Fledging!! And I saw it!!

12 years ago

I can't believe it! I was watching the box because I haven't seen Papa Blue for a couple days . . . and I saw a beak peek out of the opening! Over the next three hours I saw 5 babies fly out . . . there were six fledglings so I assume I missed seeing one. Very exciting! This is the first time I've managed to see it!

Mama and Papa were around much of the morning, feeding and -- it looked like -- teasing with food to encourage the babies to fly. They would poke their heads in the nest box with a bug, then fly to the bird tree still with the bug.

None of the babies flew to the bird tree . . . they went straight up to the roof of the house.

The next-to-last baby sat in the doorway for about 20 minutes . . . finally took off. The last one poked his head out and was gone in about a minute. I guess it was lonely in there without the sibs.

The mockingbirds were hanging around every time the adult blues left, but apparently they didn't bother the babies. Pic of that in another posting!

Anyway, that's 12 new blues in the world from this new box this year! Hoping for another nesting!

Here is a link that might be useful:

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Comments (10)

kendra2003
12 years ago
That's fabulous that you actually got to watch them fledge. It is so exciting. Congratulations on helping to add twelve new Bluebirds to the world! Your Blues are rather prolific. I have never had more than 5 eggs at a time. Hopefully you'll get another nesting.
dzyg
12 years ago
Congrats on being able to see them fledge. I normally somehow manage to see them too. I had six eggs in a Blues nest that just all fledged on Wednesday, I saw two of them go and filmed one of them. They were on day 18 and the two I saw were excellent fliers! Today Momma Blue started building her second nest! Ugh, I wish she would feed her babies a little longer before she starts on the next nest but Daddy is busy feeding the fledglings. I am curious to see how many eggs she lays this nesting but she chose a Gilwood box this time and it has a smaller floor size so I am not expecting a clutch of six this time. Do you get three nestings where you are or just two? I am in WI and normally there isn't time for three nestings, they usually just have two even if they get an early start around here.

Donna
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Diane, do you live close to OKC? I saw my first the other day - a ruby throat male. I had to buy a new feeder as the old one was cracked and leaking sugar water. The new one is smaller, but I think I can monitor it better. I hang mine very close to the twiggy growth of the honeysuckle tree, which they love to perch in as well, and it's pretty high off the ground. Does that sound like a good location? I'm sticking in a ton of red plants this year, like my Texas Star hibiscus that I dug up last year and is being replanted this year. They loved that shrub (gets about 10' tall for me), plus red salvias, hot pink salvias, red pentas, red verbena, black & blue salvia (which I heard they love, too), hot pink petunias, trumpet vine, another honeysuckle 'Leo'. I put out rotting fruit plates for the butterflies that prefer it over flower nectar, and which produces fruit flies that the hummers like, too. I'm ready for them! Susan
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I saw it, I saw it....wing waving!
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Hi all, As I said in a recent post, we've had 2 pair of Blues over-wintering here. They check our boxes and eat suet and peanuts and mealies everyday. Well recently we've been seeing a lot of activity with them entering the boxes... and today I caught a few shots of the males wing-waving too! They've been doing this for weeks: Today we saw this: We see 2 females and 2 males chasing each other about thruout the day.... and often perching in pairs like this: Spring is in the air, Kenn :)
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Saw 5 of my baby blues fledge :)
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Yes we do!!! 1 baby SCARED me. It was about to leave the nest and changed his mind. He couldn't get back in the box and not enough room to fly, so he fell to the ground. I went out there to pick him up and mom dive bombed and snapped at me like crazy. Just as I was about to pick it up it flew....so I was really relieved. I will check the box tomorrow to see if there is an egg left in there or I missed the 6th baby leaving. Karen
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I saw their first flight!
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Comments (9)
Congrats on adding more blue to the sky! Hopefully, you will see many more fledgings. Sometimes they fly out so quickly, you blink and miss it. Other times, the parents tease them for hours, call them, and hover in front of them with food to coax them out. The funniest one I ever saw (wish I had a picture of this) one fledgling changed his mind in mid-fledge; one wing and one foot out, and one wing and foot still in the box. He must have stayed there a good 20 minutes trying to figure out what to do next. He eventually made it just fine, heaven knows how. Sometimes they are super flyers, popping out and turning in mid air to head right up to the tallest trees. Landing is another matter. I've seen one grab a bunch of leaves and hang upside down for a while, holding on for dear life until he gathered the nerve to fly up higher. They can climb very well, too. It always amazes me how the parents will guide them from one place to the next, and then gather them all up for the night, all snuggled together in a row. I used to think they always fledged first thing in the morning, but I've seen them fledge all times of the day, just before a major thunderstorm, even once at dusk. The most important thing though, is NOT to scare them when fledging time is close. The last thing you want is for them to fledge out of fear before they are really ready. Always keep good notes on your calendar so you know when the age of the nestlings, and do not open the nestbox after day 13 (remember unlucky 13). BlueBars Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sialis.org/premature.htm
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mlkbskt
12 years ago
Sooooooooooo exciting you got to see the babies fledge! It must have made your day.

