Bluebird Family Gathers at the Nestbox

The opportunity to closely observe behavior is one of the joys of having a bluebird family nesting close to the house.  In fact, it feels very quiet now that the nestlings have fledged.  But while they were here, I watched them at every opportunity.  In the video below you will see the whole family gathered to feed the nestlings, all of them arriving at once.

Above, a female juveniles arrives with food.

While watching the video you will have opportunity to see interesting behaviors.  The male bluebird is whistling softly and chattering to encourage the juveniles as they help him feed the young.  Notice his wing-waving as he lands which is a greeting as well as encouragement.  Notice, also, that one of the female juveniles is frequently stealing food from the other two juveniles.  As I observed this on many occasions, it was obvious that she sometimes ate what she snatched.  This persistent behavior may explain what I initially considered to be the female adult's intolerance in the days before she disappeared.  She was observed snapping her beak and lunging at a juvenile that perched too close to her or arrived at the mealworm feeder at the same time.

Later, on three occasions, the two female juveniles were observed in face-to-face aerial conflict issuing raspy sounds as they challenged each other beak to beak.  The adult male and male juvenile quickly arrived to investigate and break up the conflict on each occasion.  I couldn't help but wonder if the food-stealing behavior may have been a contributing motivation for these conflicts.

Since the nestlings have fledged, family members still visit the feeder to feed themselves and carry food to the fledglings that are scattered in the area, but their visits are less frequent.

To see a determined juvenile trying to feed the nestlings for the first time, visit:  Bluebirds Adapt to Single Parenting.  And to see last season's juveniles bathing and feeding siblings visit: Juvenile Bluebirds Enjoy the Water and Juveniles Helping Parents. To see all my bluebird posts visit:  Bluebird Family.

Visit this link to learn how to make the predator guard that protects my nestbox residents from cats and raccoons.

Eastern Bluebird Juvenile Behavior

Since the second brood nestlings fledged (June 13th and 14th), I have been lucky enough to see two of the new fledglings in the trees around the yard.  The safest place for fledglings is high limbs, away from the ground and with sheltering canopy overhead.  The family often leaves the nesting area after the nestlings fledge and it's rare to see them at all in the days that follow.  

The male fledgling above happened to catch my eye while he was exploring the lichen in a tree near the patio.  His behavior, plus the rich color of his plumage and his yellow gape, helped distinguish him from his older male sibling.

A few days before fledging occurred, I captured some fun video of the first brood juveniles interacting as they came to the nestbox to feed.  The three juveniles readily cooperated in feeding with the adult male's encouragement.  The male encouraged their assistance with wing-waving, soft whistles and chattering which were also behavioral exchanges observed in the mated pair prior to the female's disappearance (last seen June 8th).  

Though they are serious about caring for their younger siblings, juveniles will be juveniles, and their interactions can be amusing.  Watch what happens when these two female juveniles land in the guard at the same time.


Below, a female juvenile feeds the nestlings, then carefully removes a fecal sac.



Next:  Watch bluebird behaviors as the whole family gathers at the nestbox to care for the nestlings!

To see nestlings as they fledge visit:  Bluebird Nestlings Fledge.  To see a determined juvenile trying to feed the nestlings for the first time, visit:  Bluebirds Adapt to Single Parenting.  And to see last season's juveniles bathing and feeding siblings visit: Juvenile Bluebirds Enjoy the Water and Juveniles Helping Parents. To see all my bluebird posts visit:  Bluebird Family.

Visit this link to learn how to make the predator guard that protects my nestbox residents from cats and raccoons.

Bluebird Nestlings Fledge

I have a bluebird treat for you in this blog post!  Two videos of beautiful nestlings as they first leave the nest.

Above:  female first brood juvenile pauses for a drink on fledging day.

After observing this bluebird family for the past month, I was determined to at least try to see these nestlings off on their fledging day.  If you've ever tried to do this you know that even with dedicated vigilance, this takes a good measure of luck.

Besides being home at the right time and counting the days from hatching (14-18 days to fledging), there are some behaviors that you can watch for that indicate fledging is near. Bluebird family members use a one note contact call to help locate each other. Several days before fledging, the nestlings and family members begin to sound these calls with greater frequency. It becomes very apparent when these calls come from the nestlings in the nestbox. Additionally, as fledging time approaches family members wait for longer intervals between feedings, the juveniles taking their cue from the parents. In this case, the male parent and juveniles visibly perched for longer periods and guarded the nest area and near by trees with greater vigilance and aggression.

