Bluebird Nest #1 of 2022

I'm super excited to report that we have our first bluebird nest of 2022 and she has laid five eggs!  Now, we wait....and wait....I'm always so impatient for #hatchday.  There's nothing sweeter than watching the eggs hatch and seeing the new baby bluebirds!  The incubation period starts after the last egg is laid and is normally 13 to 20 days. The eggs are somewhat dull when they are first laid and get shiny when they are close to hatching. So I'll keep a close eye on them. I think we should have bluebird babies the week of March 14th. Check back soon for updates!   

Spring is just around the corner!

Who is ready for Spring?  I'm ready and so are the bluebirds! 

They've completed their nest and are ready to start laying eggs!  I'm really looking forward to another year of bluebird babies!  💙

If you don't have a bluebird house - now is the time to pick one up!   I purchased ours at Lowes.  It's a very sturdy Cedar Bluebird House made by Homegrown Cedar Products and we've had it for four years. It's very reasonably priced ($13) easy to mount and easy to clean.  Just ask my husband because that's his job! 😎 

He mounted the house on a beam off of our porch about six feet high and facing the East.  The bluebirds seem to really like it because we've had bluebirds for the past four years!  So, get yourself a bluebird house and put out some dried mealworms - it's bluebird season! 💙

Check back soon to see how many eggs she lays in Nest #1 of 2022! 

The Full Hunters Moon

 

Lastnight was the full Hunter's Moon and it was a beautiful night!  It was clear and cool and the moon glowed for all to see! So big, so bold, and so beautiful.  Of all the moon phases, I especially love the Hunter's Moon and the Harvest Moon.  The leaves are falling and it's time to hunt. The fields have been harvested and the hunters can easily see the fox and other animals.

The moon had just started to rise and I had just finished making dinner when my husband suggested that we put dinner on hold and drive down the road. He knows that I love it most when the moon is just rising over the horizon. It's absolutely beautiful. Anyway, we drove to a clearing and I snapped a few pics. The sky just never disappoints! After we returned home, I was looking through my moon pics and this poem came to mind. There are so many wonderful verses about the moon but I'll just leave you with the one below. Enjoy. 

It was the longest night in winter,

When I sent a question into space,

Asking how I'd ever change,

When I'm trapped in the same place,

And I heard the full moon giggle,

As she cloaked me in her light,

Along with the same swath of stars,

I looked at every night,

I blushed pink as a sunrise,

At the joke I didn't get,

Until the moon gave me her answer,

In the minutes before she set,

"You have much to learn on standing still,"

She told me with a smile,

"For since you first asked me that question,

You've moved five hundred thousand miles."

-e.h. 

Just a reminder, the next moon event will be Thursday, November 4th & it will be the "New Moon". (Yes, the “Twilight” fans will be excited.)

Finally, the Fall season is upon us!

It's almost October & Fall is my favorite season!  🍁

However, October is a complicated month for me.  I'm totally excited about the weather!  I love the cooler temps, the changing of the season and the color of the leaves.  I love Fall clothes, Fall flavored coffees & beers, and anything Pumpkin Spice...and while there are a lot of good things about October....it’s also a very difficult month for me. My mother passed away In October. One month after her 74th birthday.  She loved the Fall season as well.  (She actually loved ALL the holidays!)  She went ALL OUT decorating for ALL of the holidays.  She worked at a Florist shop and enjoyed dressing for the holidays.  Our house was always decorated and she had every holiday sweatshirt to match!  She loved sitting on the front porch and watching the birds. You have no idea how much I am like my mother, Bonnie.

So, with that being said....I am going to embrace the month of October and everything Fall as my mother would have done.  I'll be doing a lot of front porch sitting, front porch drinking, and bird watching!   

I have a lot to be thankful for.....even though the climate of the world right now gets me "down".  We must overcome all of the negative things impacting our minds.  Lets rise above and get back to normal!  No one is responsible for your happiness so you're not responsible for keeping everyone else healthy!  I think someone once said, "Take care of yourself because no one else will!"  

My motto is: 

"Take care of yourself, mind your business, & love each other! Everything is going to be okay!”

