot weather as the eggs will cool less. Please ... | ||
| one bird and no more | 3/30/2012 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: I saw one bluebird fighting with sparrows to get into a first year bluebird house. I have not seen ... A: Unfortunately taking the killer house sparrow nests out is seen as competition by them and only ... | ||
| Aggressive robin | 3/21/2012 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: A pair of bluebirds are interested in our nesting box but are being chased by an aggressive robin ... A: This is not unusual. The box is probably too close to the Robin's nest. All birds compete for space. ... | ||
| Single egg in bluebird box | 3/18/2012 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: I watched our bluebirds scurry about and build their nest in the same box that produced 3 nestings ... A: There are so many different situations with birds, predators and the workings of Mother Nature. ... | ||
| nest of crushed leaves | 3/18/2012 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: Birds have started building nests in some of my boxes, chickadees mostly build with moss, bluebirds ... A: Here in NE OK Tufted Titmice use dead leaves but usually with moss too. The most likely bird is the ... | ||
| Competition at feeder | 3/15/2012 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: We managed to attract bluebirds to a mealworm feeder just below the box. However, cardinals and a ... A: Yes. You never want to have a feeder near a box as it attracts other birds that will interfere with ... | ||
| new to bluebird | 3/3/2012 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: I just bought 4 bluebird houses made from cedar. I am in wisconsin by alot of open farm fields and ... A: Placing boxes along roads, even high speed ones is a good idea as cars stir up and knock down ... | ||
| bluebird feeder | 2/4/2012 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: i purchased one and meal worms but the birds won't go in the feeder. we have bluebird houses with ... A: Congratulations. You have a great start as Bluebirders. 1. Feeder - That is not a bad design, but ... | ||
| Blue Bird Trail Question | 8/8/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: How old can the Blue Bird Nestings, be when you make your last inspection of the nest box? A: We tell inexperienced people not to open boxes after the young are 13 days old (they fledge 18 to 19 ... | ||
| blue birds | 8/5/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: All winter we had a pair of blue bids.When spring came we would see anywhere from 8 to 10 blue ... A: This is normal for this time of year as it is the end of the nesting season. I assume that when you ... | ||
| Bird in my Bluebird House | 7/31/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: The past three nights in a row, there has been a bird in my vacant bluebird house (last bluebird ... A: That is a very normal situation. It is a Downy Woodpecker, and they often do this in the fall and ... | ||
| babies dying | 7/24/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: Over the past few years we have successfully raised 3-4 broods of bluebirds per season in a box ... A: This is not unusual with the last nest of the season and with the high heat, but sometimes we just ... | ||
| Blue Birds | 7/24/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: Bob I have a few bluebird boxes in my rather large back yard. I have had bluebirds and tree ... A: A number of Bluebirders have reported birds leaving early because of the heat. Also it is nearly the ... | ||
| babies in heat wave | 7/23/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: The first set of babies was born in the Spring, right before an unseasonable heatwave (high 90's and ... A: I doubt that the spring babies died from the heat. Usually when we find them dead then the parents ... | ||
| Where did they go? | 7/21/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: I had a successful nest of bluebirds who fledged about 1 1/2 weeks ago. I've been feeding the ... A: Sometimes they leave for the woods or another area that they may feel is safer for the young. Also ... | ||
| death of female bluebird | 7/21/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: A pair of bluebirds have lived with us for four years.A few days ago I found the female had her ... A: What I am going to say may sound cruel but I want to be honest. What has happened is not unusual. ... | ||
| What happened to our bluebird family? | 7/13/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: This Spring we had a successful hatching of three babies and everything was fine. The next hatching ... A: This is not unusual as they have many predators, and this is why they have so many babies. One ... | ||
| Abandoned nest ? | 7/10/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: I have just put up my first bluebird house and unfortunately did not know to research where to put ... A: Usually when this happens something has gotten the female. The male is wing waving trying to attract ... | ||
| 2 Baby Blue BIrds | 7/8/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: We had a family of bluebirds living in a bluebird house that my son had built for a tech project. ... A: You don't ever need to "keep your distance". Boxes should be opened every week so you know when eggs ... | ||
| bluebird nestlings destroyed and can't find female | 7/3/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: I moved into this house in April and it had 2 birdhouses on the deck so I left them there. In early ... A: Sounds like you had a Raccoon attack and the mother is probably gone. There is a lot to know, and If ... | ||
| Female bluebird dead | 7/1/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: This evening I found one (female) of two bluebirds that live on our property dead. They both ... A: If you are sure that the female that laid the eggs is dead remove the nest and destroy the eggs. A ... | ||
| bluebirds throwing eggs out of nest | 6/30/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: First time having the pleasure of having a pair of bluebirds nesting . Cats have been locked in the ... A: Cracked eggs will not hatch. You had an attack by the killer house sparrows or House Wrens. ... | ||
