...who were living in the nest in the hanging basket on the back porch in Decatur have flown. I had a report they were gone, and the nest, made of carefully scavenged mosses and lichens has one abandoned, unhatched egg. But babies fledged and flew away. Abandoning the tidy little nest neatly tucked in the pothos vine.
Hearing that made me wonder about the bluebird box mounted on a pole in my back yard. I have not noticed any activity, though I've been out there quite a bit lately, trying to keep things watered. Remembering reading you are supposed to clean the box out after the brood leaves, to make room for the next tenants or possibly the same pair again, if they decide to hatch another batch.
So I got my little step ladder (the same one that provided such amusement when pounding tomato stakes) and went out to inspect the box. I eased up close to the box, about eight feet off the ground, and didn't hear any little 'cheep, cheep,cheeping'. Nor was there a disturbed parent dive-bombing me as I balanced on the top of the step. Therefore, I assumed the season had passed, and it was unoccupied.
But when I opened up the side of the wooden box, and went to pull out the pine straw nest to discard, there were some fuzz covered little birdlets sleeping in there. At least I hope they were asleep. I will check tomorrow and maybe wiggle the post a bit to check for signs of life, possibly irate parents. Hopefully they were just out for a night on the town, before the onerous task of flight training begins.
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