Now that the Baby Bluebirds have fledged and their nest box is empty, other birds have taken to checking out the space. This Downy Woodpecker seems to really like the Bluebird box, and has been spending a lot of time hanging out on it.



And she found the entrance to the box, where she proceeds to go in and out and in and out repeatedly, oblivious to all activity around her.



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This little guy has been hanging out at the feeders the past few days. He has a bit of orange in his feathers. I've never seen this before in a House Finch. I'm guessing it is because he is near to shedding his summer feathers... or he was just in a paintball competition... and lost.



Here you can see more pronounced orange down his tail feathers.

The Baby Bluebirds are doing quite well so far! All 5 of them look to be healthy and developing nicely.



This one was not shy at all while I was taking a few quick shots today. It's not a good idea though to spend too much time with them while they are this young since they are in constant need of feeding because they are so weak. Also, the parents get very protective of the nest, despite being comfortable with me being around all the time.

He looks a little rough around the edges today, but this Gray Catbird has been a regular visitor to the bird feeders since about July 4th. Okay, so I am a little behind in breaking the good news! Seriously though, he has been at the feeders pretty much every day eating from the blocks of suet.

Perhaps about 10 minutes before I took this photograph of him, I spotted a bird on the ground that, after bouncing around for about 20 seconds, flew off into the trees. I was sort of freaking out trying to identify it from memory (since I was without camera at that moment). I kept thinking I saw it wrong, and that it REALLY WAS the Gray Catbird, but it had a bright red/orange beak. Also, it was of dark plumage. After some memory recall, a beer or two, and a lot of page turning in the many bird books in the house, I deduced it was an immature Northern Cardinal.

Initially, I thought it could very well be a Northern Cardinal, but the darker plumage threw me off. That is more common in immature Cardinals than in the more seasoned ones people are used to seeing in their backyards.

SOOOOO... mystery solved! You can breathe easy now!

By what I can only describe as a miracle, the only surviving baby (of 6) from the Barn Swallow's brood has decided to leave his makeshift nest and go into the big bad world. This was of no fault but his own, since after finding the box empty, he was then spotted in the landscaping on the side of the house - presumably having made it there on his own.

I'm sad to see him go, but glad that he did survive his whirlwind first few weeks in the world. I am hopeful he will do well on his own now that he can fly. The parents were with him, encouraging him to fly further and higher after he took a few minutes at a time to rest up.

Due to the complete stupidity (or is that inexperience) of the parents, both of the nests came down shortly after it was clear that the baby would not be returning to the Nest In A Box. Besides, it was starting to smell from the 2 dead babies that were left in the nest going on a week now.

Nests removed, the walls have also been soaked down to clean off as much poop and mud as possible. Next year, a new pair of Barn Swallows can build a new nest and the process can then begin once more.

The lone Barn Swallow survivor is now doing quite well. He has bounced back quickly since now he is being fed by the parents regularly. I suppose it is easier for them to feed 1 rather than 6. He is alert and attentive when there is movement - bird or human - nearby.



He is still not too keen on being photographed though. But this has been a great documentation opportunity, since normally the Barn Swallows are unapproachable in their hard to reach nests.

On the Bluebird front...

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All the eggs have now hatched for the second Bluebird brood! Time to keep an eye on them and watch to ensure the parents are feeding them... though I'm not worried since the Bluebird parents seem to be on top of things.

This is a Barn Swallow baby. Can anyone tell me what is wrong with this picture?

Yes, he is NOT in the nest. The nest is located about 12 feet off the ground. This baby is about 4 inches off the ground.

Apparently, sometime between friday night and today all of the babies but this one perished. Last night, the nest was completely quiet, and the parents were not even going up to feed the babies. I had pretty much resigned to the fact that the entire nest was lost.



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