In previous nesting seasons, I had accepted the reality that it is common for one egg in a clutch not to hatch. So, when all five eggs hatched I was overjoyed!
The first chick hatched on April 14.
As always, my responsibility to the bluebird parents and their brood was to watch out for predators, which I did diligently, checking the wireless cameras throughout the night and listening for motion detector alarms. Yes, I readily admit that I’m wrapped up in this — but I’m going to do everything feasible to help ensure a successful nesting season. The odds seem stacked against bluebirds, and they need us to help them as best we can.
The remaining four eggs all hatched, bringing the brood total to five, a first-ever.
I checked the nest box daily and all five chicks appeared to be healthy and growing well. Things began to get somewhat crowded with five in the box, but it was a wonderful sight to see since I’d only witnessed broods of three and four chicks up to this point.
All five chicks growing nicely and getting their blue color.
With five mouths to feed, mom and dad began making meal runs throughout the day. As the chicks — and their appetites — grew, the pace of the meal runs increased. Insects were continuously brought to the nest box, fecal sacs were continuously taken out. It really is fascinating to watch the energy and hard work put forth by the parents to raise a brood of five.
The nest box is getting crowded six days before fledging.
Seventeen days after the hatchings, both parents were still feeding the chicks but the pace had slowed somewhat. They knew it was time for their chicks to fledge, and what better enticement than to slow down the gravy train.
On May 2, chirping could be heard from the nest box and the chicks began peeking out. I sensed that fledging would happen the next day. I was so excited to see the five chicks fledge.
Mom and dad make continuous food runs to feed the growing chicks.
The morning of May 3, I went out with my camera to photograph this blessed event. I wouldn’t know until later, but three of the five chicks had already fledged just before I was present to witness it.
As I sat on the deck steps with camera in hand, two chicks were peeking out and the anticipation was growing. Mom and dad were waiting with food in their beaks. Suddenly, both parents, and some other birds as well, flocked to a tree at my back fence and began frantically giving the snake alert. The flapping of wings and the sounding of audible alerts — all happening at the very moment when fledging was about to happen — was nervewracking. And then, an awful sight.
In what certainly had to be a million-to-one chance of occurring, a fledgling flew out of the nest box on a beeline directly to the exact location of the snake alert. The chick landed in the tree and I saw the sickening sight of violent rustling in the leaves. Seconds later, a 4-foot snake dropped down from the tree, its tail wrapped around a branch and its head hanging down with the chick it its mouth.
I grabbed my snake catching implement, grabbed the snake behind its head, and shook the chick from its mouth. The chick landed on the ground, dead. I was devastated. The chick — after spending 19 days in the nest box growing and preparing to enter the world — had lived for only five seconds after leaving the box.
The bluebird parents were frantically flying about, seeing one of their chicks lying dead, and waiting for another to fledge from the nest box in the midst of all this chaos.
Moments later the last chick in the box successfully fledged into the trees with its parents. The parents made a final pass over their lifeless chick left lying on the grass and flew off.
After they left, I realized that the second fledgling I saw leave the box must have been the fifth. That was verified when I checked the box and found it empty.
Since I hadn’t witnessed the first three fledglings reach safety, I began to wonder if they had met a similar awful fate. The uncertainty of not knowing what happened can be rather hard on bluebird hosts.
The new nesting season had started with such promise. All five eggs hatched, there were no predator raids on the nest box, just no problems at all. I had watched the parents work so hard to raise five beautiful, healthy chicks to the point of fledging. The parents had done their job; I felt I had done mine as well. Everything had gone perfectly and, I thought, a perfect outcome was assured.
But, nature has a way of showing that it has the final word.
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This is the 11th column in a series.
Next in the series: “The Second Brood of 2021: Family Fun at the Bluebird Country Club”
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