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May 1 - Just 52 minutes after the first fledgling left, the last young bird leaves the box for the first and last time. |
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The fourth fledging takes it first flight, leaving one sibling alone in the box. |
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And the third.... |
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There goes the second fledgling... |
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May 1 - FLEDGING DAY! The first of five nestlings takes off. |
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April 30 - The male continues to keep the nest box clean by removing fecal sacs even though the nestlings are due to fledge very soon. |
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April 29 - Despite the fact that space is at a premium in the box, this young male attempts to spread its wings and practice flying. |
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April 27 - As one assertive nestling peers out the entrance hole, the other nestlings vocalize in the box. |
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April 26 - The camera experienced difficulties in the last five days. During this time the nestlings have completely feathered out, become extremely mobile in the nest cup, and are able to be accurately sexed. |
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April 26 - The female enters the cavity with a large grasshopper for the most assertive nestling to snatch. |
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April 21 - At nine days old, pin feathers have emerged but the chicks still lack feathers along their backs. |
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April 20 - Parents typically give food to the chicks displaying the greatest amount of begging behavior; this includes stretched necks, gaping mouths, and loud vocalizations. |
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April 19 - At a week old, the chicks are becoming more mobile and vocal. Additionally, they can now control their own body temperatures (thermoregulate). |
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April 18 - Fecal sacs are produced by the chicks shortly after feeding, the parents in turn, remove them as soon as they appear. |
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April 17 - Both the male and female take part in feeding the young. Here, the male is seen delivering food. |
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April 16 - The female brings some food to five very hungry nestlings. |
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April 13 - ...and then there were five! |
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April 12 - Within the hour, two more nestlings hatch. As the nestlings dry off, their dark pin feathers become more visible. |
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April 12 - Right on schedule, the first bluebird egg has hatched and the nestling is ready to eat. |
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April 11 - Ever watchful, the female peeks in on her eggs, which are due to hatch in the next few days. |
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April 9 - The female looks straight into the camera. |
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April 7 - The five eggs are aligned in a nearly symmetrical circle. |
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April 6 - Bluebirds are monogamous, so it is no wonder that the male is an attentive caregiver when the female is away. |
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April 5 - The female peers out the entrance hole, possibly to vocalize to the male, keep a watchful eye outside the box, or to avoid overheating the eggs. |
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April 4 - During the rare instances when the female leaves the nest, the male quickly enters to protect the eggs. |
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April 3 - The female uses her beak to frequently rotate the five eggs. |
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April 2 - The smooth pale blue eggs are left unattended for only moments at a time. |
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April 1 - Since only the female has a brood patch, she is the sole incubator. Eggs are due to hatch around April 13th. |
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March 30 - A few hours later than each of the previous mornings, the fifth egg is laid! If this is the final egg, incubation will begin immediately. |
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March 29 - Songbirds lay one egg per day until the clutch is complete. Eastern Bluebirds typically have clutch sizes between 3 and 6 or 7 eggs. |
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March 28 - Like clockwork, the third egg is laid shortly after 7am. |
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March 27 - The female inside the box, just moments after laying the second egg. |
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March 26 - Sometime between 7:00 and 7:16 AM, the female laid the first egg! |
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March 24 - With the nest cup completely finished, the male and female are visiting the box less frequently; usually during the early morning and late afternoon. |
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March 21 - Although the vast majority of nesting material is dried grass, occasionally, man made items such as paper products make it to the nest. |
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March 18 - Nest building has intensified in the last few days as seen here by the amount of nesting material being brought into the nest box. |
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March 17 - It looks like the female is holding something other than nesting material in her beak, possibly a moth. |
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March 16 - Here the female is seen using her belly to form the nest cup. |
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March 13 - The view from above shows the female with a mouthful of dried grass. |
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March 11 - The male is seen bringing in nest material. Generally, bluebird-related literature does not describe or acknowledge this phenomenon. |
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March 10 - Although nest building does not seem to be progressing, the male (shown) and female have been inside the box several times over the past few days. |
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March 7 - Seeing the male in the box reaffirms the possibility of a mated pair. |
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March 6 - One of the first sightings of a female Eastern Bluebird inside the nest box. She has been lining the nest box with grass for a few days now. |
