Bonus: Bluebirds

Is there a support group for people who are addicted to taking photos of bluebirds?  If so, I need to join!  I see bluebirds... I have to grab my camera.  Help?!

Maybe the 'help' is that I can share them with you?  I just did a whole post about bluebirds on March 9th, so this one is a 'bonus', but it's also because I happened to capture on film (as we used to say when we used film) something I mentioned in that post.  Remember how Mama and Papa Bluebird were guarding their nesting box after chasing off another bird?  Thanks to the fact that I had my camera set to high-speed burst and was already taking photos of the bluebirds when it happened again on Sunday morning-- I captured it!

I'm going to label each photo with the time it was taken.  (Instead of "A Few Moments with Mama and Papa Bluebird", this post could be called "A Few Seconds...")

We start off with Mama Bluebird looking pretty on top of the box.

6:54:40

 Then Papa joins her.

6:56:05

 Next is when the excitement begins: Papa goes into action....

6:58:05

6:58:06

6:58:06

6:58:06

 At this point, that burst had to be recorded on my camera, which takes a very brief moment.  In the next burst you can see the 'enemy'-- a starling!

6:58:15

6:58:15

6:58:15

Wow!  I was a little sorry I wasn't zoomed out a bit, as I didn't capture all of the birds in action-- but I still think the photos are neat. If I hadn't already been taking pictures, I would have missed it all.

Now, Mama and Papa go back to sentry duty.

6:58:24

6:59:11

 Finally, Mama checks inside to make sure everything is okay.

6:59:57

As I think I am hopelessly addicted to watching and photographing our bluebirds, stay tuned for more "Adventures with Mama and Papa"!

Some Happy News

"I met a girl who sang the blues, and I asked her for some happy news...."  

In a previous post I was singing the blues because I was wondering what had happened to our baby bluebirds.  Well, I am delighted to report the happy news that they are doing fine!

This is how they looked on June 14th when I peeked into their nest box:

Then I went away for a week, and when I checked the box after I came home, the babies were gone. It only takes them about a week and a half to be ready to leave the nest, but then the parents keep feeding them for about 3 weeks after they fledge-- so  I kept a close eye out for the three little ones.  I kept watching and watching, but I only saw the adults.  In fact, they seemed quite interested in another one of our nesting boxes.  Were they thinking about having a second brood?

They hung around in our yard as they usually do and I enjoyed seeing them, but I worried about the babies.

Until the Fourth of July, that is... as our family gathered to have a picnic on the back porch, guess who showed up?!! Yep, the three little bluebirds!  I was too busy to get any pictures that evening, but they were still hanging around our garden the next morning.

And they've been hanging around since then, too.  It's been wonderful to step out our back door to watch and listen to them.

They are learning to be like their mama and papa so they fly down from the garden fence into the lawn to try to catch insects.  

However they don't seem to be too good at it yet and papa still feeds them sometimes.

Or shows them what good bugs there are in our garden...

Mama is around, too.  Doesn't she look kind of tired?  It must be quite a job watching over these babies.

They certainly seem to me to have expressive faces (though it's because they keep tilting their heads to watch for insects).

Someday, that little guy will look just like his papa, but for now he still needs to practice his skills to become a graceful bird.  Just watch how he tries to look 'cool' in this video:

Besides sitting on the garden fence, they sometimes sit on the nearby maple tree or the edge of the garage roof.

For now, they seem to like to hang out together.  Often, close together!

"We've got the whole tree, but he's got to sit almost on top of me!"

Although, just like any 'kids' they seem to annoy each other sometimes, too.

"I was here first!"

It's pretty unusual to have all three together for a photo opp.  Two of them look cute in the next photo:

But early this morning I happened to see this...

It kind of looks like they are figuring out what they are going to do today, doesn't it?  Then, off goes one, and the others follow.  

"Let's go!  See you later!"

Now, I'm not singing the blues, I'm singing about the blues...
the baby bluebirds, that is! 

New babies, new book

When I wrote last, I told you about the bluebird babies in our nest box #2.  Then I was away for almost a week.  This is the photo I took of the babies just before I left:

June 14th

As soon as I got home, I checked the box and it was empty.  The male and female bluebirds are still hanging around our yard, in fact they have been checking out a different house, but I have not seen the juveniles.  I'm hoping for the best, but usually the parents feed the young for about 3 weeks after they leave the nest, so I'm afraid something might have happened to them.  But we can hope they made it and are around somewhere.  Perhaps the parents will have a second brood.

Bluebirds on June 21st checking out Box #1

And there are other babies close by!  House wrens are busy feeding their brood in a nest box under our big hemlock tree.  

Both the male and female wrens feed the babies (at least after the first few days... in the beginning for about 3 days after they hatch, the father brings food to the mother and she gives it to the babies).  It's impossible to tell the parents apart from their appearance, but if you see it sing, then you'll know it's the male.

Singing a little song for the babies!

They are making many, many trips to bring food to their young ones.

Pausing for a little break before delivering baby food.

That's quite a mouthful... and after checking me out, in to the babies it goes.

Besides taking food in, the adults have the job of bringing out the fecal sacs.  Keeping the nest clean is important, too.

Every time a parent brings food, loud chirping erupts from the box!  So cute.  I hope I'm around to see them leave their home.  The chicks are supposed to stay in the nest for about 3 weeks.  Of course, I don't know what day they hatched, so it will be a lucky guess to be watching when they are ready to fly.  Like many birds, after they leave the nest, they'll be fed and taught to catch their own meals by their parents until they are ready to go it alone.  So maybe I'll see them in our little woods, or maybe the parents will take them to a safer spot up in the big woods.  

Being away meant I missed the bluebirds fledging, but I came home to more baby birds and while I was away I bought myself a great souvenir-- a new bird book.  

 It's a kids book, but I couldn't resist buying it for myself.  It's full of beautiful photos and lots of great information.   For instance, here's the spread about House Wrens:

The author is Adele Porter and it's published by Adventure Publications.  Whether you are interested in learning more about birds yourself, or getting a child interested in birds, I would highly recommend it.  

Baby Bluebird Cuisine

There are small, hungry babies in our yard, and so there are also busy parents.  And, there are fewer and fewer bugs! 

If you are squeamish about seeing the insides of a caterpillar-- I'll warn you now, you may not want to continue reading!

On June 6th, I started noticing our bluebirds taking food to their house.

From winged insects to caterpillars, they've been keeping the food coming since then.

Mr. Bluebird doesn't seem to mind me watching, though he does keep his eye on me.  The mother is much more shy, and if I'm outside, I rarely see her taking food to the babies.  So I'm careful not to bother them for any length of time.

Luckily, I can also see them without bothering them at all, by watching from our bedroom window.  This morning I happened to look out and see Mr. Bluebird with a dragonfly to feed the youngsters.

It would have been interesting to see that get eaten!  I have no idea if each baby would get a piece or if one baby got to eat the whole thing.  I've taken a quick peek inside the box, and it looks like there are three babies.  This is them on the 8th:

The bluebirds have been making good use of our garden and lawn to catch their meals.  They also frequently use the tops of the fence posts to do food prep.  Next is a series of photos showing Mr. Bluebird doing just that.  (Now would be the place to stop looking if you have an easily upset stomach!)