Don't forget to check out the 'sidebar' of my blog! There's lots of things to check out! 😎

 

Four hungry baby birds

Four out of the six eggs hatched and the babies are now two weeks old. They are getting their feathers and eating regularly.  The male and female bluebird take turns feeding them.  It's a lot of fun watching them and listening to them chirp. They are a little crowded in there but they are managing. 

 

We have 6 Eggs!

Can you believe it?!  She laid six eggs!  Now we are just waiting to see how many will actually hatch.  I've had a few birds lay six eggs before and usually only five will make it.  They should start hatching this week sometime and hopefully they will all hatch.

 

 

There is still time to get your bird houses out and attract bluebirds to your yard! 

What are you waiting for?  Get busy!

 

Welcome Back!

Hi there & welcome back!! 

It's been too long and it's almost Springtime, Birdies!

I'm back and so are the Bluebirds!  💙

The bluebirds started building nests shortly after the bitter cold winds blew out of Tennessee at the end of February. I have a sweet couple that started building in my birdhouse and I've been eagerly awaiting the first egg!  She laid Egg #1 sometime between 6am-7am.  I'm not sure the exact time but when I check the camera at 7am - she had already laid egg #1.    

I'm really looking forward to the Springtime! I love the Spring flowers, the warmer temperatures, the Spring Showers, and the birds! I used to live in Texas (and I loved it there), however, I really enjoy the changing of the seasons in Tennessee. Fall is by far my favorite time of year but I always welcome the Spring after a cold winter. Be sure that you get out and enjoy the sunshine! 

     

Update: from Egg to Babies

Hi!  I apologize for my absence, there's been so much going on...baby bluebirds and the basketball tournament!  It's truly been MARCH MADNESS at my house! 

I think the best way to bring you up to date is to post a timeline:

The bluebirds started building their nest in my bluebird house on March 7th and finished around the 10th.  The 

The eggs started hatching on 4/1/19 at about 2pm and finished hatching on 4/3/19.  I’m sad to report that one egg did not hatch.  The egg was disposed of by the mother.

The babies are 8 days old and they’re starting to get their feathers and open their eyes. 

Bluebird Mania is back!

I’m very excited to announce that the bluebirds have started building their nest! I'm especially excited because my husband gave me a bird house cam this past Christmas! Now we can see inside the house and watch the baby birds hatch!  I will be posting pics and videos to keep everyone updated on our new bluebird family! 

Last Thursday, we noticed there was a lot of activity and lots of materials on the ground underneath the house. The male bluebird had been taking nesting materials into the bird house. It rained on Friday and all day yesterday, but that didn't stop them from working on the nest.  Today, it's been sunny and dry and the momma bird has been working very diligently on the nest. I think the nest will be complete today and she may possibly start laying eggs in a few days. Below is a short video of momma building her nest.    

You still have time to get a bluebird house and put it up! I bought mine at Lowe's and they cost about $15.00. Be sure to purchase some dried mealworms. You'll need some treats to attract them to your yard. 

I hope you're excited about the spring weather and the rebirth of plants and living things around us. Check my blog for updates and let me know if you have bluebirds in your yard!

Spring is a very exciting time of year!  

Get out and enjoy the fresh air!

Most important time of the year!

Hi there!  It's the most important time of the year for bird feeding! It's winter...and my favorite time of year! I like winter for two reasons, winter clothes and I love winter birds!  The winter birds need us to help nourish them through the winter months! Yesterday, I visited my favorite store, "Wild Birds Unlimited"!  (I absolutely love shopping there! You really need to visit your local shop.)  I bought a couple of suet cakes. Suet is especially important in the winter months.  It is a quick source of heat and energy for birds.  You can find suet cakes at grocery stores, hardware stores, and anywhere that sells bird seed.   Don't forget to add a suet cake to your yard!  The birds will 'thank you'!  

Leave me a comment or picture and let me know how you're helping your backyard birds through the winter! I'd love to hear from you! Stay warm!🐦

Bluebird Mania!

I think it's official....we have bluebird mania! 
We’ve had one successful brood and they fledged. Then, the parents rebuilt a nest and laid five more eggs! We are now waiting for the second brood to hatch.

