As in blue birds, no? It should be fun watching them grow. Let us know how they turn out.

Robins eggs! How cool. Enjoy watching your new little flock.

Barbie

Great photoes. :o)

Hi Carol

Congratulations on the blue eggs, keep us posted...nice pictures!

Silvia

Way too cool! I have not see those since I was a kid, do you suppose being almost 300lbs has something to do with not climbing in trees anymore :-) :-(

How woderful that you were able to get so close without disturbing them! !

I was chanelling Wallisadi's format (wordless). Kinda fun!

These are Eastern Bluebird eggs. Bluebirds are quite tolerant of nest checks. I try to do checks when the adults are away from the house so I don't have to disturb them. Yesterday, Mama Bird was already away from the house when I took those photos. But I could see her inside there, sitting on the eggs, all day long today. Just the tip of her beak peaks out of the hole. It is so cute.

I'll post more photos when the babies arrive!

Carol

The baffle below the house is to prevent snakes from climbing in? The birds will chase off the squirrels, no?

Are you near an open area? I have the impression that blue birds like open areas and tend to nest in areas nearby these areas.

Yes, the baffle is to prevent predators (snakes, raccoons, etc.). I use a clamp, a tennis ball with a big X cut on opposite sides, and a giant wad of nylon net held in place with a rubber band - all underneath the baffle.

Bluebirds are insect eaters (they don't eat seed) and they do like an open grassy area, but my backyard is just a normal suburban lawn. In fact, I have turned so much of my back yard into beds, that I only have about 50% grass. As you can see, mine is a few feet from the hedge, with the opening toward the lawn. Well, angled a little bit toward the house so I can watch the activity.

Here is a great "How-To" that I followed to put up my bluebird house:

Page 1 (also linked below): http://bluebirdnutcafe.yuku.com/topic/5934/How-I-install-a-nest-box#.T8taeFJGTVA

Page 2: http://bluebirdnutcafe.yuku.com/topic/5934/How-I-install-a-nest-box?page=2#.T8tam1JGTVA

The cedar houses are at Lowes, Walmart and Home Depot for around $12.

Here are links to baffles:

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2041965&kw=baffle&origkw=baffle&searchId=54312915954

http://www.lowes.com/pd_212554-11986-BY05_4294936849__?productId=3354866&Ntt=bird&pl=1ätURL=%2Fpl_Outdoor%2BLiving_4294936849__s%3FNtt%3Dbird%26page%3D2&facetInfo

It is an easy project and I got bluebirds my first year. I highly recommend it!

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Bluebird Nut Cafe - How I install a nest box

Thanks for posting this, Carol. I think this is something that I will try to do. The instructions are great. My neighbor who lives near the golf course about 300 yards from my house says he frequently sees bluebirds.

I'd like to see if we can both make houses.

Tom, that's great! Please post photos when you get the houses up.

I put up my house in early 2010. I used 1" EMT conduit and 1" EMT conduit straps to attached the house to the pole. I've never had any problem whatsoever with slippage or the house spinning. The conduit straps fit very, very snugly.

Carol

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I assume the tennis ball is slipped over the pole,... Correct?

Is the netting stuffed through the ball holes, too? Or is it tied above the ball up in the baffle? What function do these two features provide?

I have three houses in the yard. Two are not in the best places. However, #3 is in a perfect place and I am still waiting. They are all more then 50 feet apart.

I am fairly close to Dead River and Hillsborough River State Parks and I know they nest there.

Hi Veronica,

That is wonderful that you have bluebird houses! I hope you get some birds soon. I do think the location is important. I had my mother's in a bad place and bluebirds started using the house almost the day after I moved it to a better spot.

Below are some additional photos of the net and tennis ball assembly. After you put the pole in the ground, and before you attach the house, put these on in this order:

1) Clamp - goes on the bottom - mine came with the baffle that I purchased at Ace Hardware (see link in previous post). Purpose is to hold up the baffle.

2) Wad of nylon net and rubberband - goes on next, above the clamp. I used nylon net that you buy by-the-yard at Walmart in the Sewing department. I used a heavy-duty newspaper rubberband, doubled it up and slid it over the top of the pole. Then I pulled the nylon net under the rubberband so that about half of the net was above and half below the rubberband. Purpose is to get any wayward snake caught up in the net and not find any opening/hole between the baffle center and the pole.

3) Tennis ball - goes on next, above the clamp and the net. Very hard to cut an "X" on opposite sides of the ball. I did it by puncturing each side with a knife and then using my Dad's heavy-duty workbench scissors/shears. Purpose is to eliminate any opening between the center of the baffle and the pole through which a snake might pass.

4) Baffle - goes on top. Slides over top of pole and rests on top of tennis ball. The baffle is supposed to wobble; it is not supposed to be fixed or steady. The wobble is to make it unsteady and more difficult (hopefully impossible) for a raccoon or other predator to climb over it.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. I have had so much fun watching my bluebirds. Once the babies are born, the parents are relentless. They go back and forth to the hole in the box, hundreds of times a day, to keep up with all of those eager, open mouths! And you can hear the babies inside: they sound just like the giggling Munchkins in the Wizard of Oz!

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Dorthy lands in Munchkin land

Thank you! Very helpful and I will be modifying my set ups.

Congrats on your babies!