Bluebird Babies

I've enjoyed watching these precious Bluebird parents caring for their young the past couple weeks. They are back and forth countless times to and from the nest box all day long, every day. Both parents equally share the responsibility of bringing food to their nestlings and carrying away their waste. Bluebirds are among the first songbirds to produce offspring in early spring. I've noticed that Chickadees and Titmice also nest early in spring.

The nestlings will probably fledge within a couple more days. They're getting pretty cramped inside the nest box and I often see them crawling atop each other and trying to get a peek outside. They're so stinking cute!

This is pretty gross but it's all a part of the ways of nature- when the baby bird has to poop, it will turn its back to the parent and discharge a poop sac. The poop is contained within a white sac which helps to keep the nest clean and provides an easy way for the parent to carry waste away from the nest. This behavior, in turn, helps prevent the attraction of insects like ants and flies around the nest. It is nature's way of housecleaning. 

More about them later.

A Few Spring Migrants

I missed most of the spring migrants that fly through during the month of April because I was super busy doing other tasks. I did spot a few of the usual migrants...

Male & Female Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks:

One afternoon, there were about 4 male Grosbeaks at one of the feeders. By the time I grabbed my camera and went back outside, they were gone. The female directly above was fairly nervous about my camera clicks. She stared directly at me for several seconds then vanished.

 Male Indigo Bunting:

My favorite photo of the day:

The Red-Headed Woodpecker seemed to dare the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak to stop at the feeder. The Grosbeak flew by him then took off in the opposite direction.

Flutter By

I was setting some plants in my flower garden when a beautiful butterfly 

decided to check out some nearby blooms...

Spicebush Swallowtail

Courting at the Bird Feeders

This pair of courting Northern Cardinals were at the bird feeder this morning and were feeding each other sunflower seeds.  I noticed the male left the female a couple of times, but returned within a few seconds with seeds from another feeder which he then gave her.  Their bonding behavior is normal during breeding season.  It's such a sweet thing to watch :) 

Love, sweet love

Wildflowers

A few of the wild flowers growing in our back yard

this spring...

A couple of thistles were nearly as tall as me!  

I can't imagine falling into one of these prickly plants, OUCH!

March Photos of Cardinals

During the early days of Spring, our Cleveland Pear tree bears its beautiful white blooms.  When they begin to fade, the Cardinals will sometimes eat what's left.  They seem to love it.  

The males are brilliantly red right now.  I've noticed the past couple of weeks that the Cardinals have all been sparring quite a bit.  Maybe it's because nesting season is near and they're trying to find mates and establish territorial boundaries.  Whatever the reasons, they're very active these days-  constantly chasing each other through the trees and being more dominant than usual at the bird feeders.  Grumpy birds.  

Female Downy Woodpecker

I don't often have the pleasure of seeing a Downy Woodpecker in our yard,

but I got lucky a couple of days ago...

She stayed on the Mimosa tree trunk for several minutes, pecking around for insects.  

Such a cute little beauty.