Will a bluebird eat out of your hand?
Welcome back! Today is day eight for our bluebird eggs, and the mama (left) continues to faithfully keep them warm and well tended (I checked them this morning). She doesn’t have nearly the bright blue color of the male, but she does have a special kind of elegance about her. She flies over from the nestbox, gets some seed (sunflower chips), maybe stretches her wings a little, then flies back to her spot on the eggs. Depending on the guidebook you use, the typical incubation period for Eastern bluebirds is 12-18 days, so the time is drawing close. Then the real fun begins! We’ll give you a daily peek inside the nestbox so you can watch the nestlings grow up along with us. 
Meanwhile, the male continues to fly around and fend off the two hungry babies we have from the first brood. They chase him mercilessly whenever he flies in and picks up some seed or mealworms. And yes, he will even come over and eat them out of my hand! It’s a really neat experience to have him land on your fingers, feel how light he is, watch him grab a worm, pause and look at you, then quickly fly away. I love it! A Carolina chickadee (above) has also caught onto the routine, and he comes over occasionally, too. The babies are still too skittish to come that close, and the mama doesn’t even seem interested. So for now, it’s just the male and the chickadee. Fun!
I figured I’d show you some of the other visitors we have in our backyard, too. We have a Carolina wren that loves to come to our deck first thing in the morning for any moths that have spent the night on our screen door. He comes out from under the grill, hops around, flies up to the deck light, eats his breakfast and then is gone until the next morning. Lately we’ve had a couple catbirds visiting, and the tufted titmice are always around. I’ll try for some pictures of our cardinals and goldfinches tomorrrow.
Have a great day! Dave
P.S. At the bottom right is a family picture…all four of the bluebirds! Top left is the Carolina wren; top right is the titmouse. Below the wren is the catbird. Enjoy!
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Comments
I love it Dave! Who knew you were such a birdwatcher?! It’s so neat that your family all does this together too…
I think you’ve inspired me to go get some birdfeeders for our backyard. It’s something we’ve been meaning to do… now I feel like I’m missing out on some cool stuff not having any up!
I AM JUST SO JEALOUS OF YOUR BIRD-IN-HAND, and a Bluebird, to boot! You are a very lucky guy, Dave! I just wish I could bait the little ‘blues’ back to my yard, it makes me so sad!! GREAT SHOTS!! Keep up the incredible work, you are very talented!
Aunt B, consider yourself invited to have breakfast with us next time you are in central NC! Then our bluebird can eat out of your hand, too!
Hi Dave, sis here. I just bought my bluebirds some mealworms. How in the world did you get them to eat out of your hand? I just put them in a covered bird feeder, meal and all and sat it near the box. Is that ok? I live in southeastern Ky. I am just thrilled that the good Lord is letting me experience this. You have great pictures Dave.
Sis, the eating out of hand was the result of patience and much time on the deck, but ultimately it was a gift from the Lord! I usually read my Bible out there each morning from 6:45 to 7:30, and that’s when I put the mealworms and fresh seed out. I bang a cup on the deck rail as a signal to alert the birds, so they begin to assoicate the sound with food. Then I sit back, read, pray, and enjoy! The birds get more and more comfortable, and the mealworms are a strong attraction.
Once the bluebirds were coming to the mealworm feeder (about eight feet away from where I sit), I started limiting the number I put in there (about ten worms). I also kept a cup of mealworms with me and started putting them out on the deck rail right beside me when the feeder got empty. I’d bang my cup a few times again, and slowly the male bluebird (and some chickadees) got the nerve to quickly fly up and grab a worm. Eventually I started putting them in my hand, and they quickly caught on that that’s where the worms would be!
The distance from the nestbox is up to you I guess, but I have read that putting seed too close to the nest can be a disturbance. Our feeders are only about twenty feet from the nestbox though, and we haven’t had any problems.
This is wonderful! I’m going to give this a try.
I had, all winter, at my feeder what I assume was a “family” of bluebirds. The most I counted at one time was 5. Maybe this was mom and dad with the last babies of the season? Anyway, watching them all winter has made me a fan. They are such sweet birds.
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Wow! Great pictures! You really know what you’re doing, and I’m not a bit biased! ;-) Great blog!