With spring’s beginning there is an added frenetic pace to contemporary life in north Florida. Time off for spring break, with its increase in vehicle traffic, and the home landscape chores accumulating while the beach and tourist traps are visited both add to the chaotic rhythm of the season. The domestic deeds, tasks, and jobs…Read more
Tag: Bird Watching
The Second Brood of 2021: Dad Ends Up Going It Alone
After the first egg hatched on June 11, the family activity began to lessen. One by one, the juveniles stopped coming to the deck to feed and bathe. I guess they knew that their parents now needed to get down to work and raise the second brood. I was sad to see the juveniles leave…Read more
The Second Brood of 2021: Family Fun at the Bluebird Country Club
After the tragic loss of one of the fledglings from the first brood, and the uncertainty about the fate of three of the others, I wondered how the remainder of the nesting season would unfold. I couldn’t help but wonder if the fledglings had made it and were okay. My questions were answered in mid-May….Read more
The First Brood of 2021: A Reminder That Nature Has the Final Word
In previous nesting seasons, I had accepted the reality that it is common for one egg in a clutch not to hatch. So, when all five eggs hatched I was overjoyed! The first chick hatched on April 14. As always, my responsibility to the bluebird parents and their brood was to watch out for predators,…Read more
First Brood of 2021: A Late Start to a Wonderfully Promising Season
After the exciting conclusion of the third brood of last year’s nesting season — where two juveniles from a previous brood returned for the fledging of their relatives — I was eagerly anticipating the start of 2021. The nest box was up by the first of January and for days I caught myself glancing at…Read more
The Third Brood of 2020: The Kids Come Home for the Big Event
As fledging of the three chicks was quickly approaching, I was delighted when two juvenile bluebirds from the season’s first brood returned for the big event. I’ve read that sometimes juvenile bluebirds will return to “help” their parents with a subsequent brood. From my observations of this day, “help” apparently translates to “get in the…Read more
The Third Brood of 2020: A Good Start Would Lead to a Wonderful Ending
After the disappointing second brood that never materialized, I was hoping the bluebirds would come back in time for a third brood before the end of this year’s nesting season. On June 30, the female appeared at the nest box and immediately began building her nest. Mom laid a total of four eggs. On July…Read more
The American Goldfinch: Flying in From the Cold
Labor Day 2021 is soon to be in the rearview mirror and the kids are going back in school, either in classrooms or virtually. Life is settling into the early autumn routine, while it is still technically summer. Even though the solar equinox is about three weeks away, the residents to the north are reacting…Read more
The Second Brood of 2020 (sort of): Excitement, Anticipation and Then Letdown
For two weeks in May I was excited beyond belief. My bluebird pair had returned to the nest box — and they had brought one of their chicks with them! I had read that this occasionally happens and was delighted that it was happening to me, especially at this time when everything had been shut…Read more
First Brood of 2020: The Bluebirds Return For a New Year
After the abrupt and sad end to the 2019 nesting season, I was eagerly looking forward to 2020, although I was not sure if the bluebirds would return. In the interim I had built a second nest box using the dimensions of the box I’d used the previous year but with a few minor modifications. …Read more