I have delayed reporting the status of the Eastern Bluebirds nesting in my yard until I determined their success. This is the first time in 15 years of bluebirding that I have had March eggs, and with the freakish weather, I wasn't sure they would hatch or indeed survive the critical first few days of life. The adults have stayed around all winter, helped by my supplemental feeding of mealworms and Julie Z.'s "suet dough" recipe (contact me off-list if interested). Nest building began in earnest on March 14th, although they were observed inspecting the box in mid January. Pair behavior was observed March 18 (perching together, wing-waving, territorial singing) and copulation on March 26. The first egg was laid March 27 and the fifth egg on March 31. Despite cold weather, hatching was on April 13 as predicted. (Average incubation periods are between 12 and 14 days; with one exception, my birds go 13 days on clutch one and 12 days for clutch two.) I was very concerned over the weekend of April 14-15, since the cold, wet, windy weather would make it very difficult for the adults to find the small, soft prey their young would need to survive, and I wasn't sure they would feed the suet dough or medium-sized mealworms to the nestlings. I believe that by continuing to provide supplemental food to the adults, they were able to save any natural prey items they found for their young. Also, the female was not forced to stray too far afield for food, and was able to brood her clutch sufficiently. Regardless, the little family is doing well. The 5 nestlings are strong and thriving, and with the return of more normal weather, I feel the entire clutch will pull through. The joy of backyard bluebirds is worth the anxiety of early nests and late winter, although I wouldn't want to do this again next year! Kathi Hutton Felicity, Clermont Co. Delorme pg 82, B3 Lat. 38.828, Lon. -84.063 A man's interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town. ~Henry David Thoreau, 1858 ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]