Donna,
My complete pine needle nest is still eggless. Papa is staking claim to the nesting box, and they are both feeding fledglings. Do you think it may take a few days before she lays eggs for her 2nd brood? Reminder: five babies fledged last Saturday, June 25.
arleneb
Original Author
12 years ago
Donna, I'm new here in Tennessee, but I wouldn't be surprised if they could actually manage 4 nestings. In northern Indiana, I only had three years' experience with bluebirds, but one of those years my pair had three broods. We have about two more months of warm weather here than we did there.

We're in a new house, very isolated, on top of a ridge, surrounded by woods and meadows -- lots of blues around. I saw 8 at a time on a winter birdbath! We've lived here two years, but this is the first year I've had boxes out. I thought this pair actually got a rather late start -- they fiddled around in all three boxes for more than two weeks before settling down to business, laying their first egg on April 13. That brood fledged on May 21 (I think) and they laid the first egg of the second brood on the 28th.

We were supposed to leave for the weekend this morning, but DH got sick last night -- I would have missed this if we'd gone!
dzyg
12 years ago
mlkbskt....I would think you will be seeing an egg any day now. It has almost been a week. Have you seen the fledglings yet?

I had a new Blue pair show up and build a nest at the back of our lot, nestbox was empty on Saturday, Monday I found a partial nest and today we have the first egg!

hostagrams, you place sounds perfect for Blues! So cool you get to see them in the Winter months. Around here all we see is snow.......
I guess you have to thank your husband for getting sick so you could see the babies fledge! Hope he is feeling better!

Donna
katiedidcottage
12 years ago
I'm so jealous, I hate to admit it, but I am. I've never seen the blues fledge. Maybe someday ... Your place does sound perfect!!!
mlkbskt
12 years ago
Donna,
No, I have not seen the fledglings yet, but I did put the larger (pottery pie plate) mealworm feeder out this morning. Maybe we will see them soon now.

And, Mama Blue laid her 1st egg of brood #2 this morning. I'm happy!
ohsoblue77
12 years ago
6? You have all the luck! I've only managed 4 to have fledge, and a pair that continues laying less than 4 eggs and none hatch! They are two different pairs at different sites.

If my current 3 eggs hatch here at home they'll total just 7 new blues. Realize that only %50 of all fledglings survive to their 1st year of nesting.

Although I have had 12 TRES successfully fledge. 7 were in my neck of the woods and our TRES population is already high enough! For whatever reasons TRES always seem to outnumber the blues. They are the next step down from HOSP aside from all the murder and take over that HOSP do.

- Tim, NE Ohio -
cairncrazy
12 years ago
The three that were in my nestbox fledged this weekend as well... I missed the first one... on Saturday.. the other two fledged on the Fourth of July... about 15 minutes apart.. i saw them both.. It was wonderful to watch!
arleneb
Original Author
12 years ago
We returned from our holiday trip today expecting to see the beginning of a new nest, but . . . NOT! Maybe tomorrow! Maybe they're just very busy teaching the fledglings to catch bugs. . . maybe they're on vacation, too . . .

Fledging!! And I saw it!!

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Fledging!! And I saw it!!

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