One of the hardest things to watch is when the parents stop feeding the fledglings. It happens when they are about 35 days old. Overnight, Papa, who has always brought them food, suddenly flies into their face anytime they open their mouth to beg. It's a hard habit for them to break.
Another cold weather shot. This time after an ice storm
Aww the poor things are probably so shocked and confused.
Fatherly tough love. Makes a man of them
How about the female fledglings??? :)
Good question, Daiseycat. I don't know if you were speaking tongue in cheek or what. And I don't claim to be qualified as a bird psychologist, but there definitely is a pecking order as well as a difference in the personalities between males and females. It is something I have observed in the 10 clutches I have seen fledge since 2005.
It is an interesting topic (at least to me) and I will prepare a comment and post it here. Unfortunately, I must go out of state today but I will try to do it tonight.
Dave
Beautiful photos, especially that fluffed up photo.
Great threat. :) Thanks for sharing the photos and stories.
Definately tongue in cheek, 1st thing that popped into mind. I truly enjoy each of your pics. Thanks again for sharing. I will be looking forward to your comments. I find creatures actions/nature as interesting as their beauty. :)
You've one-upped yourself, Dave, with the "snow on head of bluebird" photo. Hope you're going out of state on a good trip.
No problem, OP, it is a pleasure trip, visiting relatives we didn't see at Christmas.
Thanks for your concern.
In fact I am still there, just checking in on their computer. We're headed home now.
Dave
Here are a couple I snapped just before we left this morning. First, here is a female stretching to see if it is safe to fly over to the feeder.
A male just hangin' out.
another
Last one
Well, just one more
Here's one from about a year ago that I had not looked at until now. Apparently it rained that day.
Another from some time ago.
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xxx
xxxx
Love xxxx and last one!
Great, as always! Love the one where she is looking to see if it is safe to get to the feeder.
I was very surprised to see 3 bluebirds today, each "checking out" one of my birdhouses. I don't recall seeing bluebirds this time of year in East Tennessee. Surely they don't start building nest in January, do they?
No, they are no where near nest building, but they are always looking for prospective sites and once they find one they like, they will hang around it with increasing frequency as spring approaches. If other birds also seem interested in the house, the pair will let them know that this one is taken. Mine usually don't start building until early March. Further south they may start a week or two sooner. If your weather is milder in a given year, they likely will start a little earlier.
You should hope they don't start too soon. Two years ago we had a very mild winter and mine started nesting in late February. She had five eggs in the nest when we were hit by a week of very cold weather. Those eggs never hatched.
If there were three, at least one of them most likely was a juvenile who will be chased off before the older birds begin nesting.
Dave, you may have touched on it before but do your bluebirds spend nights in the box or during periods of bad weather ?
No Linth, as far as I know they have never spent the night in there. The closest thing I have seen was the other day when it was so cold and we had those high winds. Three of them went inside and stayed for about 15 minutes, apparently to get out of the wind. But that was in mid afternoon.
Very wintery here today, but with cold rain instead of snow, although they are expecting it to turn to sleet later in the day. I raised the ISO to 2500 and shot these at close range and wide open (f/1.8), so they are pretty soft.
wow, those Canons make high ISO look great!
He's so chubby!!!
Yes he is..
Marna, I was thinking of you yesterday when my daughter and her family came over and were looking at the Titmouse Theater poster you made. I have it framed and it looks so nice where it is hanging. Everyone was so impressed
Another view. Not quite so puffy.
To my old eyes they look wonderful Dave...not soft at all, just lovely!
Awww, that was a fun project. We should do another. I made calendars this year for my family. My Mom cried. As only a Mom could. LOL.
By the way, I just had a Cardinal take a grape! Will the excitement never end?
Thanks Rose Here's another.
Marna, I gave up on the grapes and got some blueberries. They are interested but still take the worms when they are there. That is my latest concern. My meal worm supplier was closed for two weeks and I am plumb out. I called him yesterday and ordered 20 thousand shipped overnight. With the cold temps I want to have plenty on hand so I can feed the chickadees and titmice too.
good deal, dave. I still haven't decided whether to entice some woodpeckers, chickadees and creepers with some mealies.
I understand what you mean, Dave, by "soft." There is a cuddliness about the bb. There's just a different "feel" than the previous photos. I like it.
You're right, OP. Sorta warm and fuzzy.
You can't distinguish every feather on the suit, but still, it looks good on him. To paraphrase Rod Stewart, you might say, he wears it well.
I focus on the eyes. I keep very few pictures if you can't see an eye. If I can bring the image in so close that his head fills the monitor and the eyes are still in reasonably sharp focus, I accept it.
Every day I'm lovin your pictures. Thanks for sharing. I checked out your member page to see if you had any more and discovered the wood pee-wee. I raised one like 3 years ago and didn't know it. And also I'll stop wishing the red-headed pecker would come back to my area because they go into other nests and break their eggs. You should do more pictures for the bird files. I knew nothing about bluebirds until this year when I read about them in daves garden.
Love the pics of your bluebirds...I never get tired of them! I was out of town for 4 days over the holidays...first day that I am gone my husband calls to let me know that there are 5 bluebirds in the yard feeding on suet. I've been back hoping that they return.....I will enjoy your pics in the interim. Thanks!
Hi wormfood and sacarvounis, glad you are enjoying my pics. I don't know if you have looked at my on-line sites or not but there are quite a few pictures there. I mean thousands.
I have had a site on PBase.com for several years and I am in the process of building a new site on Smugmug. I will paste the links below.
www.pbase.com/uncledave
http://secondcousindave.smugmug.com/?preview=1
Here's an shot. I took today. I woudn't say he looks mad, but he does have a somewhat unusual expression. Maybe it's because of the rain.
This message was edited Jan 8, 2009 8:10 AM
