So many of you are reporting nest boxes filled with eggs or even  hatchlings already!  We peeked in one of our boxes yesterday and spied five beautiful blue-

bird eggs.  We certainly encourage customers to monitor their nest boxes to watch for and remove wasps, bees and ants, or any hatchlings that  may have died, so the rest of the brood can grow healthy and strong.  If you do monitor your box, get a calendar and mark what day the eggs hatch. Eastern Bluebirds typically fledge between day 16 and 21, so monitoring the box should stop on day 13, when the young are becoming active and may fledge prematurely.  Bluebird fledglings (and most other cavity nesters) fly out of the nest when they are ready.  They may not be the strongest fliers, but do a much better job than some other non-cavity nesting birds.

Cardinals, doves, finches, towhees, robins, catbirds and many other birds that do not nest in cavities tend to fledge

before they can fly.  Since these species are raised in open, cuplike nests, they are more susceptible to predators, and therefore do not stay in the nest as long as cavity nesters.  They may fledge between 9 - 12 days after hatching.  Since they are not as developed, they may hop or fly just a few feet at a time for a few days or even a week as their wings grow stronger.  Their busy parents have an incredible job of keeping track of and feeding their young spread out all over the yard!  

As helpless at it looks, this baby Blue Jay is not in need of rescue!

 

It's at this critical time that many bird lovers find these fledglings and assume they need our help.  Please resist the urge to interfere! Many baby birds that are perfectly fine are "kidnapped" by people who mean well, but are not trained to care for a young bird. Properly licensed and  well-

trained rehabbers are overwhelmed every  spring and summer by people turning in babies that shouldn't have been taken at all.  If you find a fledgling hopping around, just make sure it's in a shady spot, out of danger from cars or pets, and stay away from it so the parents can feed it and it can go about learning to be a bird and to take care of itself!