Bluebird Nestwatch 2016, Day 40

Bluebirds are in the house, the result of courtship behavior reported in last post. So I begin a formal daily watch of the new green bluebird house on the loblolly pine trunk in the backyard. New last year, that is, but nobody nested in it, presumably due to the squirrel that sat on the roof all the time, twirling and nibbling an acorn in its paws, like it thought Moe Miller installed a well-supported shelf on the tree just for him—or her.

But this year—oh lovely this—the bluebirds, early nesters that they are, beat him to it. Not to be trifled with, Mr. Blue makes a loud clicking sound and dive bombs any squirrel that comes near. Mild mannered bluebirds, come to find out, are as fiercely protective as any species when threatened, but otherwise are more secretive in their nesting habits than the gregarious housewrens of years past.  While Mr. Housewren sings his bubbly heart out from a nearby perch throughout the nesting cycle,  Mr. Blue sings his quiet murmury song only during courtship. Then once he and his mate settle on their home of choice, they get to work building their nest, and he stops singing. Between the bluebirds' quiet ways and my pre-occupation with other activities, I almost forgot about them this year, until I noticed, mid-March, a few silent comings and goings to and from the new house with small pieces of nesting material in their beaks—mostly moss, I think.

By now she is definitely sitting on eggs, which must be nearing hatch date, considering he's been protecting the house for days, quietly hanging around on nearby perches, bringing her sustenance, or scaring off squirrels. She occasionally comes to the doorway for longing looks into the world and flies out for short periods, but mostly I see only him. One of his favorite perches is the basketball backboard.

Notice the fallen cherry blossoms, too.  Gorgeous this year. 

Not exactly sure where in the chronology of the nest they are. I know from past watches, bluebirds require about two weeks from laying date to hatching date---and about two more weeks to fledge date.  What I don't know is how long from courtship to egg day. Since I was lucky enough to witness their polite mating behavior on Feb 23, which I'll call Day 1, I should be able to count backwards from the eventual fledge day to learn the answer to that question. I could find out online, no doubt, but it's ever so much more fun to discover it via my own daily observations.  I'm 39 days late to the party, but I begin the watch today. I'll report back. dkm

Go Bluebirds!

Drama in the cherry tree.  Who knew bluebirds would attack a squirrel?

Earlier observations had given me the impression bluebirds are as meek as they are beautiful. They allowed a tiny gregarious house wren to run them out of their chosen nesting box. They come to the deck feeder only when no others are there and leave the instant another approaches. He offers a quiet murmur of a song—never pretentious or arrogant—more complacent, even timid. They seem the model for quiet contemplation when they sit long on a low branch watching for worms in the grass.

Not this morning. Again and again Sir Blue came at the squirrel, preventing its progress along a branch in the cherry tree. When the squirrel didn't give up, Madame Blue joined in the aggressive flutter and dive-bombing act until the squirrel retreated down the trunk.

I knew the Blues had a nest nearby because he's been ever-present in the yard recently, busy in the relentless search for food. I've guessed she is sitting on eggs, and he's feeding her, but I couldn't tell where.

Not long ago they gave me hope when they investigated the two corner nesting boxes nailed to pinetree trunks in the upper yard near the house. One of those pines stands right next to the cherry in question, but I supposed the Blues chose a more hidden spot when I saw no more activity there.  Nobody has nested in those old boxes for years, I think because the squirrels have chewed the holes too large to be safe, but I don't know for sure. The last nesters were a family of tufted titmice several years ago.




This morning's repeated attacks on the squirrel sent me in search through the cherry tree and environs.  I could find only this messy collection of leaves and sticks. I thought it belonged to a squirrel, but other than the empty birdhouse on the pinetree, there could be no other place.

  Have my good and gentle bluebirds purloined a squirrels's nest? Wahoo! This will be fun to watch.  dkm

Post-fledge bluebird nest . . .

I removed the nest and swept out the box. It's been ten days since the bluebird nestlings morphed into fledglings, to use my friend Pearl's description of the elevating moment. By now I've seen both Sir and Madame Bluebird a couple of times each in the yard, and surprisingly, at the feeder.  Still keeping my fingers crossed for a second brood, but no sign of nesting activity at the box since fledge day.

Here's a close-up look at what the baby bluebirds left in their nest, for those who like the nitty gritty down and dirty details.  No wonder the Parents Bluebird were kept busy carrying off what the books call fecal sacs.  Not sure I would describe them as sacs.  They look to me more like simple blobs of you-know-what.  Click on photos to enlarge.

Whatever . . . I'm leaving tomorrow for a two-week retreat to work on another writing project without distraction, and may not be blogging during that time.  Unfortunately, I have finely-honed procrastination skills regarding my intentional writing work---so much so that going off to a place of solitude and reflection seems to be the only way to get back into my story and stay there.   

Blogging started out as an exercise to prepare my head for REAL writing.  Little did I know how much I would enjoy reading other blogs and interacting with their authors!  I have to put myself on blogging restriction if I intend to complete the 8th draft of current manuscript by July 31st, as is my goal. Here's hoping if I state it publicly I'll be more responsible. dkm   

Bluebird Nestwatch: Day 18

Still, we wait. The bluebird nestlings poked their heads and shoulders out of the nest box on and off all day, keeping me on the edge of my seat for six hours straight.  Amazing how long one can stay focused on one tiny spot when action is expected at any moment.   With binoculars, camera, and the natural eye, I was never bored for a second.   Couldn't tell how many nestlings there are.  At least one larger male with a blue head, and one smaller female with less colorful markings.  They vied for the lookout place in the doorway all day long.

You can do it, Baby Blue!

 The Housefinch Brothers cheered them on.

