The five bluebirds from the clutch that fledged June 23 are 108 days old today and have their adult colors --or at least some of them do. It may be harder for me to tell which is which, but they still scatter when the parents come to the feeder. Probably always will.
This is one of the four males.
Dave
This was just five days ago.
Here is the one female, also five days ago.
And here she is today (actually yesterday -- monday). Like many of the young females I have observed, she prefers to wait to eat after the feeding frenzy dies down a bit.
Here she finally starts for the feeder
It is only three feet or so, so almost immediately she has to hit the brakes.
Another shot of one of the males.
Sometimes it gets pretty busy down at the watering hole.
If you see a bluebird, you can be sure a wannabee (house finch) will usually be nearby.
Sometimes the bluebirds seem to get tired of them tagging along.
So they come back when it is not so busy.
Here is a female from the clutch that fledged August 14. She is 57 days old and and already she is well into her molt.
Same bird, rear view. Like her older sister, she waits to eat.
Oh Dave, the molting just seems to make these beautiful little birds prettier to me. Beautiful, all of them.
I agree with Duc...they are so precious! Another beautiful thread Dave....thanks!!
They are so sweet Dave! Thank you!
You are so lucky...but I know it is also heartbreaking at times. Thanks for sharing your Blue Birds with with us again this year!
You're right Nanny, but the happy far outweighs the heartbreak.
Here is one of the younger three. 58 days old today. There is plenty of water in the sundial but the moat on the hummigbird feeder might have some too.
Still at it.
I think this is a female. Here you can see her colors starting to show.
Here is her brother.
Two coming out of the feeder at the same time.
And finally, here are all three, waiting for Papa to finish so they can get at the meal worms. The female is in the middle.
And here is one of the older brood. Finished with his molt and indeed, looking good.
Another male that appears finished with molting.
And one that still has a little around the neck.
Same bird. He slipped as he turned
Their all looking so good Dave! It must be a joy to have extra ones around.
Yes it surely is a joy. Here is one of the juvenile males. Very hard to tell him from Papa. I have to go by their behavior now. The adults push the juveniles around, no matter how grown up they appear.
And here is one of the younger males. Of the three, this one shows the least amount of molting.
This is Mama, as she lands on a post.
Same Mama, same post.
One of the older juveniles as he leaves the feeder cage.
And finally, one of the younger males. You can tell he's a male by the little blue feathers popping out on his shoulder.
What an absolutely touching
beauridul thead !
What type of feeder cage is that? Where did you get it?
What kind of camera did you use?
Impressive close ups! How far were you away from them while
taking the fotos?
Many many thanks to you for sharing!
BajaBlue
Dave, these little ones just give me such a great feeling when I see how they're growing up so healthy. Their sweet innocent faces are just so heartwarming. Think I prefer the immature colors to the adults.
More!!
Hi Baja. Thank you for the nice comments.
The cage was about 8 feet away. The post was about 10. The hummingbird feeder about 15 and the sundial 20 feet or so.
I bought the cage about three years ago online from the Bluebirdnut Cafe. It is no longer available, unfortunately. They have replaced it with a larger one that is round in shape. Both feature a wire grid with squares about 1 1/4 inches apart. Just big enough to let bluebirds and smaller birds in. It was designed to hang from a hook or a tree but I choose to set it on the railing of the deck with velcro.
I have several Canon cameras. Most of these were shot using a Canon 1D Mark III with a Canon 400mm f/4 lens. Some (those at the sundial) were shot with a Canon 40D with a Canon 200mm f/1.8 lens.
Thanks Duc. Me too. Here is another sundial shot.
Another.
Another
The younger ones wait until the sundail is clear, then they zip right in.
