Feeding Hungry Bluebird Juveniles

Early morning feedings can be mass confusion at times.  Especially when eastern bluebirds juveniles are cold and hungry.  

Such was the case on this 49° F May morning with the air so much colder than the summer-like weather we had been having.  The juveniles' feathers were fluffed up for warmth and when the male appeared with mealworms, three juveniles descended from overhead limbs, each vying for position--wings fluttering, eager cheeping, and even landing on top of a sibling if that's what it took to get near the food.    

In this case, I think the closest mouth won the meal.  Each of the above images includes three juveniles, though its not easy to sort them out, and eventually two fell off the perch during the scramble.  You have to admire the steady perseverance of parents under these circumstances.  The male fed his mealworms quickly, hopped clear, returned to the feeder, and came back with a fresh supply, feeding until calm was restored.    

Though the female was near and even landed on the garden shepherd's perch near the feeder, she did not participate in the feeding on this occasion.  A little later she flew into the nestbox.  The male was quite interested in this and flew down to the nestbox guard to peek inside and see what was happening.  

I was interested too, and later, after the family left to hunt elsewhere and the nestbox area was quiet, I checked to see if we had eggs.  And yes, we have two eggs!  

Above, three juveniles rest on a limb after being fed, huddled together to take advantage of the extra warmth.

Links and resources:

Visit my previous post, Landlord or Local Diner?  My yard and its nestboxes and mealworm feeder were part of the wintering territory of a small flock of bluebirds with one dominate male and female pair.  However, the pair did not select one of my yard's nestboxes for their first nesting this season.  I later realized that the red-shouldered hawk that had been seen perched in the yard on several occasions during early spring was the likely reason the pair chose a different nest site.  Red-shouldered hawks have fledged their young by now and are wandering beyond their nesting territories.  And, I am happy to have a nesting pair of bluebirds in my yard again!  

To see my posts on last season's nesting bluebirds, visit:  Bluebird Family

Brown Thrashers Nesting!

What a treat!  

A "skulking" bird, according to Cornell's website description, and I agree.  The thrashers in my yard have not been easily observed at close range, concealing themselves in underbrush, singing from the tip-top of poplars and oaks, and generally departing as quickly as I spot them at eye level.

But I have seen a pair of them on many occasions, sometimes hanging out in the holly near the bird bath but rarely with enough light and visibility for me to capture a good image.  Whatever has changed, I couldn't be more delighted, because they are lately making themselves visible, hunting on the lawn in front of my patio, near the holly and the birdbath, in the same vicinity as the bluebird nestbox and the mealworm feeder.

I have even witnessed at close range, one of the pair flying down to the edge of the patio to pick up a sunflower seed that had dropped from the feeder.

And on several occasions I've been treated to a hunting observation--neck out stretched, head cocked, pounding the ground like a woodpecker, then popping up with a beetle or a grub.  I have even wondered how much hearing plays a part in the location of prey.  Do they hear the movement of grubs and beetles under the ground or is it sight alone that guides their hunting?

On Wednesday, the 2nd of May, I began to wonder if the pair was nesting near by.  On several occasions I have heard the male singing on the east side of the gazebo.  Not his full song, but short, soft phrases.  And not from the top of a tree, but lower.

On the east side of the gazebo there is a dead dogwood, now covered by exotic wisteria that has draped its boughs over the dogwood branches year after year.  The wisteria is frequently cut back, but the vines grow rapidly.  I walked around to see if the thrashers might be building a nest in that dogwood.  And yes!  They are.  On Wednesday, there was a nice large nest of sticks already in place in a limb crotch of the dogwood, completely sheltered by the wisteria canopy.

The pair was observed successively flying in and out of the nest site several times, and once when the male left the nest, he preceded his departure with a soft series of song notes.  Lovely.  Cornell also says that the brown thrasher can be as aggressive as a mockingbird when it comes to defending its territory and has been known to "strike people and dogs hard enough to draw blood."  Yikes.  I've been forewarned.

References:
Cornell All about Birds:  Brown Thrasher
To read about other nesting birds in this blog visit:  Red-shouldered Hawks, Eastern Bluebird Family, Carolina Chickadees, Purple Martins