By KELLY BOSTIAN Outdoors Writer on Jul 3, 2012, at 11:33 AM Updated on 7/03 at 11:33 AM
THE OUTDOORS
Our bluebirds marked Mothers Day with the beginning of a new clutch of eggs.
Nest building began May 6 and egg number one ...
The nesting attempt summary is this: First egg, March 24; total eggs, three; first hatched April 11; total hatched, two; ...
Three Oklahoma lakes again made the Bassmaster 100 Best Bass Lakes list for 2013.
Northeast Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ ...
Today only two eggs remain in the bluebird box and I haven't seen the female since Sunday, although the male has been hanging around again.
The egg disappeared with no trace and the nest is not disturbed. But, more than the missing egg, something's just not right this time.
The first egg was laid June 10 and the last of the three on June 15. The incubation period is 12 to 14 days. Something should have hatched before the end of the month, especially given the warm weather. It's been 18 days.
Did the heat kill the eggs? Possibly, although the heat was worse last year at this time and the birds did just fine in the same spot with the same heat protection.
The timing was odd on this attempt from the beginning. It was the quickest turnaround from one nest to the next that I've recorded. Then the eggs were laid every other day instead of the typical one per day. It was also the fewest eggs this female has lain. Normally she has four or five. It was the third clutch of the season but last year the third clutch had four eggs and the timing was typical.
Something was off from the start on this one. Perhaps the eggs simply weren't viable in the first place? Odds of success always decrease with later nest attempts.
It's hard to know what happened, but it's not looking good this time. I'll give the two remaining eggs a few more days, but it sure looks like this attempt is a failure.
The absence of the female and reappearance of the male near the nest box makes me wonder if they've given up on the eggs and the cycle is starting again.
A fourth brood attempt is a possibility. We'll just have to wait and see.
Only active print or digital subscribers of the Tulsa World are allowed to post comments on stories posted to Tulsaworld.com. After you fill out the form below and click submit, your comment will be published instantly online along with your screen name.
By clicking "Submit" you are agreeing to our terms and conditions.
