FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Bluebirds

[KingletVA@xxxxxxx]

I am sorry to report all of the 5 Bluebird chicks are dead. Froze to death 
last night here on the mountain. I do not think Mama stayed in the nest. 
        They were being fed yesterday am. I left for work at 2:30 pm and the 
wind was up. This am, I noticed no feeding activity by the nest, although the 
male took the mealworms, but flew away with it, rather than popping head into 
the nest box.
       I replenished the nest made some noise to see if MOM would come out. 
No action, I opened box and found all five nestling curled tightly together, 
but ice cold. Obviously dead. I removed them from the box and put mealworms in 
the feeder again. 
      I am thinking, perhaps this was her first brood, and she does not know 
to sit on the nest at night. Hopefully, she will use the box again. If not, I 
have another box in the yard unoccupied. Any advice or comments, would be 
appreciated.
ilse jorgensen
Frederick County