Nestbox News: Hmmm
During my break, I continued to monitor my two nestboxes, and in the last week, there has been activity in both. A Bluebird couple has cleaned up the box, and I hope they will choose it. The other box has gotten a lot of interest from a Chickadee couple but they also have not started anything. There is a hole restrictor on that box so that larger birds cannot enter. I hope the Chickadees make a decision soon and before the House Wrens arrive so that I can fit a guard to the box in time. I am ready for this nesting season to finally begin.
Nestbox news: Doing the shuffle
The Bluebirds have been doing a lot of nestbox visits to inspect and clean up recently. This year's couple is named Johnny and June, and here you can see her doing her little shuffle for the first time this season. She has not actively started building yet but given that last year she begun March 1, we may be close to that.
I am again using the 6 inch diameter PVC box that I made last year. The little grid you see on the bottom is just the lid of a suet cage on which I bent the corners to fit. It is in there to elevate the nest from the bottom to help with ventilation and also to help prevent harm from Blowfly larvae (they hide in the bottom of a nest and only come out at night to feast on the babies. The female is usually aerating the nest, and in my thinking, the larvae will fall down and end up on the floor underneath the grid from where they cannot climb up to the babies.)
Also - a happy Women’s Day to all on this March 8th.
The Bluebirds also came over today.
It looks like they still have not decided which box they want to use, but I would love for them to go for their usual spot. This year’s couple is gonna be Johnny and June. The male was around more frequently in the last couple of weeks but the female has started to come around more too. I am expecting her to start nest building soon but I also hope she takes her time because winter temps are not over yet. I love seeing how the female differs from the male in appearance (she’s photo 2 & 3).
Video: Early visit
The BBs were back early today and came visiting all throughout the day too. Here, the male goes in to inspect and the female peeks in. Having a cam in the box made me love them even more, it is so cool to listen to their conversations. As I said earlier this week, I added a suet cage to the floor. This has two reasons, one is that it will lift the nest a little bit, improving ventilation from below, and two it may help in case of a Blowfly larvae infestation. The larvae can fall down underneath the nest and if a nest change is needed, I can pull a nest a lot easier from this top-opening box and replace it. I added the pine needles and some dry wood pieces because they like to take things in and out before they start, and it give the box a bit more patina. It has been used for three broods but I am sure it still has a bit of a “new” feel to it.
One good part about
being very meticulous and passionate about making sure the Bluebirds can nest safely is that they may return in fall and winter. This has been the case here ever since I started putting out nestboxes, and made Eastern Bluebirds a year-round delight for me. I am aware that I am lucky and spoiled but I can also tell you that nesting season is creating tense times in this household. Anyways, with colder weather they are showing up again, and some still have the baby specks showing through. I like to pick individuals, and one of the girls looks like she has very pronounced “jowls”.
Video: Siblings
Yesterday, the Bluebird family returned, and this time the youngsters checked out both nestboxes. They seemed particularly interested in the twoholer, coming several times to explore. I thought it was neat to see them using the two holes so effortlessly. And of course it was hilarious to watch the little sibling rivalries going on. They very much reminded me of me and my sisters. They are not nesting right now, they are kind of scouting the area and also practise for spring.
Nestbox news: Everybody is thriving
The temperatures are very lovely at the moment, not too hot, not too cool. The garden is visibly regaining juice and strength, and the Bluebird babies are thriving. I was so happy to see that the fourth egg hatched yesterday in the morning too. I hope with only four, the runt will quickly catch up. Also, believe it or not, I am still fascinated and enamoured watching this whole process even if it is the third time this season. Bluebirds are just so charming and entertaining. Here it looks like Gayle does not really like Mr. Business to come in and feed the babies. But at the same time, she is also quickly following him when he leaves. He does get his alone time with te babies too, though.
Nestbox news: Welcome, brood 3!
I suspected that hatching would happen soon when I saw some marks on the eggs late yesterday. And this morning at around 6, the babies started hatching. This is brood 3 for Gayle and Mr. Business. The babies from the second clutch are also still around and I wonder if maybe this time they will help raising the babies. The Wren guard is still in place even if I have not heard a Wren in forever. We had awful heat here in the last couple of days but today, it broke, and I actually ave the windows open. Here’s to a smooth rest of August.
Update August 10 - this morning, the last baby hatched as well.
hatching Eastern Bluebirds in nestbox
Nestbox news: The wreturn of the little terror
I have’t posted an update in a bit, so today is a good day. The babies are now 11 / 12 days old. Their eyes are open and their feathers are coming in, They grow by the minute thanks to Gayle and Mr. Business feeding them pretty much constantly. I was surprised to see them even feeding them mulberries but I was glad to see it too because the weather has been very hot and the mulberries I guess provide lots of moisture. When the last baby was 7 days old, I took the Wren guard off the box. It is recommended to take it off between day 5 and 10 after hatching. Then, the babies are big and heavy enough so that the Wren does not pose a threat anymore. Well, and yesterday, the Wren returned to check out the box. I edited the video a bit to make it shorter, but the Wren pretty much got in, tried to poke the babies and on the second try actually tried to yank one out. Thankfully, the baby was big enough so there was no way the Wren could finish the deed. The Wren in the other box has laid egg 2 by now. I hope that somehow between the Bluebirds fledging and Gayle starting nest 3, the Wren brood will keep them so busy that they don’t venture out again to check for nests. I will of course attach the Wren guard again too and hope it does it’s magic a second time.
