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.