I mounted the nest box and pole in my back yard in late February. Frankly, I didn’t expect much to come of it and was prepared for disappointment. A couple of weeks went by and I saw no birds. In the interim I did some rudimentary research about bluebirds, which consisted basically of looking at photos so I’d recognize a bluebird when and if I ever saw one.
And then it happened.
A pair of bluebirds took an interest in the nest box. So these are bluebirds. I was literally taken aback by their beauty. The almost iridescent blue on the male’s back and the reddish-rust color on his chest in the morning sun was a stunning sight. As someone who had never witnessed the nesting habits of bluebirds, I now had a front-row seat to view this incredibly interesting process.
At the time I didn’t realize how fortunate I was; I have since learned that some people wait two or three years or more before successfully attracting a nesting pair or bluebirds to their yard. As luck would have it, my first bluebirds arrived in less than a month.
The male bluebird atop the nest box.
The pair were very intently checking out the nest box. As I would later learn, the male selects three possible nesting locations in an area and then brings the female to view each. The final decision of where to nest is made by her. The male repeatedly went in an out of the nest box showing her its attributes. She viewed the inside a few times, and they went off, presumably to view the other possible nesting sites.
The process repeated itself later with the male entering the box with nesting material in his beak to show the female that this would be a good site to nest in. He sold her on the idea and nest building began in the coming days.
During the nest building process, the bonding between the male and female continued, often with both taking a break and perching together atop the nest box side by side, as if enjoying each other’s company. Yes, I realize that they’re birds, but it’s hard not to ascribe human emotions to some of their actions; perhaps this is part of the enjoyment of birdwatching. Some particularly tender moments were when the male would fly in with an insect in his beak, perch beside the female, lean over and gently feed it to her. Then it was back to work building the nest with the male guarding their territory from a nearby perch.
My very first bluebird egg.
Only the female builds the nest; the male does not help with this task but does often accompany her on flights as she gathers nesting material to bring back. I assume he’s providing her protection as well as making sure she doesn’t take an interest in another male along the way.
Watching her bring beakful after beakful of pine straw and grasses was fascinating. Early nest building activity was mainly her just depositing the material into the nest box to establish the base — quick trips of a drop-it-in-and-go nature. After the base had been built up, she bagan building the “bowl” of the nest, which was more intricate and caused each trip to take more time as she would weave the pine straw and grasses into shape.
I monitored the progress of the nest by checking inside the box daily. Watching her diligently build a nest that appeared so flawless in its construction added to my growing appreciation for these birds. There was nothing haphazard about her nest. It was beautifully woven — a far cry from the comically messy wren nests that can magically appear in my garage if I leave the door open for a couple of hours.
By March 10 the nest appeared complete, and for the next week or so I saw the bluebirds only sporadically as they would make quick visits to very briefly check on the nest. As I’ve learned, bluebirds sometimes build more than one nest simultaneously, and do not fully commit to a specific nest until their first egg is laid. I eagerly awaited the event, checking the nest box daily with great anticipation.
And then, on the morning of March 19, I opened the top of the nest box to find the first bluebird egg I’d ever seen in real life. It was quite a sight: a strikingly beautiful shade of blue nestled in a perfectly made nest.
I was now a bluebird host.
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This is the third column in a series.
Next in the series: “The First Brood of 2019: A Month Watching Nature’s Miracles and I’m Hooked”
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