Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Fledged

The bluebirds fledged today. I checked the box at 4:30 and they were gone. They couldn't have been gone long. There was still a very fresh dropping on the nest. So, out of two broods, we had six bluebird chicks fledge. Hopefully this is a trend that will continue. I'm going to move the box in my yard to another spot in hopes of getting two pair nesting next year. All that the box in my yard has done is house red wasps. It's a lot of fun to see the bluebirds hunting in my yard. The male and female spend quite a bit of time sitting on the fence watching the ground for insects. I've seen the young birds at my birdbath. It will be fun to watch them mature and learn how to do things on their own over the next few months.

Friday, June 20, 2008

First Day Of Summer

I decided to celebrate the first day of summer by mowing. Real fun! But, it needed to be done. I was just about to finish up when I looked up and a Swallow-tailed Kite flew by. He was low, just over the treetops. I saw him for about five seconds and he disappeared. Then he came back and flew closer to me just over the treetops. He gave me several seconds of great looks at him this time. What a beautiful bird!

There isn't much to report. I haven't had time to go birding on the property. The baby bluebirds continue to grow. I will post some pictures soon. They are 13 days old today. They should fledge today or tomorrow. If they all make it, we'll have six new bluebirds in the world out of that box. I still see the young from the first brood flying around occasionally.