| Bluebird | 6/24/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: She has thrown them out. The first 2 there were 5 eggs and the 3rd there was 3 and I thought for ... A: I have had a 100 box 5 mile line for many years and i have never seen Bluebirds throwing their eggs ... | ||
| Bluebird | 6/23/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: She has thrown them out. The first 2 there were 5 eggs and the 3rd there was 3 and I thought for ... A: Nothing stops the killer house sparrows 100%. You need to have at least 3 or 4 boxes so an attack ... | ||
| When do new bluebirds babies start getting fed? | 6/22/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: I checked my bluebird house this morning and found 3 of the 4 eggs had hatched. I see Mom and Dad, ... A: The adults start feeding them as soon as they raise their heads for food. This happens pretty ... | ||
| fighting bluebirds | 6/22/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: This morning I witnessed two males fighting. They carried on for 30-40 minutes with the female ... A: Yes this is nornmal behavior. Like many animals who often fight to the death it is nature's way of ... | ||
| Lawn Insecticide - toxicity to blue birds | 6/20/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: Our lawn care folks spray IMIDACLOTRID 2F a couple of times a year. Is this specific insecticide ... A: My research into the material safety data, etc. shows that it is highly toxic to aquatic ... | ||
| BlueBird mom dead | 6/17/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: I have a bluebird house... bluebird mom was found dead this afternoon.She had 4 eggs. Is there any ... A: The male cannot incubate the eggs as he has no brood patch. Sometimes if someone has a trail with a ... | ||
| Bluebirds habits when eggs hatch | 6/15/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: I checked my box Sunday afternoon to see freshly hatched babies. I also saw papa that evening close ... A: Unless you watch continuously you may miss the feeding times. Also sometimes unfortunately predators ... | ||
| BAFFLE | 6/9/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: AFTER AN EXHAUSTIVE SEARCH FOR DAYS ON LINE, I'VE COME TO THE SAD CONCLUSION THAT THE ONLY BAFFLERS ... A: Don't forget- you will need baffle guards on the T posts if you have snakes and climbing critters. ... | ||
| BAFFLE | 6/9/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: AFTER AN EXHAUSTIVE SEARCH FOR DAYS ON LINE, I'VE COME TO THE SAD CONCLUSION THAT THE ONLY BAFFLERS ... A: I am sorry, but the Bluebird organizations do not recommend wood posts for just the reasons that you ... | ||
| eggs gone, no bluebirds | 5/31/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: My first batch of eggs were found broken on the ground. Second batch 2 gone and one egg that did not ... A: Yes. Clean out the nest. It is almost impossible to stop some of this from happening, which is why ... | ||
| Blurbird babies | 5/30/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: I have your free pamphlet. Thank you. This is my 2nd season for Bluebirds. I had four babies. Two ... A: This is not unusual. Sometimes there is a delay of a day for one or two. And the parents may not ... | ||
| Bluebird nests | 5/29/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: ..I have a pair of bluebirds in my area....the female half built a nest near my house in the box..I ... A: You will just have to wait to see what happens. It is hard to understand some of their decisions, ... | ||
| dead bluebird chicks | 5/28/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: We have just discovered that our bluebird house has two dead chicks in the nest. I haven't seen the ... A: Were you monitoring the box every week to know how many eggs and young that were there? It is not ... | ||
| "tutu" as snake proofer | 5/26/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: Do you have a photo of a "tutu" insalled? I have a roll of one inch plastic screen and wonder if I ... A: You need the netting with 1/4 inch mesh that the snake gets tangled in. Their scales go in one ... | ||
| Feeding day old nestlings. | 5/24/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: I have a family of five Eastern Bluebird nestlings that hatched less than 24 hours ago. The weather ... A: I understand. The book will answer many other questions that you may have. I have sent out more than ... | ||
| Feeding day old nestlings. | 5/24/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: I have a family of five Eastern Bluebird nestlings that hatched less than 24 hours ago. The weather ... A: The best bet is to let the parents handle it. Very young nestlings are very fragile and you could do ... | ||
| Feeding day old nestlings. | 5/24/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: I have a family of five Eastern Bluebird nestlings that hatched less than 24 hours ago. The weather ... A: At this point it is most important that the parents survive. Also they may be feeding the young more ... | ||
| bluebird eggs...mama killed by cat | 5/24/2011 | Bluebird Bob Walshaw |
| Q: is there anything i can do to save the bluebird eggs in our bluebird house where the mama bird has ... A: If you had a trail of other boxes and knew the ages of all of the eggs you could put an extra egg in ... | ||
Bluebird Bob Walshaw
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Questions about setting up and monitoring Eastern Bluebird houses. This includes where and how to put up houses, trouble shooting, fighting predators, especially the killer house sparrows and helping other small cavity nesters such as Chickadees, Titmice, Carolina Wrens, etc.
Experience
20 years with a 100+ box Bluebird trail which has been accepted as part of the Transcontinental Bluebird Trail. Talks on Bluebirds to many organizations.
Organizations
North American Bluebird Society, Audubon Society local and national, Oklahoma Bluebird Society, OK Furbearers Alliance
Publications
Bluebird Magazine, Birds and Blooms, Oklahoma Today and many other publications.
Education/Credentials
BS, MBA, Cornell University Bird Biology course
Awards and Honors
Blue Cross Ageless Hero, Red Cross Everyday Hero, North American Bluebird Society Awards, Oklahoma Bluebird Society Lifetime Award.
Past/Present Clients
Many
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