Its All About The Birds!

  Obviously, birds are meant to be my friends.  Lately, that has become more apparent than ever.  I think nothing of hand feeding the herons, egrets and pelicans but now I can add wild quail and mockingbirds to the list.  Over the past few years, I have picked up chimney swifts, catbirds, mockingbirds, cardinals, doves, wrens, woodpeckers, blue jays and owls.  Of those, only the cardinal decided to give me a good peck.  The others calmly accepted the fact that I was merely trying to help them.  The cardinal was evidently in pain after being hung up in some wire and, perhaps, I used a bit more force than necessary in freeing the bird.  That said, the newest escapade involved a juvenile eastern bluebird.  No, I did not actually hand feed nor hold the youngster but it seemed to be highly attracted to me, for some odd reason. 

  Early this morning as I was picking the figs, I heard the bluebird family making their way to the birdbath.  Each morning, I have watched as they start their day by splashing in the cool water.  It never occurred to me that I would have a "close encounter" with one of the little ones.  This morning, however, one little rascal decided to take flight before the parent birds gave their directions.  The squirt flew directly for the fig trees and, therefore, directly toward me.  Maybe the little one did not see me but it nearly landed on my hand as I was reaching up to pluck a fat fig.  Can you imagine the poor thing's thought when it realized that it was almost in my clutches (which was never my intention in the first place).  Both parent birds came fussing at their little one to "abort the mission" and retreat!  The little one tried but being a novice at this flying stuff, it simply fluttered to the ground.  There, it sat, bewildered.  Mama and Papa Bluebird came to investigate the safety of their wayward child and, then, came to investigate the person picking figs.  After flitting about the tree for a few moments, they seemed assured that I meant no harm so they gathered their brood and went to search for grasshoppers in the lawn.  Our brief encounter ended on a happy note.

 

"Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder"

"Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder".....well, that is how the song goes but the bird was not actually sitting on my shoulder this evening.  He or rather they were sitting above my head on a pine limb.  They, being a pair..male and female.  The Eastern Bluebird is such a pretty little bird and is one of the more beneficial birds to have around the place.  They eat a ton of bugs that would ordinarily be munching my garden!  While there is no specific method of telling just how many bugs a pair of bluebirds eat, it has been proven that there are significantly less insects in gardens that also contain the birds!  Anyway, it made me smile to see this pair of bluebirds hanging around!

I watched the pair for a while and then a thought hit me.  This pair cannot be a "nesting pair" as it is a bit late in the season, is it possible that the Eastern Bluebirds are monogamous?  I have heard tales that once a pair of bluebirds nest, they will stick together for a lifetime...I wonder?  Some other birds are true to their spouse for a lifetime..why not bluebirds?  I turned to the internet to find an answer.  It seems that for years, scientists believed that bluebirds were monogamous for their entire lives.  Only if one spouse died, did the remaining bird find a new mate.  But more recently (with DNA testing), it has been proven that while this ideal situation might seem nice, it is not necessarily true.  Some bluebirds have their little flings and produce offspring that are not of the dutiful dad.  AND...that dutiful dad does visit other nesting sites while the mom is brooding!  So...those birds get around!  My sweet little pair sitting in the pine tree, may look like the perfect pair but may be swingers at heart!  Still..this is the animal world we are talking about here so I guess I should not pass judgement and ban them from the garden!  Besides, I noticed a lot of holes getting chewed in the pea plants and those birds might just keep me from having to use some icky chemical insecticide!

Eastern Bluebirds are cavity-nesters and will readily accept birdhouses.  It is important to remember that the houses designated for bluebirds have certain specifications.  They need to be designed for easy cleanout, have a drainage holes, be well ventilated and have a 1 1/2 inch hole..no bigger as that will encourage other birds to use the house.  Also, if the house is painted, a lighter color is helpful as dark colors could create an "oven" and you might just kill your baby birds.  Contrary to popular belief, it is not wise to mount the bluebird box on a fence post.  This will only entice predators to raid the box.  It is better to use a metal stake therefore removing the convenient access to the box.  No perch is necessary for bluebirds and will most likely attract other birds to the box.  Well, now...with that wealth of information, I need to start making bluebird boxes!  "Zip A Dee Doo Dah"!   Time to get busy!