It was not uncommon to see the whole family advance to drive away a poor woodpecker who happened to land on their oak tree. This tree is the preferred guard perch and preening area for family members with direct view of the nest and feeding area. It is also the tree that stands the right distance away and in front of the nest box with branches easy to reach and safe for a fledgling's first landing.  

Female juvenile (left) and male juvenile visit the bird bath.  You can see the edge of the male's bright blue secondary feathers.

The two videos below represent day one and day two of fledging.  In the first video, a male is the first nestling to venture out of the nestbox.  The video was taken at 7:30 pm and an hour later, near dusk, I witnessed two male nestlings fledge and land in the limbs of the oak.
In the second video you will see the last nestling leave the box the next morning, a pretty female.  She is sounding the contact call as she looks at her new surroundings. If you listen carefully, you can also hear the male chipping in the background.  
Next post:  More fun juvenile behavior as family members feed nestlings a day before fledging.


To see a determined juvenile trying to feed the nestlings for the first time, visit:  Bluebirds Adapt to Single Parenting.  And to see last season's juveniles bathing and feeding siblings visit: Juvenile Bluebirds Enjoy the Water and Juveniles Helping Parents. To see all my bluebird posts visit:  Bluebird Family.

Visit this link to learn how to make the predator guard that protects my nestbox residents from cats and raccoons.

Bluebirds Adapt to Single Parenting

As I have watched this family of nine adapt to the loss of the female parent, I have marveled at how quickly they have reorganized their family behavior.

Prior to the loss of the female, the juveniles have wandered to hunt, but returned throughout the day to be near their parents.  Often they've perched in overhead limbs to watch the parents feed the nestlings, and on several occasions in the past week, the male juvenile has brought food to the nestlings.

On June 8th, the last day the female was present, the juveniles made quick visits to the mealworm feeder while the parents were away.  Often the female was not tolerant of them sharing that space with her and they avoided meeting either parent inside the feeder.  Later that same morning, they were seen overhead foraging for insects in the leaves trapped in the gutters.  They flipped leaves, followed each other around, ran to see what had been stirred up by a sibling, and generally entertained themselves while the parents fed the nestlings at a steady pace.

In the images above, taken yesterday, you see two juveniles arriving at the nestbox predator guard at the same time.  The one inside is the male juvenile.  I believe he is encouraging the female juvenile (who at this point had not learned how to enter the predator guard) to hand off her food.  But she didn't like that idea.

Since the female has been absent (last seen June 8th), these juveniles have rallied around the male.  Not only are they steadily present, they are keeping watch over the nest area, sounding alerts, chasing away intruders (titmice primarily).  And as of yesterday, everyone of them is feeding the nestlings and with greater proficiency.

In yesterday's video below, watch as one of the juvenile females, the last to begin feeding the nestlings, struggles to figure out how to reach the nestlings with the food she has brought.  While she is figuring this out, you will see the juvenile male enter to feed first, followed by the adult male.  The female juvenile is determined and persistent and tries every angle available to reach the nestlings from her position.

This is the stuff that tugs at the heart-strings.  It certainly suggests that there are complex emotions and motivations driving her effort.  The male is patient with juvenile efforts, waiting for them to feed, watching as they try to contribute and encouraging with chattering and wing-waving.  
The nestlings are popping their heads out of the nestbox to receive food now and are calling when they are hungry.  This call is only heard when they haven't been fed for a while and stops soon after feeding begins.  I am feeding generous quantities of mealworms several times a day and the family arrives immediately, sometimes before I leave the feeder, eager to begin feeding.  Family members are not dependent on the mealworms, however.  They are also hunting individually and bringing a variety of other foods.

Today the nestlings are sixteen days old, an age that falls within the 15-18 day range for expected fledging.

To see last year's juvenile's bathing visit:  Juvenile Bluebirds Enjoy the Water, and to see last year's juveniles feeding their younger siblings, visit:  Juveniles Helping Parents.  To see all my bluebird posts visit:  Bluebird Family.


Visit this link to learn how to make the predator guard that protects my nestbox residents from cats and raccoons.  

Bluebird Juvenile Feeding Young

Attachments are a part of enjoying nature.  And without a doubt, that brings with it both joys and disappointments

Yesterday I watched the bluebirds throughout the morning.  About an hour into my observations, I realized the female was absent.  The male was feeding alone and the female, whom I at first assumed was out hunting, did not return to the nesting area.  