A happy sight
this morning - Gayle and Mr. Business are bringing the babies closer and I was lucky to get a little glimpse of one of them getting fed by Dad. I am not sure how many are there, sometimes not all of them make it in the wild. Gayle has ramped up her building efforts this morning too and is quickly filling the box. I am glad they hang around more now and I hope the Wren stays away. Have a great Wednesday!
Nestbox news: 3 minute mayhem
Sorry, yet another Bluebird baby post. But they are very entertaining and exciting to watch right now. The babies are now 12 days old, their eyes are open, they are still napping a lot but are also more aware and awake. The feathers are really coming in now, giving them an odd apearance with fluff as well as hard sheaths. They are grooming a lot to open the sheaths. And every three minutes, an adult bird comes to feed them. I love these little grumpy faces so much.
Nestbox news: What goes in must come out... and in!
The babies are five days old and have grown steadily thanks to the constant stream of food brought by mom and dad. And what goes in, must come out. When a baby is fed, it usually relives itself right after. In the beginning, the parents will eat the fecal sac, apparently it contains nutrients that the babies cannot digest yet.
The most exciting thing
this week for me was watching the Bluebird family raise their babies. Wednesday night, temperatures dropped to below zero, and when I saw the parents bringing dried mealers in the box, I rehydrated some of them in boiling water and after cooling, mixed them with the dried ones to help them a bit on that frosty morning. There is a constant coming and going, and Gayle and Mr. Business are bringing all kinds of insects to feed the babies, and apparently, we have some icky stuff crawling around here 😆
Here is Mr. Business in all his glory. There will be more nest videos soon too, I just need some time! Have a great Friday - it looks like frost is over!
Nestbox news: Back in business!
The weather has been rather nasty this week, and Gayle did not really do a ton on the nest. Today that changed, though. Temperatures were lovely but you could not feel them because there was a big storm raging all morning and the first half of the day. Yet, Gayle resumed her efforts and made quite some progress. I hope this means the weather will continue to improve now. All the visits in this clip are from today, I edited a bit.
Nestbox: Meet Gayle and Mr. Business
These two are coming several times a day now, go in, go out, take or bring material. There is not active nestbuilding yet as far as I can tell, this is more like a courtship ritual. [And while I am writing this, she looks like she is actually bringing stuff in right now, cheered on by him. Time will tell, she took a whole month to make the first nest last spring too.] Everytime they come, he is first and then excitedly waves with his wings to greet her. I turned the camera a bit to include the entrance in the view, and I like that it will show a bit more of their interaction. I have also finally decided what the names of this year’s couple are going to be - please meet Gayle and Mr. Business. The weather is still on the frosty side, so I am happy they are having fun and are not busy with babies yet.
Happy Women’s Day!
It is very hard
to maintain focus right now. The Bluebirds are helping to lift my thoughts out of the dark terrain they tend to gravitate towards these days. There seem to be several couples, and they have started incredible air fights, trying to figure out who has dominance over the yard, feeder and nestbox. It is a lot like the world right now, but actually delightful to watch and listen to. Here is one of the females. Please be safe out there and hug your loved ones during these dark times. Also, if you want to help - get a sticker from my shop. We are going to make a donation to a cause that benefits the people in Ukraine.
I know I am posting
a lot of Bluebirds right now, but they are one of my favorites and I am so happy that they visit a bit more regularly. One of the fun aspects with them is that they usually don’t come by themselves. If you get them, you get a group. I like to think that over the years, I have helped to enlarge the Bluebird population in my area, and when they come back here, it is my little reward for the work, emotions and money invested in monitoring their nestings, putting out food and creating a habitat.
If you want to know more or are trying to get Bluebirds to visit your yard too, sialis.org is an excellent source of information.
Things are rather calm at the moment,
and I realize that I am writing this a lot but it is also kind of typical for the season. I am a bit glad because work has been quite demanding recently, too. However, my eyes cannot stay away from the yard, and it is always a pleasure to see something other than Blue Jays, MoDos or finches. Like my big bird love, these guys - the Bluebirds. Once again I could hear them this morning when I went out to fill the feeders and set up the cameras, and I got rewarded for daring to put some mealers in the open. I hope your week is going well!
The BBs came over today
and did not disappoint. Grumpy faces, beautiful detail and overall loveableness. I heard them when I got out for the second refill of the day and decided to try and put some mealers out in the camera feeders. I cannot set the clock to when they come but they are hagning around. Having mealers out in open feeders at all times would give me a bunch of Starlings, so I try to listen. Come good into the week!
Isn’t it funny
how the trees seem to change their color within a day? The sun was out too, and it was just spectacular outside with all the vibrance of nature, the greens (there is still a lot!), the yellows, the oranges, the red and even dark purples. I am a spring person, and fall is my second favorite, I think. And days like today are most enjoyable. The birds look fabulous against dramatic skies and foliage, and activity finally seems to pick up a bit. These are all from yesterday and today. There are at least three Redbellied Woodpeckers. One female, one male and one where I am not entirely sure (first photo). Everybody is cacheing - collecting nuts and seeds to store away for later.
