In my last post, I wrote about how I planned to replace the bird house the bluebirds were nesting in as soon as the babies left home. I didn’t have a chance. I went outside Tuesday and glanced at the bird house like I always do and… it was gone. The only thing attached to the hook it hung from was the roof. The rest of the house was on the seat of the swing. I checked inside; the nest was intact, and I didn’t see any baby bluebird corpses. However, when I checked the ground, there was a shattered egg.😢 I was heartbroken. Nature can be harsh, so I’m well aware that things happen to nests in the wild, but this one should have been safe.
The bird house was wooden and I was keeping an eye on it because the bottom was warped, causing a gap between the base and the rest of the house. There was no indication that there was a problem with the roof, so I was shocked at the complete failure of the structure. I immediately ordered the two houses I mentioned in my last post. The replacements arrived Thursday and Kenn put them up on Friday. (According to nestwatch.org, bluebird houses should be 300 feet apart.) Since the broken birdhouse was in a popular location, we placed one of the new ones there. However, the new one is firmly attached to a post, not hanging.
Saturday, the day after the new houses were put up, I got a couple of texts from Kenn.
A couple of hours later, I looked out the window and saw this.
Based on the activity we’ve seen, this couple is busily creating a new nest. I look forward to watching the development of the new family. Their new home is well built and made of recycled plastic, so it should hold up for several years. It’s also easy to clean out, unlike the one that failed.
Kenn also built a house for the Carolina wrens and mounted it on the carport post near the location of one of the earlier nests. Once again, according to nestwatch.org, we are in the height of Carolina wren nesting season, so it will be interesting to see if it will get used.
Here’s hoping for happier bird watching in the days and weeks ahead!
Linda Lou's Life 
You’re good people to provide shelter for your bird friends. I hope the birds appreciate what you’ve provided— and that you get some great photos of your tenants.
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Thanks. It did my heart good to see new tenants scoping out the replacement house so soon.
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I’m always crushed when birds lose their nests, too. Actually, I have a really hard time whenever any creature loses their babies!
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Me too.
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What a lovely surprise! I like the new blue, blue bird house.
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Me too! It comes in a variety of colors, but why go with anything other than blue?
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You did the best you could with the old bird house. But now the future looks bright thanks to your continued efforts!
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It was sad, but I learned what features to look for in bird houses going forward.
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Like you say, nature is cruel. All you can do is supply them with the shelter and hope for the best.
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Good luck with the new family Linda – they must like the location so were eager to start a new family. That just happened to a fellow blogger who lives in Washington state. While they were out of town for her father’s funeral, a cat attacked the Phoebes’ nest/eggs in their yard. Usually, their dog would have deterred this but they traveled with their dog. The neighbor reported the nest was gone as they were minding their house. They returned home and her husband put something to block the cat’s access and their Phoebes are already grabbing nesting materials to start anew. Nature isn’t always kind, but it is resilient!
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