Starting a new bluebird thread

Wow, Then this Spring will be even be more interesting for you watching how the male behaves.
Have you heard of that female behavior before from others that host BB's?

Very interesting!

Thanks,Pelle

Bump:-)

Wow Dave...this really is reading like a book! That is a great shot of the two females and I hope you will keep us up to date on your BB family! This is so interesting and am looking forward to more great pics and stories,

Rose

Well, here is another, taken yesterday, so this is the new Mama. Makes you wonder how old these birds are. I've heard they live 10 years or longer. I wonder how long they continue to mate.

Flashback!

Awww, those little ones are so sweet!

Wel, then here's one more, but in the rain.

Just one more, and then I'll change the subject.

Wait! First let me show you one of my personal favorites, then I'll change the subject...I promise.

Tooooo Sweeeet!!!

Another favorite

And another, from back before Papa turned mean.

Very cute! I love the male Downy Woodpecker on the girl statue also.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that Papa goes back to his gentle ways.

More great pics from Dave and I love the Downy also. I fear that possibly Papa may be henpecked! Hope Papa settles down and the the new Mama too!

OK Back to more conventional stuff.

How about a close up. Love the detail around the eye.

Soft and fluffy.

It amazes me sometimes, how different one bird can look.

OK I'll give it a rest and watch the fourth quarter (love the subtle backlighting on this one).

Oh man those pics are great!

It is amazing how differnt one bird can look!

I guess you know each one on sight?

Well, I certainly know the parents by sight, and by their behavior. They come sailing in and the youngsters automatically move over. My previous Mama had a rather light neck and I can tell Papa by the broken middle toe on his left foot. Here is a picture (hope I haven't posted it before) showing the toe.

It's harder to tell the youngsters apart. I have three males and two look very much alike. The third has a thin white streak extending upward from his white belly.

Oh well, here's the whole picture. It's a pretty good one.

You may not recognize her, but this is one of the female blues, after a day of snow and rain.

This message was edited Feb 11, 2008 9:04 AM

She's so sad looking. Beautiful pic of the male.

HI, Dave, I am enthralled by your story about the family life of your bluebirds! Sounds like a real BB soap opera!

And I am so impressed that you can tell your birds apart. You must have very keen vision (and memory!)

BTW, Are you active in the Sialis BB group or the Cornell Nest Box group? I wondered because of your pic of 'wing waving'...is that a common habit of blue birds? I saw another photo of 'wing waving' on Audubon, I think...

Thanks again for posting all the pics. t.

Yes I love hearing the story! Please keep them coming along w/ your wonderful pics!

Indeed, I was getting into the story of Papa beating up on Mama, and wondering if he had a drinking problem. LOL!!

Beautiful pictures - impossible to decide which is my favorite, they are all so good. I don't have bluebirds down here - wish I did.

too many fermented berries perhaps?

Plus, what's up with the homewrecker (2nd) female!!

Tabasco

Wing waving is very common, especially during mating season. Rather like winking, I think. I have many pictures of both the male and the female doing it. As far as telling them apart, you must remember I see them every day, literally, and have for the past three-plus years. I usually take more than a hundred pictures every day, and some days a thousand or more. After a while you begin to see certain physical features and then you can look for them when you review the pictures. I may have mentioned, my adult male has a broken middle toe on his left foot which makes him very easy to recognize. My new female is harder to spot but I only have a couple of females and the juvenile females are very timid, so that makes Mama stand out too.

Speaking of my new female. She is very aggressive. She will attack most any other bird that crosses her path. That includes woodpeckers, Europrean Starlings, house sparrows and I posted a picture on a prior thread of her even attacking a curious robin. My previous female left most of the heavy lifting to the male, although she did back him up most of the time. But interestingly, the male continues to remind the new female he's the boss. Ever read "The Taming of the Shrew?

I'll look for some nice pictures of them wing waving. One disadvantage in having so many pictures is in trying to quickly locate particular subjects. I guess I need to get more organized.

Dave

But if you take time to stop and organize, you are missing those great photo ops! Keep 'em coming Dave.

Thanks, Dave, for the info on wing waving. It is new to me--and now I wonder if other bird species do it too? Probably so.

I wish I could discern the differences between my birds--it's so hard for me even to remember the different species (of sparrows, for instance). Of course, I don't take thousands of photos in one day--not even ten photos of birds in a day . They are much too quick for me!

I am going to watch more closely as the breeding season approaches here.

Your photos are beautiful. Thanks...t.

Here's another example of wing waving. Not the best shot and I know I have tons more.

Dave,

All very beautiful shots and photos of the very beautiful Bluebirds! Love your stories of them and love the adorable babies (fledglings/juvies)!

Thanks for always sharing!

Marilyn

Just for variety, here is a juvenile, 73 days old

How long do the parents or parent continue to feed the juvies after they've left the nest?

Beautiful pics!

Pelle:

Here is a timetable for bluebirds, based on my observation. The answer to your question is buried somewhere in the middle.

Eggs hatch 13 – 14 days after the last egg is laid

Babies fledge 17 –18 days after hatching

Immediately after leaving the nest, the parents take the fledglings to a remote location for Survival 101: a 10-day crash course in basic flight, insect identification, Predator evasion and confidence building. During this time the parents may return to the mealworm feeder as needed. Many others report that their blues totally disappear during this period, but not mine.

Toward the end of their training, the fledglings follow the parents everywhere they go, including to the feeder. Soon they come to the feeder ahead of the parents and wait with mouths open to be fed. Care and feeding has become the responsibility of the adult male since by this time the female is normally building a new nest, if not already laying eggs. In a very few days the most aggressive fledgling will follow Papa’s example and wiggle into the cage feeder and try to feed himself. The others follow suit and by age 35 days they are trying to feed themselves. But if an adult comes near they will always stop and beg to be fed.

By 40 days old the adults are no longer feeding them. If a fledgling begs, the adult will either ignore them or more likely, fly right into the fledgling’s face, feet first.

It is about this time that the juveniles start to lose their recognizable gray coat, first on their sides and gradually over their entire front. You can see how far their molt has progressed by 75 days by looking at the last picture I posted. By 90 days they are looking very much like their parents, except for a few feathers around the neck and head. The transformation is usually complete by the time they are 100 days old.

Thanks for the information Dave!

I should add this picture The baby fledged on Apr 30 and this shot was taken May 24 and you can see what I mean by feet first.

Dave

Oh my goodness!

Great catch Dave!!