I hated to leave my post, but I had promises to keep that required a 3:00p departure.  When I left, the nestlings were still in the box with the parents attending regularly.

When I returned at 7:30p, there was no sign of any action around the nest box.  My fear is that they fledged in my absence.  My hope is that they were already bedded down for the night, dreaming of fledge day tomorrow.  You know I'll keep you posted. dkm

Bluebird Flying Lessons: Day 16

Exciting day.  Much activity in and around the bluebird nest box.  I can see heads moving around inside, sometimes peeking out momentarily.  Madame and Sir Bluebird bring food to the door every minute or so.  The big mouths in the house reach and grab and cry with gusto.  I can get a photo of Madam and Sir almost anytime I want one now. They practically pose on their doorstep, or on their dogwood branch, or on the confederate jasmine trellis near the nest.  At times like this I wish I were a more highly skilled photographer.  Click on the photos for better detail.

How will we ever pay for their college?

Patience

Taking turns

Making baby food

I think Madam and Sir are giving flying lessons.  First they flew together low and slow across the front of the house several times in a row.  Then, almost immediately following that demonstration, Sir began the most beautiful quiver and fluff sort of activity imaginable.  While hovering in the air a few feet from the doorway, Sir Blue flapped and clicked his wings like crazy, flashing blue in the sun.  Through the course of the morning he has done this demonstration several times from different vantage points, but always within view of the nestlings.  Each demo lasts two or three seconds.  I've taken so many pictures, trying to catch him in the act, my freshly charged camera battery has gone dead again.  Yet not a single shot of the fluttering.  I remember observing a similar activity just prior to the housewren fledging day, and wondering if it was a training session.

Now the parents have begun perching on the black iron birdbath, about ten yards away and directly in front of the house, flying between the nest and the birdbath. It looks for all the world like they are coaxing the nestlings to target the frogs on the birdbath as a good landing place for their first outflying.  Sir even offered a version of his quiver and fluff dance from the top of one of the frog heads.

Please, oh please, baby blues, wait until tomorrow to fledge.  My camera is dead and it's supposed to rain soon.  This would not be a good time to come out.  Besides, I've got obligations that call me away from my perch this afternoon and evening.  Here's hoping my guess is correct that the magic hour of fledging is 10:00-11:00 a.m., and that today's opportunity has passed.

 I've invited my good friend Pearl, whose nickname is Bluebird, to come and watch with me tomorrow.  We'll wear clothing that will blend into our surroundings and bring cameras, binoculars, quiet paperwork, and good snacks---to make a morning of it.  Let tomorrow be the big day.  dkm

Best Spectator Sport EVER

Uh-oh.  The housewrens are back, heard this morning for the first time this spring.  So---I take up my daily watch on behalf of the bluebird house.  I used to be a great fan of housewrens---for their bubbly song that accompanied every backyard day from April through October, and for their conspicuous nesting habits, which are easy to follow for an amateur birder.  They were one of the first species I paid close attention to when I began this blog.  Two springs ago I followed a housewren family in a daily nestwatch from the building of the nest to the fledging of the six young.  Thrilling it was to observe their maiden flights.  I had calculated, via some research, the exact day and hour of the first fledge, and sure enough, between 10 and 11 a.m. on their big day, as I had predicted, out they flew. My friend Barb and I had pulled up comfortable chaises and made a morning of it, each with a good book and a pair of binoculars  (see blogpost of July 22, 2009 titled The Thrill of the Fledge).

BUT---that was before the family bluebird came to this place.  Now my loyalties are divided. Twice the male housewren has run off the male bluebird, who had begun staking out the copper-roofed house.  And last year, even though the bluebirds got a head start before the return of the housewren, their nestlings never made it to fledge day.  We heard one day of tiny cheeping, then BAM! they were gone, way too early for them to have fledged without notice.

I can't really blame their disappearance on the housewrens (it was more likely a hawk, or a snake, or a cat), nonetheless I'm watching carefully.  Today marks Day 1 of Project Bluebird Protection.  Madam Bluebird is definitely tending eggs under the copper roof.  She peeks out often, for only a few seconds, then ducks back inside. Occasionally she leaves the house, but only for a minute or two, to bask in the sun on a nearby bare dogwood branch (dying tree).

Her beautiful blue-backed mate with proud orange chest is never far away.  I see him keeping watch, flying from perch to perch around the yard.  dkm

Inconspicuous Bluebird Habits

The chickadees never came back after storming the bluebird nest. Whatever that was about, the quiet bluebirds have prevailed. To observe their comings and goings requires careful watching, though. They are nothing like the boastful house wrens about their nest. Perhaps because they are less aggressive, bluebirds must also be less conspicuous. I like that. The Quakers and the Mennonites of the bird world. They call no attention to themselves, and live their peaceful lives without rancor.

All last week (Mar 28-Apr 3)both bluebirds came and went from the house silently at intervals, often perching nearby---she, looking quite fat at the beginning of the week. Noticing that she got thin again by week's end, I'm guessing she laid her eggs throughout the week. Today, after my four-day absence in Savannah w/family, I see his blue back at the house often. He comes to the doorway with a morsel in his mouth and either enters to stay briefly, or only pokes his head in before flying off. She often sits at length with head poking out of doorway, and sometimes leaves for short times. She is certainly egg-sitting. Wish I had nerve to open the house to count the eggs when I know they are both gone. I'm afraid they won't come back if they see me investigating too closely.

If the eggs were all laid by April 4 (Easter Sunday) I may be lucky enough to be here for the day of the fledge. Two weeks for incubation and hatching. Two more weeks for feeding nestlings. By my calculations they won't fledge until May 1st or later. Halleluia. I return from a two week writing retreat on April 26th. Fledge day is nothing less than thrilling. I don't want to miss it. dkm