The Bluebird Chronicles
In the 1946 epic song of Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah from the animated movie Song of the South” the actor sings“ there’s a bluebird on my shoulder……everything is satisfactual., my oh my what a wonderful day!.” My how things have changed. Now the term is slang for there is a cop following me. It goes downhill from there. Well I digress…I have a family of Eastern Bluebirds in my Bluebird box and they have raised their first brood of the year. Unfortunately I missed a portion of it.
On the 9th of March I first chronicled on Facebook a pair of Eastern Bluebirds nesting and on the 20th they began bringing in bugs for the recently hatched bluebird babies. These hatchlings usually fledge in about 16-21 days. Both parents were busy each day bringing in a variety of bugs ranging from caterpillars, to mole crickets, to spiders and palmetto bugs. The male was bringing bugs in three to the beak at one point. Those babies were very hungry, and these two parents were good providers. They both took care of cleaning out the bird pooh also. It started raining here on the 31st of March and on 1 April sometime during the day they apparently fledged, the nest was empty the morning of the 2nd. Drats! Missed it. However, their hard work payed off. We wish these fledglings a long and healthy life in this demanding world. The average lifespan of a bluebird is about 4-6 years.
Some of you parents might wish you only had to care for them 21 days instead of 21 years but I bet most of you have never stopped and never will. Blessings.
Watchful eyes…watching me watching you..
The Bluebird male is the more colorful of the pair.
The female is more grayish on the head and back with blue on the wing bands and tail
At one point daddy Bluebird was hauling in bugs three at a time
This mole cricket made for quite a meal for one of the babies.
Someone has to do the dirty work and remove the pooh sacks, both birds carried this out dutifully
Daddy did the dirty work too!
Gotta go get some more bugs for the babies..
Got to eat those greens too …..Green caterpillars that is..
All that hard work paid off..
The nest is now empty, the job is done..a job well done for two busy Bluebirds..