The babies are growing by leaps and bounds. It has been 3 weeks since the eggs were laid and the babies are now approximately two weeks old. They’ve grown from very scrawny and sort of ugly little naked chicks into bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, pin-feathered and very hungry little chirpers. Their instincts are really quite amazing, and they certainly see me as a very large and scary threat. I was lucky to get a photo with one holding its head up. Usually, as soon as anyone comes around, they bury their heads in the bottom of the nest, lie perfectly motionless and don’t make a peep!
Mother and father bluebird are extremely busy with four little mouths to feed and it has provided endless hours of entertainment watching them fly back and forth across the yard catching insects, returning to the nest periodically to (I’m sure) regurgitate a fabulous high-protein, gourmet bug meal for the young ‘uns.
My guess is that the little guys and gals will fledge the nest late this coming week–certainly by very early the following one. I’m hoping that since this brood came along fairly early in the season that mother and father might nest again. We’ll see. I’m hoping I’ll be lucky enough to be at home when the babies leave and, if so, will try to capture some photos of the big event.
Coming next… a plant that has gone from the “I’m-not-so-sure-I-like-it” list to being one of my faves! Stay tuned!