This, of course, is sad news and she is missed.  The male alternately perched, sang, and fed young throughout the day, but activity was considerably subdued without the female's persistent vigilance in both feeding and protecting the nest area.

The male stayed near the nest site and chased away intruders, clacking his beak, protecting both the nest area and the main perching tree in the yard.  At one point, as I refilled the feeder, he flew in wing-waving and chattering and brought along the male first brood juvenile.  The juvenile immediately entered the feeder and fed and then carried a mealworm to the nestlings to feed them.  He repeated this several times, while the male returned to his guard perch to survey the area.

Below is a video of the juvenile male as he brings food to the nestlings, but meets with some confusion when his sister tries to eat his worm.  He did not actually enter the guard and feed on this occasion but does so efficiently at other times.
To see last year's juvenile's bathing visit:  Juvenile Bluebirds Enjoy the Water, and to see juveniles feeding their younger siblings, visit:  Juveniles Helping Parents.  To see all my bluebird posts visit:  Bluebird Family.


Visit this link to learn how to make the predator guard that protects my nestbox residents from cats and raccoons.  

Eastern Bluebirds Feeding Young

Falling in love with Eastern Bluebirds is the natural outcome of living near these birds.  

The bluebird's ability to adapt to human presence, and accept the closeness that you see in these images and the video is part of the reason they have gained so much popularity in past decades.  This female chirps as she eats, contented chirps, as though expressing her delight at seeing so many grubs every time she encounters them in the feeder.  And the most endearing behavior of all happens when she lands on the shepherd's perch only a few feet away, looks directly at me and wing-waves. This is her greeting in bluebird language, and among the finest greetings I've ever received!

Obviously her tolerance of me is a result of my relationship to the mealworms.  I appear and they appear. And this bluebird pair is committed to feeding their five twelve-day-old nestlings at frequent intervals. Typically bluebird nestlings fledge at around 15-18 days, so we are nearing the count down.  

First brood juvenile male in this family of ten (five in the nest, three fledglings and two parents).

This, of course, gives me mixed feelings.  When the nestlings fledge, there is no reason for the family to remain in the yard.  The fledglings will roost high in the trees and the parents will lead them away from the nesting area to avoid predators.

Below you are seeing my first video taken with my new Canon Rebel SLR with HD video capacity. You'll see both the male and female bringing mealworms to the young and leaving the nestbox a bit cleaner as they depart.      
And while the parents were feeding the nestlings, the three juveniles were hanging out together on the gutters overhead, flipping leaves and debris to stir up the insects underneath.

To see last year's juvenile's bathing visit:  Juvenile Bluebirds Enjoy the Water, and to see juveniles feeding their younger siblings, visit:  Juveniles Helping Parents.  To see all my bluebird posts visit:  Bluebird Family.

Bluebird Family Life

Breeding season is a very busy time for Eastern bluebirds.   

The adult pair, three juveniles from their first brood, and five hatchlings (hatched on May 27 and 28th) make up the bluebird family of ten that are living in and around the nestbox and mealworm feeder in my yard.  Above you see the hatchlings on May 28th. Consider that the nest cup is approximately 2.5 inches across and you will get a better sense of the size of these tiny, newly hatched babies.  

By this time, the fledged juveniles are feeding themselves.  They have received firm warnings from both parents, beginning well before the eggs hatched, so that they no longer expect to be fed when a parent arrives with food.  In fact, the juveniles are very curious about what's happening in the nest box and are watching as their parents bring food to the young in the nest.  

And the foods offered to the nestlings are very particular and tender.  In the first few days, the parents bring the tiniest spiders, worms and insects to the young.  One wonders how they ever see and capture anything that small, especially when the feeding intervals can be as frequent as four times a minute with both parents feeding.  

Above the female pauses before entering the nestbox entrance, and below she takes a break for a cool bath.  

One of the juveniles considers taking a bath, below, but was too timid on this occasion to jump in.  Perhaps she was a bit camera shy.  I suspect she drinks and bathes frequently at other times during the day since we've been having 90 F degree temperatures, much warmer than is typical for this time of year in Tennessee.  

To see last year's juvenile's bathing visit:  Juvenile Bluebirds Enjoy the Water, and to see juveniles feeding their younger siblings, visit:  Juveniles Helping Parents.  To see all my bluebird posts visit:  Bluebird Family.