Western Bluebird And Oak Titmouse Hatchlings

Western Bluebirds 2 to 5 Days Old photo by Larry Jordan

Oak Titmouse Chicks on Day 1 photo by Larry Jordan

As you can see in the top photo, six of the Western Bluebirds have hatched and that was the last egg count I had of this nest. I am thinking that they are at least three days old here because they have all hatched and they have some feather sheaths beginning to develop on their wings.

The Oak Titmouse, on the other hand look like they are just hatched. They are bare and there are only four hatchlings and I counted six eggs on my last count. I couldn’t see well enough inside the nest to see how many unhatched eggs were still there. Hatchlings this young are very delicate and it is best not to handle them at all.

I will keep you updated on the bluebird and titmouse families and try to check their nestboxes more frequently for the next ten days. It is very important not to check your nestboxes after day 13 as you may cause premature fledging of the young.

To see a complete set of photos from egg to empty nest, check out my friend Bet’s website here: Sialis.org She has an incredible amount of information on Bluebirds.