tclarkwood

The bluebird chicks are literally hanging on the inside of the door ready to come out. The parents are still taking them insects. Not sure if they are coming out today or if it will be tomorrow?

Yeah... 3 would probably have to be the max for lower Alabama. You may remember from a year or two ago but at my mother's place in north Alabama, they have had 4 clutches on several occasions but that is the max that I have ever heard of. My second clutch should fledge by Sunday. This morning both the male and female were calling to the chicks to come out. I'm not sure how many days it takes for them to come out but they are chattering a lot. My property is so noisy right now. The red-shouldered hawks are teaching the two babies (as big as the adults) how to scream and carry on, catch squirrels, etc. It sounds like a zoo every morning when I wake up! I'll be glad when the youngsters leave just to get some peace!

Getting ready for the second clutch to fledge by the weekend! Has anyone had a 3rd clutch this year?

It is very hard to beat BOSS. And it has become so inexpensive compared to 5 years ago. You can now get a 40lb bag of BOSS at Tractor Supply for 18 bucks. Unfortunately, squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks, opossums and other undesirable animals also love BOSS so you have to take that into account with your feeder setup.

My hummingbirds are lighter than usual again this year. Last year was also light?

These are the only snakes that are protected in Alabama. She killed a rat snake so she did not violate the law. Alabama: Eastern Indigo, Eastern King, Eastern Coral, Gulf Salt Marsh, Prairie King, Rainbow, Speckled King or Southern Hognose snake. Each state is different... In Arkansas, all snakes are protected.

Yeah... I hate that she killed the snake but she is old school and will probably kill any snake that comes up close to her house.

My second clutch is about 5 days old. Parents are feeding rigorously. Some bad news at my mom’s house. A rat snake made his way into the nest box last weekend and swallowed all babies. My mom killed him when he exited the bluebird box but he had already done the deed. The bluebirds are already acting like they may start another brood. This fall I will improve the nest box to make it snake proof. This is the first time in 15 years that a snake got into the box. It is mounted on a privacy fence so that is susceptible to snakes. The bluebirds are fierce but they cannot deter a rat snake.

Waiting on second clutch to hatch. Hopefully today

The first bird you are talking about sounds a little like a Painted Bunting but I don't think you have them in West Va. The blue birds you are talking about are either Blue Grosbeaks or Indigo Buntings. The Buntings are smaller than the Grosbeaks. You can look them up on Google to decide.

My Momma bluebird built a new nest and has already laid 2 eggs. Guess we are starting all over again so hopefully it will be a success!

We have had two male rose-breasted grosbeak for about a week at Mom's place. I'm guessing they will move out this week heading further North. Saw a bald eagle several times on Saturday so there may be a nest close by? The bluebird pair didn't even wait for me to remove the nest that fledged 6 babies. There are 5 new eggs in the box so we will see another hatch in the next week or so. These are super bluebirds and they are not messin around!

I keep an eye on my mother's yard birds too since I visit up there at least 2-3 times per month. She lives in North Alabama and I wanted to share what she has because she has so much more diversity than I do living on an open portion of 5 acres of partially wooded land on a large lake. Here is what we have seen in the last month. 1) Bald Eagle 2) Red Tail Hawk 3) Red-Shouldered Hawk 4) Barred Owl 4) Pileated Woodpecker 5) American Crow 6) Blue Jay 7) Eastern Bluebird ? American Goldfinch 9) Indigo Bunting 10) Rose-breasted Grosbeak 11) Tufted Timouse 12) Cedar Waxwing 13) Chickadee 14) Housefinch 15) Downy Woodpecker 16) Sapsucker 17) Hairy Woodpecker 18) Northern Cardinal 19) Ruby-throat Hummingbird 20) Chipping Sparrow 21) Eastern Towhee 22) Yellow-rumped Warbler 23) Eastern Phoebe 24) Barn Swallow 25) American Coot 26) Kingfisher 27) Great Blue Heron 28) Canada Goose 29) American Kestrel 30) Cooper's Hawk 31) American Robin .... and I'm sure I have left off a few sparrows that I can't tell which kind they are. I am also sure that there are more warblers, vireos, kinglets and other insect eaters that I have not listed on her property but they tend to stay in the woods more and most of these sightings have been sitting on the back deck overlooking the lake out in the open. Probably 60% of the list are resident birds and the rest are seasonal.

Wow! What a list! Is this all near your home?

It could have been 20 days but I was assuming incubation started on April 1st. In truth, she could have started incubating them later than that. I didn't see them calling this morning so I am assuming they are out of the box now.

Today is the big day! 21 days in the nest and the parent bluebirds have stopped taking insects into the nest box. They are sitting outside on nearby trees calling for the babies to come out. Too bad it is raining. It will be a rude awakening for the babies coming out of the box and getting wet on their first day out!

I wanted to give an update since it is time to see some travelers flying over the southeast right now. An Indigo Bunting showed up last week at my mother's house in North Alabama. There is a good chance that this is the same bird every year because he acts like he is familiar with the bird feeders and is very comfortable with this behavior. I have not seen or heard a Rose-breasted Grosbeak or Blue Grosbeak yet this year but I was interested to ask if anyone else on the forum has had one come through. If you do, take a picture and send it in. I did not get to see one last year but the year before that, I saw quite a few use my bird feeders on their way North.... Thanks!

I have a few more questions about these owls that have moved in behind my property. I'm hoping that someone on here knows more about them. It seems like there are at least 2 of them but maybe more. They hoot about 30 minutes before dark and about 30 minutes after sunrise every morning. My first question is... Do you think that they have found a nest site and are planning on raising owls? They have a lot of competition with the Red-Shouldered Hawks that live there but I guess they hunt at night and the hawks do not? We have a very large chipmunk and grey squirrel population so is that what the owls will be eating? Is there anything that I can do to get a better look at them? They seem to be very good and not being seen. Thanks for the information on this. I have never spent much time researching owls because I have never had them so close to me.

Looks like the first Indigo Buntings have just arrived down at Pensacola, FL. There have been several new sightings in the last week. They are usually a couple of weeks ahead of the Grosbeaks. Pretty little bird.

Here are the 6 babies at Mom’s house. They maybe a week older than the ones at my house. The parents are working like crazy as I suspected.

Right on time! One day short of being April Fool's bluebabies!

I put an extra tablespoon of sugar in the water when I mix it up!

Next up! Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak and Indigo Bunting! They are not here yet but over the next three weeks we will start to see these 3 species coming into the Deep South! Woo hoo! Also.. the Barred owls have come in behind my house thick. Probably 5-7 of them calling 30 minutes before dark every night. I only hear them in the Spring and early Summer and don’t know where they go the rest of the year?

I am expecting a hatch in the next 2 days. I’ll keep y’all posted.

Saw my first ruby-throat of the year today our working in the yard! They are back! ?