Date: Wed, 8 May 2002 11:29:35 -0700 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Lynette Fullerton Subject: First Time Bluebird "Mom" In-Reply-To: <008d01c1f6fc$35960460$c4042144@towson01.md.comcast.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Forgive me for gushing, but I just wanted everyone to know that one of the boxes I put up at work (at Crownsville Hospital Center, in Anne Arundel County) finally has become home to a bluebird family! I put up two boxes last year in what I thought to be perfect habitat - bluebirds all over the place, honestly! I never got any bluebirds, but 'evicted' one house sparrow after another. This year one of the boxes finally has bluebirds nesting in it! I checked last week and found a bird sitting on a nest. I've been keeping an eye on the box from my office window, and have seen a bird fly up to the box, poke its head in, and then leave again. When I checked the box today I could hear the babies before I even opened the box. There was no adult on the nest - is that normal, were they both possibly out gathering food, or did I scare the adults away? I didn't see any near the nest box as I approached it - and I could see 3 nestlings poking their heads up! Okay...So, now that I've gotten this far, what should I do next? I've read articles, but I'm still not sure how much attention is too much attention. Should I check the box anymore, or is it enough to know that they're there? I'd like to be able to track their development, simply because I've never had an opportunity like this, but not if it would cause undue stress for the birds. I'd also like to take pictures, but again I'm not sure how much attention is all right, and how much is just plain harassment. Thanks in advance for any suggestions or advice you can share! ===== 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!? Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health.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 ======================================================================= =========================================================================