|
July 7 - The Bluebird nestlings have fledged but an adult bluebird has returned
to the nest box twice today. |
|
July 6 - FLEDGE DAY! It was a very active morning inside the nest box as the nestlings got closer to fledging.
|
|
At around 8:00 a.m., the first nestling perches on the entrance hole and fledges.
|
|
Within a few minutes, we see in this image the second nestling about to leave the nest as well.
|
|
By 8:10 a.m., the third nestling fledges!
|
|
In this image, we see the last
of the four nestlings opting to stay a bit longer inside the nest box.
It rested in the corner like this for over a half an hour.
|
|
The last nestling left the nest box just before 9:00 a.m.!
|
|
July 5 - The Eastern Bluebird
nestlings are very close to fledging. Notice the tail of one of the
young, whose upper body is outside the nest box entrance hole. |
|
July 4 - As the time to fledge
nears, the parents will begin feeding only through the entrance hole as
a way to coax the birds out of the nest.
|
|
July 3 - In this light we can see the start of what will eventually be their adult plumage.
|
|
July 2 - The nestlings are now sixteen days old and capable of short flight.
|
|
July 1 - Wow! Talk about being demanding!
|
|
June 30 - The nestlings are now 14
days old, so we can expect them to leave the nest in approximately 4-5 days
which is average for bluebirds. |
|
June 29 - This picture clearly
illustrates the feather tracts that are in development. It is hard to
believe that in just a few days, the wings will be completely feathered and ready for flight.
|
|
June 28 - As the intense heat continues unabated, so do the parental visits to the box with food.
|
|
June 26 - At ten days old, the innermost primary and
secondary feathers have developed. |
|
June 25 - With beaks wide open, the nestlings accept food from the adult male
bluebird. |
|
June 24 - This image allows us to see the development of the nestlings since they hatched.
|
|
June 23 - Although feeding rates
are highest in the morning, both adults have been busy feeding these
nestlings throughout the day!
|
|
June 21- Since the female needs
to brood the nestlings for a few more days, it is critical that the
male helps in the feeding. Here we see a food exchange from dad to mom.
|
|
June 19 - By the following morning, one egg still remains in the nest.
|
|
June 18 - A few moments later, the second egg hatches!
|
|
June 18 - The camera was down for a few days and by the time they were online again, one egg had already hatched!
|
|
June 14 - The female spends most of her time on the eggs that are due to hatch within the next couple of days.
|
|
June 13 - Balanced light in the box provides a realistic view of the beautiful pale blue eggs.
|
|
June 12 - During the female's absence, we witness one of the few images of the male inside the nest box, checking on the eggs.
|
|
June 11 - The four-egg clutch is
rotated hourly to ensure that proper development of the embryos which
will emerge from their shells by mid-month.
|
|
June 8 - The camera is giving a bad signal but we can still see the female peering up at the camera and vocalizing.
|
|
June 5 - By 10:30 AM, the female lays the fourth, and likely last, egg in the clutch.
|
|
June 4 - It seems that the female is back on schedule and laid the third egg just about 24 hours after the second.
|
|
June 3 - Although not rare, skipping a day between egg laying is not very common. This could indicate a young female.
|
|
June 2 - Given that the female
had been in the box today, we expected to see the second egg. As of
mid-afternoon, she had not laid a second egg.
|
|
June 1 - Between 8:20 and 8:30 this morning, the first egg was laid in a new nest box at Heath Elemantary School!
|
