The Second Brood of 2020 (sort of): Excitement, Anticipation and Then Letdown

For two weeks in May I was excited beyond belief.  My bluebird pair had returned to the nest box — and they had brought one of their chicks with them!

I had read that this occasionally happens and was delighted that it was happening to me, especially at this time when everything had been shut down due to covid.  My “pandemic pastime” was my bluebirds, and with the return of the parents and a juvenile, the cuteness factor was off the charts.  I was very much looking forward to the second brood of 2020.

Dad at the nest box.

The trio first appeared at the nest box on May 11 and right off there was lots of activity.  Nest building began almost immediately and the base of the nest appeared about half completed in only three days.  Then, inexplicably, there were no sightings for over a week.

Mom busily building a nest that would never be completed.

The male and female returned to briefly inspect the nest box May 25-29 and then, again, no sightings for several days.  One more brief visit on June 3 and that was it.

What started out as an exciting second brood of 2020 just never materialized.  Perhaps the female ultimately selected another location that she thought would suit them better, but one never knows for sure.  Regardless, I was disheartened, but I hoped that wherever they were they would have a successful second brood and fledging.

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This is the seventh column in a series.

Next in the series:  “The Third Brood of 2020: A Good Start Would Lead to a Wonderful Ending”