Breakfast with Bluebirds

Sunday felt like spring.  We hit nearly 60 degrees!  It was so mild in the morning that Toby and I went out on the back deck to eat our breakfast.  

Wasn't too keen to see the house sparrow who was working on setting up his territory in our nest boxes (he's sitting o the far nest box, center of photo),

but he wasn't the only one checking things out!

This pair of bluebirds came and went, more intent on gleaning insects from the ground than setting up house, but that only meant they were perfect breakfast companions.

Nom, nom, nom...he chokes down a grub.

Toby enjoyed his snack, too.

After our gustatory delights, I decided that the day was going to be too nice to waste, and since the bluebirds were in the neighborhood, it would only be right to make sure the nest boxes were all fixed up and ready for them, just in case.  This meant evicting all the house sparrow nests.

I was thrilled to see that four of the white pines I planted last fall were still hanging in there.  Between the drought, the deer and the rabbits, I had my doubts.  I don't think any of the oaks made it.

 

Hark!  What could that be, sneaking around the tree out front?

By golly, it's a moose!  A moose in the lower peninsula!  Will wonders never cease?

Almost-spring Tally:
   3/9 - killdeer flying and calling over the fields
   3/10 - turkey vultures spotted soaring over the fields en route to work
   3/10 - I swear I heard the wing twittering of a woodcock during our evening walk
   3/11 - red-winged blackbirds descended on the birdfeeders

Hello!

Monday evening I made another round of my nestboxes, seeing how things were going, who had moved in where, etc.

Most of the boxes remain empty except for some ladybug carcasses and spider webs. The new box my dad and I put up to replace one with a broken roof, however, was stuffed with a pine needle nest - very likely bluebirds!

Only one, however, has a full-time resident: the black-capped chickadee. I knew she was using this box, so I tapped on it a few times to let her know I was there in case she wanted to leave, but no one flew out of the box. I really hoped that her nest hadn't been predated by a raccoon or something, for there were eight eggs here the last time I checked.

So, I slowly opened the door and peeked in. Do you see her tail feathers sticking up just to the left of center? She was well hunkered down, protecting her eggs from all intruders. If I stood up on my tiptoes, and she stretched up her beak, I could just make out her head. I didn't want to disturb her any more than I already had, so I took this quick shot of her tail and closed the door with good wishes for a safe night.

It's a bird...

...it's a plane...

...it's a frog (a frog?)

No, you were right the first time: it's a bird.

And not just any bird - it's the bluebird of happiness. Yes, the bluebirds are back and they are lookin' to set up house. At this point, they are a bit skittish, so I was having a terrible time getting them to pose for photographs. I followed this pair all around my yard twice over the course of about half an hour and these are about the best shots I got. As the season progresses, though, and they settle in, photo ops will be easier.

In the meantime, if you haven't cleaned out your nest boxes yet, you'll want to do so. Unless, of course, the box already has a mossy nest inside, which will be the nursery of this happy little bird:

...who was also difficult to photograph, which is unusual for chickadees, but I blame the wind this time, which kept blowing not only the tree branches about, but also the birds. Yes, Virginia, it was a VERY windy day.