Eastern Bluebirds--Feeding Juveniles Is Risky Business

The bluebird family juveniles are nearly eight weeks old now.  The male still feeds them and they still beg, but I am also seeing them feed themselves a lot, both from the mealworm feeder and by dropping down from low perches to capture worms and insects on the ground.

The images you see here were taken at 28 days, only ten days after fledging.  I found myself in one of those magical moments where I was in the right place and the male bluebird fed one of the juveniles right in front of me.  Since there are a lot of images, I've broken the series into two posts.  The images tell the story-- dedication, hard work and even risk when it comes to feeding hungry juveniles.  You'll see what I mean as you scroll through the images.  Notice also, that the male bluebird is not about to let any mealworms get away!

Caption anyone?

Makes you wonder what keeps a parent going when feeding a baby can be so hazardous!  And what about that swallow reflex?  The juvenile is holding more than one mealworm in his mouth while waiting for more.  In the next series you'll see what the male bluebird does about that.

Links and resources:

This is the eleventh post in a series on this bluebird family.  To see all of the posts in this series visit the link, bluebird family.   The most recent post will be first.  Click "older posts" at the bottom of the page to see earlier posts.  You may also enjoy Wishing Upon a Bluebird at Vickie's Sketchbook and my June article for Wild Birds Unlimited, Having Fun with Bluebirds.

For articles leading up to the bluebird family posts, visit my Wild Birds Unlimited articles:

Smitten with Bluebirds and April Celebrations.  

Find instructions for making nest box predator guards by clicking the link.  These guards have worked to keep the 9" arm of a raccoon out and have prevented prowling cat predation, as well as snakes.  A 7-inch depth is recommended.  You may also find a version of these guards at the Wild Birds Unlimited store nearest you.

The "meal worm feeder" you see in my bluebird family blog posts is available through Wild Birds Unlimited.