Saturday, May 10, 2014

The Blues - Part 2

The Eastern Bluebird.  One of our most beloved birds. Many of us place nest boxes in our yard hoping to attract them.  We are so accustomed to seeing boxes in various places that we forget that yes, they still do nest in cavity trees.

This couple selected a very precarious place to have their nest.  Last year this snag hosted two Brown-headed Nuthatch nests and sadly fell during a storm when the birds were still in it.  The bottom now rest in water and is supported only by the tree it is leaning on.

I worry when it comes time for these chicks to fledge.  No room for error or they may end up in the water.

There is another hole probably 18 inches above the Bluebird entrance where a Chickadee couple are raising their young.

These parents are certainly busy bringing food back to the chicks.

6 comments:

Coppertop said...

How neat, thank you for sharing.
Love the Blue Birds, we haven't seen one this year and am hoping that they'll at least show for the second round of nesting late summer.

Unknown said...

You are right, one tends to forget that they nest in other places than those boxes. Pretty cool that the chickadees are right there too.

Nature Girl said...

Hi Liz, They are year-round birds here but I still love them. Always nice to have a bright spot of blue in the landscape. Hope you have them arrive soon.

Nature Girl said...

Hi Gladys, I sort of laughed that with 5 new boxes in the park for them to choose from, their natural instinct for nesting in tree cavities won. Hope your BB's are doing well.

Metis Birding said...

I think it's neat that they chose the cavity over the nest boxes too! I sure hope the first flight lesson goes smoothly...

Nature Girl said...

I do too Emily. Those natural instincts are very strong. Always nice to give Mother Nature a hand with boxes but they find a way without them.