Another Day at Work
Apis Workers' Party
Predator
Some of Your Beeswax
Sedum Bumbler
Look of Defiance
Chicory Bee
Bumbling Bees
Garden Cafe
Buzz By Here - To Infinity and Beyond
Pick Your Poison
Blind Side Attack
On a Mission
Honey Bee on Sedum
Covering the Cosmos
Center of the Cosmos
Three's a Crowd
Popular Spot
On A Pedestal
Big Harry Fireworks Display
To Impress the Girl
Different Perspective
Sweet Ride
Perfect Little Piggies B&W
Flipping the Light Fantastic
Festival of Flights
To the Crowd's Delight
Amish Go Round
Wondersome One
The Stars In Her Eyes
Tuesday's Child
Sleeper Hold
Considering the Next Move
Sugar and Spice
Front Porch Portrait
Caged Competitor
Early Adoration
Child In the Ligtht
Stroll Through the Weeds
Attention Grabbing
Eye Contact
On the Line
Eyes of Wonder
Rounding the Curve
Troubadours of Basin Spring Park
Down by the Creek
Sun Day
Catching Some Light
EAA Fireworks
Hear Me Roar
Search Results for: bluebirds
Bluebirds – Father & Sons
Let me introduce you to our neighbors – the Eastern Bluebird family. This is a father and two of his offspring. There are four of these youngsters hanging around, having hatched this spring.
It’s hard to get the whole group together for a family portrait – though I’m working on it. The mom is busy sitting on another clutch of eggs. She does emerge to eat, now and then. I just have to convince them all to eat at the same time.
I’ve been supplementing their normal diet with meal worms…placing them on this tree stump in our yard. I’ll be posting more of the family in the near future. Stay tuned.
To view a larger, more detailed version of this photo, click on it.
Bluebird Family Outing
These are Eastern Bluebirds perched on a stump in our backyard. We have bluebird nest boxes at several locations around our rural home. Each spring we watch, expectantly, for them to return, build their nests and raise their young.
The three birds with the speckled plumage are the young ones. They were attracted to the stump by a treat of mealworms we offered on a regular basis. We love watching them and their progress from hatchlings to fledglings…until they head south for the winter.
Feeding them mealworms on a regular basis creates a location where I can set up my camera and capture some good images. This photo was taken with my camera on a tripod ten to 15 feet away from the stump. I was actually in my house, watching out the window, snapping the photos with a wireless remote.
You can enjoy more of the detail in this image by viewing the full-screen version. Simply click on the photo.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
Bluebird Family Brunch
This is a family of eastern bluebirds. The gal standing tall in the back (on the left) is the mother. The rest are her offspring from 2014 hatch. They’ve come together to share a mid-morning brunch of mealworms in our backyard.
This female brought two broods into the world this season.
All of the photos I post are available for purchase. If you’d like to buy one, click on the blue “Buy this Online” bar below for a variety of print and frame options or contact me for digital purchase and licensing options.
A Little Squirrelly
A tiny red squirrel enjoys a meal of seed dropped by the bird feeders above.
This was a rare sighting at our house. We don’t have squirrels around our place. Our home is surrounded by large farm fields, so any critter making it to our property had to travel quite a way with little cover – except this time of year where the crops are up. Still, when they get here, there’s no natural food source – no nut trees.
When this little guy showed up, he was the immediate center of attention. I noticed him when I looked out the window to see what the racket was all about. What I saw amazed me. This little guy was circling the trunk of a tree as quickly as his nimble legs would allow, with bluebirds in hot pursuit. The birds were relentless, dive-bombing him at every turn. Whenever he would venture out of thick brush, the birds would be on him. He eventually caught a break and was able to grab a quick meal; cleaning up under the bird feeders.
When I spotted him I, naturally, wanted to get a picture. I knew, if I went outside, he would run and hide. To get this shot, I stayed inside, opened the window, removed the screen and cautiously held my camera out the window.
This was the last time I saw him. He must have gone on to a friendlier neighborhood. I don’t blame him.
To get a better, larger view, click on the photo.
Next Generation
Another generation of Eastern Bluebirds emerge under the watchful eye of the previous. The father joins the son for a breakfast of mealworms, served daily on a tree stump in our back yard.
To view a larger version of this image, click on the photo.
All You Can Eat Bluebird Buffet
A mother’s work is never done. This female bluebird laid the eggs, sat on them until they hatched, spent all day, every day foraging for food for a brood of six. A week ago, they were big enough to leave the nest. Still, this dedicated mama gathers as much food as she can carry to her young waiting safely in a nearby tree.
We offer the bluebirds meal worm in this ceramic dish. It’s our small way of helping a working mother.
About a week ago, I posted a photo of the baby bluebirds before they left the nest. You can them here: Overflow Seating
To view a better, larger version of this image, simply click on the photo.
Overflow Seating
Every spring we look forward to the return of bluebirds and tree swallows. We have next boxes around the edges of our yard to encourage homesteading. It’s always a treat to see them building their nests and then watch as the eggs hatch and the babies develop.
This is a view inside a nest box claimed by Eastern Bluebirds. These baby bluebirds are becoming quite cramped in the small confines of the nest box. Though you can’t see all of them, there are five youngsters piled on top of each other. In a short time (I’m guessing a week or less), they will leave the nest.
When looking in on this crowd, we had to be sure none of them spilled out…which they almost did.
To get a better, larger view of these babes, click on the photo.
Father Son Brunch
This is a father and son pair of Eastern Bluebirds. The son hatched this spring. The father seems to be eyeing the son’s table manners as he downs another mealworm.
We’ve been providing a small amount of mealworms for the bluebirds every morning. Every morning, I wake up the loud singing of male bluebird.
To see a larger version of this image, click on it.
Trouble Times Three
Here’s a gang of tough looking hombres if I ever saw one. These young roughians from the neighborhood (Eastern Bluebirds hatched this spring) seem to be displaying a bit of youthful defiance.
Because this photo was taken on a cloudy day, from a distance, it lacks the technical photographic quality I prefer. However, catching the three of them together…with that look…makes this an image worth posting.
Early Bird Breakfast for Two
Our pair of Eastern Bluebirds enjoy a breakfast of juicy mealworms every morning. This scene seems to suggest a little friendly competition between the sexes. Notice them holding up their worms to see who snagged the most sumptuous fare.
To get a better look at those worms, I suggest you click on the photo.