Bluebirds

 

You may recall the above picture I posted awhile back of the five eggs in our bluebird house. Based upon the temperatures and how well the male feeds the female, incubation can be anywhere from 13 to 20 days. We had three nights below freezing so I figured it would be on the upper end of that range but that male must have been feeding his bride really well because they hatched probably at the 13 day mark.

This what I found when I stuck my phone into their nest this past Tuesday. I'm guessing they are a day old at this point. According to my neighbor, bluebirds are very tolerant parents and don't mind being disturbed by photography. They don't abandon their nest just because I stuck the end of my phone into the narrow slow between the roof and the top edge of the nest to take a picture. Well, technically they do because they will fly off to a nearby tree and keep watch and then return when I am done so it is a temporary abandonment. Still, I try to be a kind neighbor and only try to snap a picture when they are off on one of their many food hunting expeditions.

The following day, I took the above picture which wasn't focused really well. I sometimes have trouble with nest straw robbing me of automatic focus since I physically can't see the resulting photo until after it is taken. I checked it when I pulled my phone out of the nest but was in direct sunlight and so it appeared alright until I got inside. At that point, I decided it wasn't worth another disturbance. But they have fattened up a bit already.

By day three, they had enough control of their necks to open up their beaks wide hoping for a tasty morsel from me. Instead they just got their picture taken. 

One of these days, I would really like a birdhouse with a built in camera connected to the wifi of my house. Years ago I found one such birdhouse but it was overseas and appeared to be defunct. Find one would allow me to remotely check on them more often and get better pictures. The early days are always pretty boring as the birds just lay in a heap trying to stay warm and not expend energy. Later before they fledge, there will be a little more movement, usually in the form of hungry open mouths to see.