Meanwhile, some of the fledglings have been spotted at our feeders!  It's very hard to determine if all the babies are coming back or just a few. Here are a few pics of the dahlings!

The second round of eggs have been laid! The last egg was laid on Saturday, May 12th. The incubation period has started and will last 12-14 days. I'm hoping all goes well and we'll have another healthy brood of babies in about two weeks.

Be sure to check back for updates on our

second round of babies!

Five Happy & Healthy Baby Bluebirds!

Two weeks ago, the bluebird eggs hatched and we welcomed five new baby bluebirds to this wonderful world! Sorry it's taken so long for me to post this great news!  Here are some pics to bring you up to date. Don't forget to follow me on Facebook for quicker updates. 

💙💙💙💙

I'm not ready for these little guys to fledge.  But, I know the day is coming! I'll keep you posted through my heartache.

💙💙💙💙 

Lovin' my Bluebirds!

Hello friends! So much has happened since my last post! The Bluebird nest was completed while we were on vacation. Below is how it looked right before we left for a week. It's a very nice looking nest...if you ask me!

We got back from vacation last Monday.  I was hoping she would wait until we came back to start laying her eggs...and she did!  She laid her first egg last Thursday. On Friday, my husband checked the bird box and he didn't see anything. However, when he positioned his phone farther in the box to snap a pic....there were two eggs! Then, Saturday she laid a third egg and today, the fourth egg!  My husband thinks she'll lay a total of five eggs but, I think she'll lay seven! She's eating well and they are watching the nest closely like good parents. I'll keep you updated!

Now, for a little bit about our vacation. We took a trip to Houston to visit friends and go to the rodeo. It was a lot of fun! We saw Keith Urban & Garth Brooks play at the rodeo!  This was my husbands first time to Houston & he really like it....except for the traffic. We stayed at our friend's home in Galveston. It was beautiful! Time was short so we didn't do much birding. But, my friends took us to a well kept secret place that had Peacocks! There are beautiful! The Peacocks were very friendly and were not modest at all!  The males were showing off their beautiful feather tails, known as a "train".  Below are just a few of the hundred pics that I took of them! I'd like to go back to Galveston and attend one of their awesome birding events!

We had a great time in Texas!

Great time, Great food, & Great friends!

Nest Watching

Day 1 of Nest Building 3/07/18 

This week has been a busy week! The bluebirds started building their nest on Wednesday, March 7! I spotted the female going in the bird box with pieces of straw.  On Thursday, there were pieces hanging out of the nest box! So we knew there was some building going on. When my husband went home for lunch, he checked the box and sent me the first pic of the nest! That night we were able to start the official "Nest Watch" on https://nestwatch.org/  Anytime, you find a nest and commit to watching it - you should send your observations to The Cornell Lab of Orinthology. You can become a "citizen scientist" and your data will helpthem track trends in birds including when they nest, how many eggs laid,  how many hatched, and how many survived.  This is a nationwide tracking status. They study the current conditions of the bird population and how it changes. There is so much interesting information on this site. I highly recommend reading it even if you haven't found a nest yet. You'll be ready for when you do!

Now back to BackerNest1 (that's what I've called it).  On Saturday morning, I was able to spend a few hours observing and the female was super busy! Apparently, "The Hustle is Real"!  She is ready to get this nest built and lay some eggs!  This momma ain't messin' around!

She went back and forth with straw bits and pieces....and then she showed up with a beak full! I was excited to get a few pics of her hardwork!

Lastnight, we had quite a bit of rain so this Sunday morning wasn't quite as productive. Maybe due to the wet nesting materials. But, I did see some building going on.  She should have the nest completed possibly tomorrow and then will start laying her eggs shortly after. Bluebirds lay one egg a day and usually will lay 5-7 eggs.  I will keep you posted. 

Don't forget to check out my Facebook page and Twitter for recent updates.  Thank you for following me & the birds!

Bluebird Happiness!

I got up bright and early to watch for the bluebirds. They didn't let me down! When I looked out the window there was one sitting on the hook underneath the bird house.  I grabbed the camera and snapped a few pics. Tomorrow, I'll open the bird house to check for signs of a nest being built.