The Red-bellied Woodpeckers
have been bringing their young ones to the yards in recent weeks, and I was only ever able to hear them, they sound like a high-pitched, sharp and excited whistle-woosh. Now yesterday, one of the babies finally dared to come to the camera. I love these “unfinished” woodpeckers, no matter what species, their babies are stinking adorable. In the coming weeks, it will become more clear if this is a male or a female when the feathers on the head begin to take more color. The males are all red while the females have a grey forehead and red cap.
Dr. Clara and Mandrake
have not returned to the nestbox recently, but they are still hanging around, and with them are usually two to three young ones. This Bluebird season has been a bit less exciting than in previous years, which kind of fits the whole birdwatching summer this year, but I hope they stick around and will be frequent visitors in fall and winter, which is what they usually do.
Common Grackles
are seemingly not everybody’s favorite due to their big appetite and sometimes overwhelming presence. I personally find them fascinating and love watching their interactions and behavior. And as with basically all animals, the young ones are particularly fun to watch. Some of the adults are still molting heavily while others are as shiny and gorgeous as in spring.
Since there are plenty of them around
right now, here is another gallery of the blue screemers. Young and old, molting and not, individuals or groups. It feels like they are watching when I come out because as soon as I step away from a refill, they will be on the feeder. The babies are just so wonderfully goofy at that young age.
(Top row: adults, middle row: two young, a parent on the left and a baby on the right in the middle, baby, bottom row: all young ones (the photo in the middle captured Blue Jay spirit perfectly)
Blue Jay babies
are all over the backyard right now, vocally as well as in numbers. I always find it interesting to see how individual birds differ in regards to markings or even age. In this little selection, there are some older ones as well as one that looks like it just stumbled out of the nest (the first one). As you can see, they also love mulberries.
Nestbox update - House Wren
After no adult bird came to feed the Wren babies for almost 24 hours, we thought and pondered all day and then took them out the nestbox and brought them to a rehabber (Wild Wings in Hazel Park, they will be happy about donations, it is how they finance their good work). They were nine days old yesterday, not ready to fledge. The day before, the parent had fed them almost every 5 to 10 minutes, then suddenly nothing. The camera takes videos when there is motion or sound. It did not malfunction and I checked the clips as well as the livestream regularly to make sure. I did not want to see the babies die in the box, and I think waiting until the next morning would have sealed their destiny.
No adult bird has returned to the nestbox since. There are strong little birds and I hope they make it. Birds have a rough life, and unfortunately it happens that baby birds lose their parent/s too soon. The good thing is that there are licensed rehabbers who will take them in and care for them until they are ready to fledge.
I hope I get some updates. Be well, Wren babies ❤️
The baby Blue Jays
are all over the backyard now, exploring baths, feeders and plants. I absolutely adore these creatures with their curious and utterly cute faces and behavior. Some of them have been getting into the large Mulberry tree on the neighbor’s lot that is a huge bird magnet. If you wonder how to tell they are youngsters apart from the behavior - check out the pink edges of their beaks.
Video: Dinner with the Blues!
The Bluebird babies have been in the yard for a couple of days, but the male always fed them by the caged feeder (that has no cam on it). Last night, they finally led them to the open tray, and Mom and Dad joined in the feeding duties. I have seen all five babies at some point but harsh weather, natural predators or individualism might have separated the siblings. Anyways, here is some happiness to make your Saturday better. (No, the babies are not considerably larger, the angle makes it appear so.)
Now that July is here,
more and more bird babies are coming to explore the backyard. Some are camera shy, others not so much. It always stops me in my tracks when I am out there and see them, I just stand there and watch. They are mood boosters, they instantly make you smile. Here’s a baby MoDo, one of the several Orioles and a Bluebird baby. I hope to see more of all of them, and I hope the Cardinal brood will step into the spotlight too - they have at least two youngsters.
Hatch day for the House Wrens
Yesterday, the House Wren babies have started to hatch. It was interesting to see how the female was taking the egg shells out rather than eating them. But maybe she ate some and threw some out because seven eggs make a lot of egg shell. In the video, you see her tossing out two shells and then you also get a glimpse of the teensy babies. Since they built the whole structure so well, lighting in the box is a bit murky but hopefully things improve a bit once the babies get bigger. I think that so far, all but two eggs have hatched. I am curious to see if the babies will keep them busy enough so that the male loses interest in the BB box. So far, he has not returned with any sticks. The BBs are still around too. They feed their babies from brood 2, and at least the male checks by the box regularly.
Times are busy,
which can be good and bad. Good because thoughts don’t linger, bad because there is not enough time in the day to do what one would like. More bird babies have started to show up, and things are now becoming very entertaining at the bird bath and generally. The youngsters sometimes seem to be even bigger than the parents and still beg them for food. But they also go their own ways. And since they aren’t perfect adult birds yet, they are adorable to watch. The Wren babies also started to hatch today, and I hope to give a little update on that tomorrow. Anyways, here is a young Blue Jay, testing out that beautiful crest.
I know I have not been posting a lot recently, but I am having a hard time because the days are longer and there are more photos and I also have a lot of work with my job. But I am trying to catch up and hope for a little break soon :) Be sound and come good into Thursday.
