Blue birds

All wild birds are beautiful, but for years I had hoped to attract a pair of blue birds to a nest box where I could observe them. It only took a few days for a young couple to show up after we put up a box about 40 feet from the patio off my office. They successfully fledged a brood and now, three years later, I see and hear more blue birds around. It makes me happy.

Having the opportunity to watch a pair examine and accept, or reject, a nesting hole is quite charming. He calls his girl over. “Hey, baby, what do you think about this place?” She hops up, looks inside, and flits off, apparently not terribly impressed. He doesn’t seem dejected, but flies over to another box we have offered. He hops to the top and surveys the landscape. Cautiously, he looks inside the hole and then enters it, pops his head out and flies off. I wait. Mr. Bluebird returns five minutes or 3 hours later and takes position on the fence post. Eventually, Wifie swoops in and lands a few feet away. Her beau takes a quick flight over to the new apartment and waits. She plays hard to get and flies off, then returns within a couple of feet of the new digs. Trying to remain nonchalant, he nods to the ‘front door’ and waits. She hops over and peers inside.

I have read that if she chooses to enter the box on her own, it’s a good sign they will be moving in. If the female returns with the beginnings of a nest (a few pieces of grass) there’s a good chance she will complete the nest, lay the eggs and there’s hope of a new generation. Curiously, my observations (caught on film) show that the male also takes nesting material into the nest while his mate watches vigilantly.

I hope that you enjoy these images.

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