Feathers and Fuzz

one woman's cure for the empty-nester blues

Feathers

Fledging Frenzy: Ten Nestlings Become Fledglings

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Two Bluebird nestlings fledged on the evening of 25 April.  The next evening it was as if a fledging-bell rang — and the Bluebird, Phoebe and Wren nestlings were off to the races.  It was a Fledging Frenzy!  Ten nestlings took wing in a 2 1/2 hour timeframe.  Bluebirds Three through Five went first.    The runt went last and surprised me with the strongest flight of the five.  Then it was back and forth between watching the Phoebe nestlings hop out of the nest and explore their platform — while the Carolina Wren nestlings were taking in the great, wide world as they lined up in the opening of their nest box.

Particularly when you watch the Phoebes and Wrens, the challenge faced by new fledglings and their parents is striking.  Fledglings are wobbly little creatures!  Unfortunately I didn’t have a camera angle to capture it, but the Wren nestlings slid and tripped their way across my second-floor terrace until the parents signaled them to leap to the branches of a near-by tree.  At one point, the Pit-bull went to the window to try to figure out what we humans were watching.  Daddy Wren was there in an instant — warning the monster to back off.  Pretty cute.

It will be a couple weeks, typically, before the fledglings start showing up at the worm feeders.  Eagerly, I will be counting heads.

Let the Frenzy Begin!

Eastern Bluebird: Justice Served – Literally

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The bird parents continue to keep up with the demands of the nestlings on the property.  While Mr. Bluebird has been busy excelling at all aspects of parenting, Mrs. Bluebird demonstrates she is an equally-qualified parent.  Showing her hunting prowess, she arrived home with what I first thought was a large nightcrawler — still wiggling.  As I watched the scene unfold, it became clear she had actually captured a juvenile snake — and she was determined to stuff it into one of her babies — head first.  Snakes are well known for their attacks on bird nests.  That day the tables turned.  Predator became prey.  Justice Served – Literally.  (Several years ago, it was this Bluebird pair whose nestlings had been attacked by a snake — an attack I was fortunate to see happen and able to abort.)

I have to advise against viewing the video while enjoying your morning coffee and breakfast.  I imagine some will find it unpleasant any time of the day — snake-snacks are probably not for everyone.  For me personally — I got caught up in the challenge faced by the eager nestlings as Momma moved from one to the next — trying to find one of the five capable of the feast.  It took 15 minutes until, finally, an exhausted nestling dosed off with only the tip of the snake’s tail still visible.  The video is limited to one nestling — and even then — cropped, and sections shown in 4X-speed, to trim viewing to a minute.

On a More Fun Note

Two of the five “urban” Bluebird nestlings earned their fledgling wings today — two days earlier than the normal 18 days.  They flew strong so I expect they will fair well.  The remaining three nestlings appeared to hunker down — betting they’ll take flight tomorrow.  By the next post, I imagine I will be showing video of Bluebird, Phoebe and Wren maiden flights.