I'll begin with a hodge-podge of stuff I've taken the past several weeks but haven'y posted (I hope!).
If I repeat something I have already used, please overlook it.
Here's a link back to number 9: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/861690/
This message was edited Jun 19, 2008 4:35 PM
Same bird
Mama chasing a Carolina wren
Wonderful pics Dave!
Another cavity nester
Today. Mama has laid egg number three and has suddenly stopped feeding them.
Papa is still feeding, but who knows how long.
Proud Papa
Oh my, those babies lined up are so precious.
That last one of papa is sensational. What a majestic bird. Love the kiddos. I especially like the white bowl you use for mealworms - very classy - not like the Tupperware my birds eat from!
Is the female still hanging around?
Dave has quite the collection of props. I'm enjoying the angelic glow this bowl provides!
Yes, I like that bowl too. It's one of the few I have that can hold the entire family. I try to avoid feeders and comercial looking props. I have this crazy idea the birds look better in a more natural like setting. If I can't get natural, I try for neutral. That's why I try to blur the backgrounds too.
OP I haven't seen the other female for two days, but yesterday we were in Baltimore so I don't know what's going on with her. I just checked the box and she has three eggs. She normally lays about 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. so it's probably too early. Incidentally, I have a whole bunch of shots of them mating if there is any interest. Is this a G rated forum or what?
With us being gone all day yesterday, the birds were out in force to greet me this morning. It's such a shame the light is so bad. Their antics are precious, all sitting in that bowl, watching for me to raise the window shade. I haven't gone through all the shots I attempted. Hopefully there is a good one among them.
Here's an early morning shot on the shepherd's hook, very backlit.
Outstanding pics Dave!
I love the one of Mama and all 4. It must be difficult to watch the parents drive them off even though it needs to be done.
Thanks Pele, and Happy Birthday to you!
The bowl we are talking about is an inverted umberella, held by a couple of frogs. I usually crop the lower part out but in this shot you can see a bit of it. Sorry for the lack of detail on the frogs. The bright sunlight tends to blow away the whites.
In this shot you have Mama and four of the fledges. There is always one that is reluctant to join the rest and Papa dutifully carries worms to her.
Dave
oh, that is so precious them waiting for you!!
Grandpa get UP, we want breakfast.
Here's all five.
Here is number five arriving
Not the best shot, but here are all seven.
How sweet!!
Wonderful! Thank you once more.
Hi: I'm new here and am passionate about bluebirds. Those pictures are wonderful. We're lucky enough down here in southeastern NC to get three nestings a year. Can't tell you how many babies have fledged over the years from my one box. She laid five eggs on this second nesting this year, but only three babies in the box now. I found one on the ground with just the pin feathers. We had 100 + degree temps for about a week, and I think that didn't help. However, the three remaining babies are all doing well and should fledge in about a week. Having a problem now with getting mealworms. The distributors say high demand, but I heard there was a problem with the bran that the mealworms live in. Momma and pop seem to be doing okay without them though. Hope you don't mind me butting in with a picture of the first nesting group from this year.
Very cute! Welcome WarneC!
They are just gorgeous, WarneC
Nice Warne, and welcome!
Now that you've found dave's bb thread, have you seen OPbirder's? She has 10 day old babies in her schoolyard nest.
If you have an abundance of pictures, feel free to start your own thread!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/843086/
Just love the whole family in the white bowl. I'm going to find a bowl feeder so I can watch them feed instead of feeding them on the ground.
There is no shortage of mealworms at Wild Birds Unlimited in the Buffalo, NY area - although I'm paying $5.00/500 worms. There is no shortage of bugs in the grass either! I'm just supplementing the main diet of the blues. The parents are nearly pushing me out of the way to get to the mealworms, though. I'm sure it makes their job a lot easier!
Thanks for the welcome. I've seen OPbirder's threads - think they're great and so happy she's got babies - specially after those nasty house sparrows. Luckily, I don't have them in my garden, though I think they are around the area but I've never been bothered by them. Our Wild Birds Unlimited down here doesn't have the mealworms either. I usually get mine in bulk from either Grubco or Wormman. I do occasionally get them from the Wild Bird Center store, but they are $13.00 plus tax for 1,000. Some friends on a different board have started raising their own - but don't think I want to do that. I do have tons of photos from past nestings, so may just open another thread. Thanks for the idea.
Well, I've been putting this off all afternoon. I have even been looking for funny pictures to put captions to and all the time I have been watching a minor tragedy play out in the back yard.
Mama is gone. She was here with the fledges when I fed them about 9:00 a.m. Apparently there was a showdown with the new female I was telling you about and apparenty Mama lost the fight. I did not see the fight but the new female has been here since about 2:00 p.m., trying persistently to get into the nestbox. Papa will not let her go inside He chases her when she tries and then she follows him wherever he goes, constantly wing-waving. The fledglings have had to feed themselves because if Papa flies up to the feeder, she immediately heads for the nestbox. This is so much like last year it's uncanny. I realy believe it happens more than we realize. It just happens out of our sight.
Anyway, it is after 8:00 and starting to grow dark. She is out there still trying and he is still guarding the nestbox. She will get in eventuay and destroy the eggs. Probably by tomorrow morning. I went out and took a picture of them a few minutes ago. They aren't hers so she will not sit on them. Then he will eventually accept her and she will chase away the fledglings since they weren't hers either. I know this is not as rough as OP's loss, since these have not yet hatched, but in a strange way, it's harder for me to understand. I can blame the HOSP when they kill, and take steps to deal with them, but here it is one bluebird doing it to another. And two years in a row. Very much deja vu.
Here is the new female, wing-waving. Her coloring is very different, especially from the back which is much darker and shows some beautiful shades of blue when in flight. From the front the most obvious differences are a lighter shade of rust on the chest and of course, no brooding patch.
Here's a side shot of her sitting on the sparrow spooker. He didn't let her perch there very long.
Sigh. I think these bluebird dramas are getting too much for me. So Sad.
Me too.
This was taken with a 1000mm (500mm plus a 2x TC) and hand held. Obviously, no need to crop.
Next shot
Here's Papa, on guard.
Again
I don't get why the male wouldn't fight the new female to protect his family. If he's driving her away from the nest, where was he during the fight? Strange also that it is the SAME TIME OF THE YEAR as last year.
Last year I did watch the fight and he did stand by for the most part. That new female alternated between attacking the old female and wing-waving and trying to get closer to Papa than the old female was. When she did that, he did fight with her. I have pictures of that. But so much of it is just nature's way and it seems simply the stronger over the weaker. I thought last year's winner was pretty tough, but this one must be even tougher.
I'm looking for a shot that shows her colors.
This is too sad for words..
Here's a shot of Mama, just for comparison. Notice the throat. Mama's rust goes all the way to thhe chin. The new one has a very light, almost white neck.
This message was edited Jun 23, 2008 9:44 PM
I'll get back to the drama. I have nearly a thousand pictures to sort through so in the meantime, let's see what the fledglings are up to.
Here is one landing in three shots...
two
three
