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!
Comments on this entry are closed.
ooh, now those are bright!
.-= Dale Forbes´s last blog ..Birds on a pole =-.
Wow, Larry you must have a wonderful yard. The Western Bluebirds are pretty and the nestlings are cute. Congrats on the Violet-green swallow nesting. They are beautiful birds. BTW, Happy Birthday!
.-= Eileen´s last blog ..Green Heron and Turtles =-.
What a week! I loved the video – I would love to watch bluebirds fledge some day!
.-= Amy´s last blog ..A richness of martins =-.
Wow, that IS quite a week. And a birthday too? Awesome.
The “psych!” non-feeding of the fledgelings is really interesting. Judging by your video, the method is pretty effective.
Love your videos! (I can say that ever time, right?)
.-= Amber Coakley´s last blog ..Hummingbird Hovercraft Steals Insects from Spider’s Web =-.
A brilliant video Larry and congrats in getting those Swallows in your box. I hope they do well and return every year for you.
.-= phil´s last blog ..Where There’s A Will =-.
Great post and great photos too – especially the video. We don’t have Bluebirds so they look such exotic beautiful birds!
.-= Mick´s last blog ..Golden Gleams =-.
Belated Happy Birthday, Larry! Stunning photos of the bluebirds with the worm in their beaks. The video is just superb!
.-= bob k´s last blog ..Mood Indigo =-.
What lovely photos of the bluebirds!
You are so lucky to have the babbies. I had some bluebirds in my box at the beginning of spring, but they didn’t stay. Now there’s a beehive growing in there.
That video is freaking cute, Larry. Thanks for posting it – too cute, lots of personality ! And congrats on your nesting violet-greens, awesome stuff!
.-= Jill´s last blog ..Baby Bear. Big Bear. Almost Hypothermia for Zac. =-.
I agree…swallows are incredibly acrobatic and I too love watching them. But what a great video. The anticipation was killing me and I broke a smile when the young bird took to the air. And of course I laughed as the other two jockeyed for position in an attempt to see where their sibling went.
Happy Belated Bird day..and what a Bird day it was..wow..
How exciting!
Loved the video!
.-= Dawn Fine´s last blog ..Help for a friend =-.
Hey Larry, just looking over some of you older posts and came across this one…great shots as always. Given your luck with swallows using the boxes on your trail, I’m curious if you participate in the Golondrinas de las Americas project? If not, please consider joining this international network of researchers studying Tachycineta life history. It is a very cool project started by David Winkler at Cornell University, check it out here…
http://golondrinas.cornell.edu/