Sitting on a park bench, I too witnessed seeing bluebirds peeping out of their
front door. I didn’t realize it meant they were about to fledge. So, having
neither a cup of coffee or newspaper, I soon moved on to find other wonders. If
I am ever lucky enough to see this again shall definitely hang around for the
happy event!
Felicity Rask, Gloucester.
On Jun 26, 2016, at 8:25 AM, Tom Teeples <tomteeples@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Please forgive my anthropomorphizing, but this was exciting. This happened
Saturday morning. It being Saturday, I didn't have to get to the exercise
session so I was lazing on the sofa, reading the morning Richmond paper.
First, a little background. My bluebird nesting box is installed facing my
patio on the ground floor of the apartment building. When I read the morning
paper, I can see through the window, directly into the entrance hole of the
bluebird house. I have been watching, on and off, for more than two weeks as
both bluebird parents have been feeding the 3 babies inside. Saturday
morning there was something different. I could see an occasional face
peering out of the entrance. This had never happened before. The little
ones were always out of sight. It was around 7:10 when I saw the papa
bluebird show up at the entrance. He did not bring food. He said,
"Everybody out! Today's the day! No more bugs to eat until you are
outside!". Then he left. I could not hear it (no hearing aids on, yet, and
being inside), but the parents were calling encouragement from the branches
of the nearby oak tree. The peering out intensified so I put the paper
aside, enjoyed my coffee, and watched. A head would look out of the hole,
then retreat. Disappear. Then nothing for a while. Then repeat. Finally,
at about 7:30, the first baby got up the nerve to try it. It burst out of
the hole and flew to the lowest branches of the nearby oak tree. Less than a
minute later, a second baby emerged. This one sat on the wire guard on the
front of the box. After about a minute, it became brave enough to try
flight. Nothing erratic about the first flights of these babes. The third
baby needed more coaxing before leaving. The papa bird made two more visits
to the box, about 5 minutes apart, sticking his head inside and telling
junior all will be OK. Finally, just before 8:00, the last baby left. The
babies do not return to the nest, once they have left. Try telling that to
your grandchildren! The parents continue to feed the young for several days
until the youngsters have learned to hunt bugs on their own. In more than 10
years of monitoring bluebird trails, this is the first time I have witnessed,
firsthand, the fledging process. I'm passing out cigars.
--
Tom Teeples
132 Lancaster Dr. Apt 105
Irvington, VA 22480
804-438-4243
So far, this is the oldest I have ever been.
