Bittersweet Bluebird Tale

18 years ago

Hi everyone,

I've been far more of a lurker than poster this season but I just wanted to thank you all in advance for always giving me such great advice! Ive learned so much on this forum and, had it not been for you, this little bluebird tale I'm about to share may have had a far worse ending.

It was Thursday, July 10th; a typical, hot summer morning. My husband and I were leaving for Cape Cod the next day, so I decided to take the day off to pack. Naturally, I had my worries about leaving the blues for a whole week. Little did I know, my worst fears would be justified on that very same morning.

From the time I awoke, neither parent was seen at the nest box. Packing was put on hold. Like a frantic mother, I sat at the window Â biting my nails nervously Â watching and waiting for them to return. Minutes became hours, and by then, my brain was in a frantic scramble trying to figure out what happened to both parents. With my heart pounding, and stomach churning, I approached the box; fearing the nestlings might be dead.* To my relief, I heard the faintest sound of cheeping from within the box. Usually, when I do a nest check, I immediately get a scolding from the parents and/or a dive-bombing from the male. But the air around me was eerily and sadly silent. I opened the box and the babies (8 days old at the time) instinctively hunkered down. I could tell just by looking at their skin they were severely dehydrated. At that point my maternal instinct Â if you will Â took over. I was not about to let these babies die.

This is where I have all of you to thank. I closed the box, ran inside, and immediately called a rehabber. It seems so common sense now, but I just know that if I hadnÂt joined this forum, I would have never of thought to do that! Let me tell you, rehabbers are AMAZING! Through her expert guidance, I was instructed to feed the babies moistened mealworms and bits of blueberry without the skin. (Peeling the skin off blueberries is no easy task!) I was told to leave the babies in the nest, feed them for 10 to 15 minutes every hour, and keep a watch on the box for the parents. I followed her instructions to a T and did this from 11:30 am to 6:30 pm. Words can not explain how amazing it was to feed those babies. The fact that these little ones overcame their natural fear, gaped, and took food from me is something I will never, ever forget. The rehabber and I kept in touch by phone and I gave her updates on their progress. By 7:00 pm, and still no sign of the parents, I made the bitter acceptance that they were gone for good. I know that bluebirds can be famous for their disappearing acts, but with my husband and I leaving for vacation the very next day, I just couldnÂt leave it to chance that one of them might show up the next morning. I phoned the rehabber one last time for directions and waited for my husband to get home from work. Together we took the babies on a nerve-wracking, 45-minute drive down the busy turnpike Â but of course it was all worth it!

Within minutes of handing the babies over, the rehabber began feeding them a mixture resembling baby formula, which they eagerly gobbled down. It was an abrupt and bittersweet ending to our nesting season but it gave us closure and, more importantly, peace of mind to know these babies would now be in the care of an expert. (They were released back into the wild several weeks ago.)

Thank you all very much for "listening"!

*The box is pole-mounted, baffled, and a sparrow spooker goes up as soon as the 1st egg is laid.

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Comments (10)

dzyg
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Bonkers! I am so sorry for the loss of your adults!! How wonderful for the babies though that they had you there for them! Great job!! Your story is amazing though, was it hard to get them to take the mealies from you or were they just so hungry that once they realized there was food there, they took it??

Donna
bonkers_for_blues
Original Author
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Thanks Donna! It WAS hard to get them to take mealworms from me in the beginning. The rehabber said at their age, they most likely won't accept them right away. She was right. I called her back and she told me to be persistent but not forceful - just to hold the mealworms and blueberry bits near their beaks and to touch their beaks gently with the food. It took a little time but they finally opened their mouths and let me feed them. Once they made the connection that this odd-looking thing (me) was coming to feed them, it got to be pretty easy. I used a pair of blunt tweezers to feed them.
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donnalovesblue
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
This is one of the most amazing bird stories ever! What an awesome job you did!!! Your care and concern for those babies, and calling a rehabber, saved their lives and I applaud your efforts. Perhaps your story just might help someone else who otherwise wouldn't have a clue as to what to do!

I have no idea if any rehabbers are in my area, or where the closest one might be, but now I know how important it is to know!

GREAT, GREAT job Bonkers, and many thanks for sharing.

Donna
griffin_MD
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Good save, Bonkers. Only another bluebird lover can understand what you went through, waiting to see if the parents would come back. How lucky for those little ones that you were on duty. Your actions validate the purpose of this forum --providing us with the tools and support to deal with difficult situations. While the outcome doesn't always go the way we'd like, you had a happy ending so score one for the good guys!!!
Kathy
erictammy
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Sweet story, Bonkers. I had the same sort of situation with my purple martins this summer.
Tammy
Ann
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I found myself holding my breath as I read until I got to the end of that story!! LOL!

Ann
bonkers_for_blues
Original Author
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Thanks so much everyone! Your kind words and support mean so much and I am very greatful to you all! :) Tammy, I'm so sorry to hear you had a similar experience with your martins. What happened? :(

Below is one of my favorite photos I had taken earlier this season. Mama was in the middle of building her 2nd nest, when one of the kids from the first brood flew up and demanded to be fed. The little stinker carried on for several seconds but Mama completely ignored him or her.
bluebars
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
bonkers, Thanks so much for sharing your experience and that wonderful picture.
How odd, that both parents disappeared! Losing one is bad enough. So glad everything turned out well.
Having never seen this, can you tell us more please, how you could tell "just by looking at their skin" that they were severely dehydrated? (We almost never think of taking photos at such stressful times.)
BlueBars
LindaMA
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
What a wonderful story, so glad it had a happy ending, so sorry about the parents, wonder what could have happened to them. Anyway, I'm so glad that they had you looking out for their well being.

Great job!
Linda
bonkers_for_blues
Original Author
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Sure! I could tell something wasn't right because the skin along their backs was very yellow and wrinkly looking. Quite some time ago, I read that yellow, wrinkled skin is a sure sign that nestlings are dehydrated. Their skin should be smooth and light pinkish in color. I'm kicking myself that I can't remember exactly where that was - I'm thinking it was somewhere on this forum or maybe on the Sialis site. After I did a few feedings, I did notice that the color and texture of their skin began to change.

As far as what happened to the parents, I've thought of everything from pesticides, to hawks, to cats. When we returned from vacation, we were astonished to see an adult male bluebird sitting on the nest box. He peeked inside several times, gave a loud "turr-lee" call, and flew off. We thought maybe, just maybe, this was "our" male but he never stuck around long enough for us to find out by doing a "mealworm test."* Since then we've heard distant bluebird calls and have seen adult birds in our yard from time to time. I can't help but wonder if these are the parents. I'll just never know.

*Both birds were trained to come to a feeder. A new male or female would be clueless about it.

Bittersweet Bluebird Tale

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dzyg

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Bittersweet Bluebird Tale

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dzyg

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Ann

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