Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) Male photos by Larry Jordan

It is my favorite time of year, nesting season, with my favorite songbird, the Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana), the bird that carries the sky on its back and the earth on its breast.  They don’t call these the Bluebirds of Happiness for nothin’!  Just the sight of a bluebird perched on a tree top, fence post or wire brings a smile to any sane person’s face.  Click on photos for full sized images.

A few weeks ago I was checking the nest boxes on one of my three bluebird trails and slowly approached one of the birdhouses.  The male Bluebird was perched above in the tree but the female was sticking her head out the entrance hole, watching as I approached.

This is behavior usually encountered at Tree Swallow boxes.  Western Bluebirds usually leave the birdhouse before getting this close but maybe this pair knows my voice and face by now (I always announce myself when approaching a birdhouse so the inhabitants can escape if they choose, rather than being startled).

She was so steadfast that I thought she was protecting newly hatched young.  She finally left the nest and I opened the box to find six perfect sky blue eggs.

By my next visit, a week later, the chicks were looking about three or four days old.  Both adults were in the nearby trees watching every move I made to make sure their babies weren’t disturbed.

I closed up the nestbox and moved away to record my findings.

Here is a shot of the little darlings at about two weeks of age.  At this age they are fully feathered.

Western Bluebirds fledge at about three weeks of age.  I advise not opening the nest box after they are thirteen days old to prevent premature fledging.  Even at this stage, I will open the box very carefully and slowly so as not to disturb the chicks.  The last thing you want to do is cause the death of one of these cuties because they flew the coop to early.

Coming up next week, Tree Swallows!  Until then, check out World Bird Wednesday to see great photos of birds from all over the world.

Western Bluebird With Worm photos by Larry Jordan

Last week was a pretty great week for me.  I had the pleasure of leading a bird outing for Wintu Audubon, teaching folks about cavity nesting birds and how to monitor a bluebird trail.  It was very exciting and rewarding for me to share this experience with some folks who had never before seen baby birds in their nests.

There were nest boxes full of Tree Swallow eggs and some with Western Bluebird nestlings on my Lema Ranch trail.

The very next morning, on my home trail, I took these shots of the bluebirds feeding their nestlings

But that wasn’t the most exciting thing for me on my birthday.

It was discovering this Violet-green Swallow in one of my nest boxes.  The first Violet-green I have had nest on my property!

Almost a week later, as the weather warmed, the female finally got off the nest long enough for me to see the eggs.

One reason that this just thrills me to no end is that I love swallows.  I love watching their incredible acrobatic flights.  Another is that Violet-green Swallows often return to the same breeding site in successive years, as do bluebirds.

So, if this wasn’t enough to make my week, as I watched the Western Bluebirds feeding their nestlings, I noticed that the young were coming to the nest box entrance often and looking out as the adults brought the treats.  This means that they are close to fledging.

I was unable to watch this pair’s nest box very long on this Sunday as I had other duties awaiting my attention, but I went back at sunrise the next morning hoping for the first time to witness the Western Bluebird nestlings fledge.

I took my digiscoping setup and shot this video of the young bird’s first flight.

You will see the adult male come to the nest box as if to feed the chick but bringing no food, followed by the female who displays the same “mock” feeding.  The adult bluebirds then flew up to a nearby tree.

You will hear the nestlings chirp and the adults call back, enticing them to leave the nest.

What a great week!  For more great bird photos, check out Bird Photography Weekly!

Western Bluebird Male Claims New Home photos by Larry Jordan

As I began my monitoring of the Bluebird Trail at Lema Ranch I saw a Tree Swallow attached to the front of the house, peering into the entrance hole.  He looked something like this.

I thought to myself, well, it looks like the first Tree Swallows are here and taking the first nest box on the trail.  That’s when the pair of Western Bluebirds swooped down to make sure the Tree Swallows knew “this house is taken.”

