Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 08:20:37 -0700 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Lynette Fullerton Subject: Bluebirds - final update In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Hi everyone, A (semi) final installment in my bluebird drama. After finding the mother dead on Tuesday, I watched the box to see if the father would continue feeding the babies. I saw him return to the nest twice before I left work for the day. Yesterday, I watched off and on during the morning, but never saw the father go into the nest box (I did see him twice - once near the building, and another time actually perching on a wire near the box, as he had done often in the past). Around lunchtime I decided to check the box, concerned because I hadn't actually seen him go inside. When I opened it the chicks didn't make a sound or movement, and I thought they were dead. I lifted the nest out of the box, and it turns out that there were actually 5 chicks (I had only ever been able to see 3 up to that point). 2 of them were dead, but the other 3 were still alive. I called a wildlife rehabber, who told me to watch the nest to make sure that the father wasn't feeding them; if he wasn't, I should take them in. 'Dad' never showed the whole time I was watching, so around 4 I went and gathered the 3 remaining chicks and took them to the rehabber. He told me that they were dehydrated and probably had not been fed in a while. Of the 3, he said that two of them had a fairly good chance, and the third, smaller, not as good a chance. So, not the outcome I expected, but I learned a few things in the process. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the little goobies. On the homefront, I have baby cardinals flopping clumsily around the yard, very cute. I also finally have hummers coming to my feeder - at least two. I've only seen females, though. House wrens nesting in a house that I put out. And the male Baltimore Oriole is still around - I haven't been able to find a nest yet, but I'm thinking that if he's still here then there's hope. I'm looking forward to Sunday, when I will actually get a chance to stay home and enjoy all the birds! Take care, and good birding! ===== Lynette Fullerton Odenton, Anne Arundel Co., MD l_fullerton_1999@yahoo.com "I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contained, I stand and look at them long and long." --Walt Whitman, from Leaves of Grass __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================