It was another
dreary day today, and with feeders down, there was of course not a lot going on. I did notice that squirrels really do not like the hot bark butter but scraped the remains off the tree for the night so the Flying Squirrel is happy. And I dug into my folders of photos from the past. These are from a year ago today, and I have never published them. The BBs were visiting a lot because it was cold for a long time. Sigh. Come good into Friday!
The BBs
continue to stick around as well. In between visiting the nestboxes, they go to the caged mealworm feeder, filling their bellies and sharing the bounty with the Juncos who have also figured out how to get in there. The Bluebirds and I also have a little habit - in the evening when the daily traffic has basically ended, about five of them line up on the power lines and wait for me to fill the camera bowls. Then it is raining Bluebirds and I am finishing the birding day with a big smile on my face.
The Bluebirds
are showing some real interest in the Gilwood, they have been coming back every day to check it out and rearrange the wood shavings. I have seen her in there more often than him, which I take as a good sign. Yesterday, she jumped to the entrance and looked back down, jumped back down and looked back up, as if she was estimating the ceiling height. I built the box according to plans (here is a link, but I added a camera housing: Gilwood plans), so hopefully it fits her needs. Regardless of that she continues to crack me up with her grumpy little face.
It is an awkward time
with those very mild temperatures. The birds are finding an abundance of food all over the place and don’t really frequent the feeders much, except maybe for the MoDos. So I am happy for every visitor that is not a Dove. Today, the Bluebirds showed up during the golden morning hours. I think the cameras love them as much as I do. Come good into the week!
Video: Ragnar and two babies at the pool
I heard them yesterday but they didn’t come down, but today was the big day. Ragnar and Lagertha, the Bluebirds, brought their first set of babies to the backyard (her new nest is almost done too). I saw three, but I was keeping a distance, so I am not sure how many there are. They are as adorable as ever, and my heart is full of joy. Ragnar made a big display at the pool too, showing that wonderful slow moving of the wings that is so typical for Bluebirds. The baby bunny, a baby Robin and the baby Grack also paid a visit, and I think the livestream is going to be a lot of fun in the coming weeks.
I am still waiting
for Lagertha, the Bluebird lady, to lay her eggs. she is still prepping the nest, and I wonder if she holds out because of the snow. Ragnar, her partner, is patrolling the yard and making sure there are enough mealworms there to feed him and his future family.