I clicked off a shot of the action as quickly as I could but it doesn’t do the event justice.  You can see in this photo the female bluebird’s head is sticking out of the nest box as the male bluebird (upper left) is chasing away the two swallows (middle top and center).

And the happy couple sitting atop their newly claimed home, wondering what I’m doing here

I will be monitoring three Bluebird Trails again this year.  One at Lema Ranch, one at Palo Cedro Community Park and one in Oak Run.  I will keep you updated on these nest sites, as well as other nests I happen to find.

You can be a nest watcher too.  If you want to learn how you can be part of this citizen science project go to Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch site for all the information.  You might be able to watch bluebirds grow up from eggs like these I have in my first occupied bluebird nest box of 2010 in Oak Run.

This is what’s happening in my world.  To find out what’s happening in other places around the world, visit My World!

Western Bluebird Female photo by Larry Jordan

Today is my two year blogoversary! I just wanted to celebrate the bird that got me started in the blogging world, the Western Bluebird.  You may have noticed that I have written many posts about this species.  You can peruse them by typing “Western Bluebird” in the search window in the right hand column and hitting the “Enter” key.

The Western Bluebird is my favorite cavity nesting species and this beautiful female graced my Mom’s birdhouse this last nesting season.

The fall migration is upon us and I am looking forward to the cooler weather and more cool birds to watch.  Happy birding everyone!

Western Bluebird Nestlings At 5 Days Old all photos by Larry Jordan

House Sparrows, imported from Europe in 1851, multiplied so rapidly in the United States that by the early 1900s they were displacing Bluebirds at an alarming rate by competing for nesting sites.  People who loved the very popular bird that "carries the sky on its back and the earth on its breast" were concerned.

Western Bluebird Male

In 1934, Thomas Musselman wrote an article for the National Audubon Society urging the establishment of "bluebird trails" across the United States.  Over forty years later, Dr. Lawrence Zeleny wrote the book The Bluebird – How You Can Help Its Fight For Survival which prompted letters from bluebird enthusiasts all over North America.  From the efforts of these two men and several others, the North American Bluebird Society (NABS) was born in March of 1978.

Western Bluebird Pair

The Western Bluebird is not out of the woods yet.  They are listed as sensitive in Oregon and Utah, and are a candidate for listing in Washington.  They are listed as a species of high concern by New Mexico Partners In Flight and considered "in jeopardy" in California.  In British Columbia, the Western Bluebird is proposed for designation as a species of "special concern."  This is in stark contrast to the Eastern Bluebird which has had a more successful conservation effort over the past 30 years, in large part due to the establishment of bluebird trails.

Monitoring your birdhouses is also a very important part of the puzzle.  The entrance hole for bluebirds should never be over 1 9/16" in diameter.  This keeps out the European Starling but not the other non-native species, the House Sparrow.

House Sparrow Male

This is the last thing you want to see at your bluebird nest box, a male House Sparrow.  I thwarted this intruder by removing the eggs that had been laid in the nest.  This tactic has worked for me the only two times I had a House Sparrow problem.  To see more about how to combat this threat to the bluebird, visit my friend Bet’s website here.  She has the best information on bluebirds on the net.

The North American Bluebird Society is a non-profit education, conservation and research organization that promotes the recovery of bluebirds and other native cavity-nesting bird species in North America.  I have had the joy of monitoring three bluebird trails that provide nesting for three other cavity nesting species in my neck of the woods.  The Oak Titmouse…

the Tree Swallow…

and the Ash-throated Flycatcher

If you are interested in helping the bluebird’s struggle to survive, join the North American Bluebird Society and if you have the time and habitat, start a bluebird trail.  You can help several cavity nesting species in your area by simply putting up birdhouses in your yard and monitoring them.

If you are interested in helping cavity nesting birds in your area or if you have any questions about birdhouses or bluebird trails, please contact me and I will help you get started on this fun and rewarding endeavor.