I went to peek in the box yesterday the downey has been roosting in, just to make sure pine shavings were clean, etc......Well to my surprise the box has a good bit of pine straw in it on top of the shavings, like a bluebird nest - has nice little cup...........I watched and the female bluebird is filling the box with straw....Do they do this to roost? I've never had this happen in the fall/winter? Could they just be doing this because they don't want the downey in the box? (note- this is the box the blues aways nest in)
0 Kudo
Bluebird Filling Box with Straw??? Update w/ photo
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 BluesGA |
Bluebird Filling Box with Straw??? Update w/ photo |
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Posts: 22 (10/23/09 8:44 AM) |
Crystal~Georgia
Last Edited By: BluesGA 10/23/09 5:27 PM.
Edited 1 time.
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tamsea |
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Moderator Posts: 5954 (10/23/09 8:57 AM) |
That is strange!! I've never had that happen before, so I don't know what to tell you. I've had bluebird put some straw material in, but it was
never formed like a cup...just loose stuff.
Tammy
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czbirder |
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Posts: 1226 (10/23/09 12:35 PM) |
That answers my question I was going to ask if I should put shavongs in a blues box , I have a downy roosting in it.he is so cute he pokes his head out when I
come in or out of the front door, the box is at the corner of the house in the front.
Cindy
Gloucester, VA |
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dogsandbirds |
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Moderator Posts: 3854 (10/23/09 2:52 PM) Middle Name
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Bizarre, Crystal. I don't know what to tell you. Maybe she is staking some sort of claim. That's the only reason I can think of right now. But a
cup???? Wow.
 Gin
Atlanta, GA |
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BluesGA |
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Posts: 23 (10/23/09 3:04 PM) |
Yeh I'm going to post a picture when I get home from work, Bet also gave me this link to help...
http://www.sialis.org/fall.htm
Crystal~Georgia
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dogsandbirds |
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Moderator Posts: 3856 (10/23/09 7:06 PM) Middle Name
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Yeah, but I didn't see anything there about a CUP! Maybe she's doing a little practice?
Gin
Atlanta, GA |
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BluesGA |
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Posts: 24 (10/23/09 7:16 PM) |
well I'm having trouble uploading the picture :(
Crystal~Georgia
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blueburdluver |
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Posts: 340 (10/24/09 6:12 AM) |
I think we've discussed on this forum about watching the birds go in and out of the houses this time of year. It is even recommended to put boxes up in the
fall as they do check them out this time of year.
Now, some of the birds go even farther and actually build partial or whole nests. I have found beginnings and actually found one complete after I had cleaned out all the boxes after nesting season. One of our members who is deceased now, found a nest with five eggs in it on Christmas Day when he took his grandchildren out to show them his nest box and give them some birding lessons. (He got one himself!) Of course, the eggs didn't have a chance to hatch. I call all this behavior by the birds in the fall "playing house". Evelyn Delhi, LA |
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BluesGA |
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Posts: 25 (10/24/09 7:41 AM) |
okay finally was able to upload the pictures.....
Crystal~Georgia
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BluesGA |
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Posts: 26 (10/24/09 7:43 AM) |
So should I just leave this until, I clean out the boxes for spring season?
We have this same set-up with box, pole, baffle in the front yard.........the downey can roost in that box lol
Crystal~Georgia
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dogsandbirds |
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Moderator Posts: 3857 (10/24/09 1:42 PM) Middle Name
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blueburdluver wrote:Yes, Evelyn, we have discussed that many times and the "inspection" behavior as well as the partial nest building are common, often seen behaviors. The cup business took it a bit farther for around here. Strange story about the Christmas birds. Did that happen in Louisiana? Was the weather unusually warm? Crystal, I guess you could do what you want about this partial nest--no harm in leaving it. The EABL might even use it at night herself! The cup is primitive yet and there's a chance she might even finish it off in the spring and use it. Gin
Atlanta, GA |
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blueburdluver |
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Posts: 341 (10/24/09 4:30 PM) |
Yes, the "Christmas Eggs" were found in Louisiana. In fact, just about 35 miles west of me.
We do have some very warm weather from September to December many years. We may have a night or two of it dipping down in the thirties or sometimes the "teens", but then it warms back up during the daytime. Like I said, I've found a complete nest and others close to half way finished. Also, one interesting thing I've seen is when I put a nice handful of straw or grass in the box over the foil for winterizing, the birds will do their little round and round packing in it and it will have a little round cup formed in it! They roost in the box too. Evelyn Delhi, LA |
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BeaconofLight |
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Posts: 789 (10/25/09 10:26 AM) |
Maybe she is trying to get a head start for next breeding season.
 Weird indeed. I have had my blues hanging around the house inspecting it, but nothing being laid in it. Then again I am way up far north in
Michigan so I doubt they will even attempt to build a nest at this point. Keep us posted.
Soonja
Grand Haven, MI Marylander at Heart! |
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tamsea |
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Moderator Posts: 5959 (10/26/09 9:04 AM) |
Hmm. so interesting. That nest is so loosely made. Not tightly woven like mine are usually. So weird. Keep us posted. I've had a layer of pine needles
in mine over the winter but never that much and never a cup.
How long ago did you last check the nestbox? Could it be a nest that was started in August and you never saw it until now? Tammy
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BluesGA |
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Posts: 27 (10/26/09 9:46 AM) |
Cleaned the box out after spring and first of this month put the pine shavings in...........Here they are:
Crystal~Georgia
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