Video: Fledge day!
Four of the Bluebird babies left the nest early this morning. There is a runt, and he / she is still in the box, all dry with torrential rain outside. It was cool to properly see and hear the process of them getting ready to leave, it’s gotta be such a big decision for them. They do a back and forth call with the parents, and once they feel save enough, they just go In the second video you can hear the parent answering outside a bit too. The third video was a cute scene from the other morning. Mom came to check on the babies, and the sun made her shadow appear on the wall like a little movie.
Update - all five babies have fledged now. That a big day for them! The last one left the box at around 2 pm during heavy rain. Such a little trooper.
Things have been busy
for me work-wise lately, so I wasn’t able to dedicate as much time to bird photos as I wanted, but I have put the cameras out every day and curated the harvest. But there is also a relative calm in the backyard. The Wren has now five eggs, which is wonderful. I can hear baby Blue Jays and mostly baby Grosbeaks but they are rare to see still. The Bluebird babies are ready to go and I think they will fledge tomorrow. The weather forecast is a bit nasty, but I think they are so sick of the nest they will go for it. There will be photos tomorrow / Friday. Good night!
This week was exciting
despite a lot of work because of the beautiful development of the Bluebird babies but also the Wren box. It looks a lot like Sir Corleone has found a female, and she has been busy making the nest more cozy. Since male and female pretty much look alike, I am not entirely certain if it is indeed a female, but I am keeping an eye on things.
Other than that, the first Grackle babies have shown up. I know many people are having their issues with these birds but I cannot help but love them. They just look so cute with their amber eyes and little brown coats, and it is funny too to hear their adorable squeaks after weeks of haunting juvenile Starling screeches.
Video: Dr. Clara and Mandrake
both take turns to bring caterpillars, flies, moths, yellow jackets and spiders to their young. It is amazing what these tiny shrimp can swallow, but often, they need to empty themselves right away too. Which is what you see here. Mom takes the white fecal sac, the "diaper", and either eats it or discards it away from the nest.
Nestbox update: Bluebirds
I have enjoyed peeking into the nestbox via camera all week, and am happy to report that everything looks fine with these Bluebird babies. The fifth egg hatched one day later than the first four, but all babies look healthy and have been growing well. The summer weather is a two-sided coin, I am always a bit nervous about them getting too hot, but I think it is also giving Dr. Clara a break because she does not have to sit in the box the whole time. When she does, Mandrake often comes to bring food. There are plenty of insects in our yard so I am fairly sure that this brood has a good start in life. I will post some more videos later this weekend.
Videos: Finally!
It’s hatch day for the Bluebirds 🥰 Very early in the morning, Dr. Clara and Mandrake's babies started to hatch. In the first video, you can see her helping and also eating the eggshell. In the second video, you can see Mandrake coming in, making a call and bringing food. The vocal interactions during incubation have been sparse, but now there is communication each time food is brought. Four have hatched, one egg is left. It is swampy outside today, so they should feel nice and comfy.
You may have heard them
and seen them on my livestream - the Starlings have started to bring their young to the yard. I won’t let them nest on my property but I guess they are finding spots nearby. While they can be annoying with their noise and the mess they leave behind, I still find their babies adorable and it is funny to see the interactions with the seemingly bothered parents. The camera captures their spirit perfectly 😆
It has rained
Bluebird babies yesterday while I was gardening in the evening. I am happy to report that it now looks like all four have made it. They are seemingly different characters, some more enthusiastic and brave than others. They are still focused on the parents and follow them around but they will become more independent in the coming weeks. Hopefully, they stick around and will help the parents defending the nestbox. It was absolutely wonderful to sit in the yard last night and just listen and watch. My favorite time of the year is here.
Dr. Clara and Mandrake
and me have had a rough couple of days. After they sucessfully fledged four babies, the couple disappeared as usual to show the babies the world. They did come back occasionally to feed and check on the box. One day, however, a House Sparrow took a liking to the box. This was a first, it has never happened in five years. I use a Gilbertson box, which they usually do not like, with fishing line around the entrance, and the sparrow spooker also was still up. Shooing and spooking the sparrow did not deter him and his lady. One day, I was not home for one hour, and the sparrows had started a nest in the Bluebird box. House sparrows are invasive to the US and can have negative effects on the breeding success of native species like the Bluebirds. I will not let them nest in my boxes.
Eventually, I took the Gilbertson down. After one day, the sparrows moved on. I was very upset about this whole situation and decided to be proactive. I researched and built another box, a slotted style called Troyer. The slot and its relatively small volume are something that HOSP are usually not fond of. The slot lets in lots of light, and they like it dark and deep. The slot opening also enables the female to escape if a House sparrow should go in there to attack her. I also updated the camera in the same step. Now the BBs have brought their baby (it looks like possibly one one of the four has survived this far) to the backyard yesterday, and they have been checking out the new box already too. I hope this all works out, I did not like changing things like that mid-season but I did not want to keep the old box up that the sparrows ended up liking. This is a weird spring.
For more information on how to help Bluebirds and other native cavity nesting birds, check out sialis.org.
