Eastern Bluebird (Heath3, KY)
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This is a third nesting captured from this camera.
Species: Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)
Location: Paducah, KY
Status: LIVE! The five young all fledged on June 20th!
Location: Paducah, KY
Status: LIVE! The five young all fledged on June 20th!
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2006 Daily Highlights
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June 20 - FLEDGING!! Here is the first chick about to leave the nest! |
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Three left! |
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It took a while for the last chick to leave. |
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Here goes the last one... |
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All gone! |
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June 19 - The bluebirds don't look like they'll fit in the box for much longer! |
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June 18 - All traces of down have now disappeared, replaced by juvenile feathers. |
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June 17 - The chicks huddle together,
showing the last of their baby down. They should be fledging
around June 20th or 21st. |
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June 16 - The chicks' flight feathers
are now free of their sheaths. They are now around 15 days old,
when they should be completely feathered. |
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June 15 - While the chicks look well
feathered from above, their ventral sides are the last to grow feathers
and are still relatively bare. |
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June 14 - The lighting in this picture highlights the tuft of fuzzy down on this chick's head. |
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June 13 - A chick stretches its wing, showing feathers beginning to break free of their sheaths. |
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June 11 - The sheathed secondary
feathers are now obvious on the chicks’ wings. They usually grow
in at 10 to 11 days of age. |
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June 10 - Bluebirds' diet consists mainly of ground arthropods, such as this grasshopper, during the breeding season. |
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June 9 - The increasing strength and
size of the hatchlings is obvious. We rarely see the female in
the box, since these chicks are around the age when they can keep up
their own temperatures. |
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June 8 - Adult bluebirds drop-forage
most of the time, which means they spot prey from a perch above the
ground, then jump down on top of it. |
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June 7 - These chicks look like they are about 5 or 6 days old, though the exact hatch-date is unknown. |
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June 6 - The male returns with a tasty bug for the chicks. Who wouldn't be begging for this meal? |