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[Phyl]

Cane Ridge Bluebirds, Cane Ridge, Tennessee May 2024
 2nd clutch May 2024

5-25-24. 11:05 am---CR #69 at 12 O'clock, CR# 70(1 O'clock) then CR# 71and CR#72looking up and the camera.
Near fledgling time. No more photos will be taken. We're on fledge alert!

[Phyl]

Cane Ridge Bluebirds, Cane Ridge, Tennessee May 2024
 2nd clutch May 2024


The 2nd clutch with CR #69,  70, 71, #72 have fledged  --again I was too slow and missed one perched in the 'hole' of nesting
box about to 'launch' for the first time into the world. With Mom and Dad, siblings waiting in the nearby willow.

It is now June and currently the 'kids' are about to return from 'Flight School' as I like to call their week or so in the woods getting
educated on hunting and foraging. They'll return for some training from Mom, on the feeder pole and meal worm
feeder box,  here at our backyard. Hoperfully these fellas will not be so 'shy' and perch on the deck for some graduation
snaps.

[Phyl]

Cane Ridge Bluebirds, Cane Ridge, Tennessee June 2024
 3rd clutch June 2024

In the mean time...Mom and Dad have been busy with a third 'family'.
Not altogether uncommon.


Here, we are looking at CR#73  positioned right at '12  O'Clock'

Taken 6-4-24 6:17PM

But, I was hoping that this family
was through nesting so I could get some unwanted volunteer
trees and shrubs cut down/removed.

This will have to wait !


I am getting ready to have Jim take my iPhone and mosey down to  nesting box#1  and take a peek and a snap ---checking laying progress.
Will we have two eggs or three or four by now?

[Phyl]

Cane Ridge Bluebirds, Cane Ridge, Tennessee June 2024

3rd clutch of 2024
June 8th 2:04pm

CR#73 at 12' O'clock position then #74 at 3 O'clock, #75 at 6 O'clock and #76 at 9 O'clock
All you babies have to do is---grow strong.

[Phyl]

Cane Ridge Bluebirds, Cane Ridge, Tennessee June 2024
2nd clutch (May) fledglings two weeks after 'flight school'.

Dad and CR #71 6-10-24 4:27 PM

[Phyl]

Cane Ridge Bluebirds, Cane Ridge, Tennessee June 2024
2nd clutch (May) fledglings two weeks after 'flight school'.

CR#69 on feeder pole 6-10-4:28 pm

[Phyl]

Cane Ridge Bluebirds, Cane Ridge, Tennessee June 2024

2nd clutch or brood  from May season; Thursday, 13th
At 7:31 AM on feeder pole, L to R, CR#69, Dad and CR#72.

[Phyl]

Cane Ridge Bluebirds, Cane Ridge, Tennessee June 2024

Wednesday, 12th, CR #71 at 10:38 AM

[Phyl]

Cane Ridge Bluebirds, Cane Ridge, Tennessee June 2024

CR # 70 says " Hi. And thanks. " 10:45 am

[Phyl]

Cane Ridge Bluebirds, Cane Ridge, Tennessee June 2024

Wednesday 12th 11AM
CR #73 is the most shy.

[Phyl]

Cane Ridge Bluebirds, Cane Ridge, Tennessee June 2024

Wednesday 12th 11AM
Mom on a 'nest break' with her chicks, CR #s 72 and 71.

[Phyl]

Cane Ridge Bluebirds, Cane Ridge, Tennessee June 2024

Thursday, June 27, 2024     about  6:15am

Went downstairs to the kitchen for a cup of that wonderful black hot liquid---coffee.
And, was greeted by Dad Bluebird and two of his chicks perched on the back of Jim's chair looking thru
the glass doors into the house.
(Another great moment not captured by me! If only I'd brought the iPhone with me.---duh!)

They stayed for a while until I walked closer to the glass. Poof! The 'kids' were gone.
Dad remined just for a few seconds and took flight himself.

I am flabbergasted --gobsmacked that our wildlife communicates and interacts with me----reaches out to us.
Jim and I are making every effort  learning  how to 'read'  these birds.
This adventure never gets old and is always full of surprises.

[Phyl]

The Bluebird Menu:

These cheery song birds usually eat grasshopper, beetles, spiders, crickets, and caterpillars.
And, a few side dishes like, flies, ants, wasps, moths, weevils. And, to the delight of homeowners---termites!

We’ve found spying with our binoculars, that during nesting season the amount of collected insects collect is much higher than some experts report.   The hatchlings need lots and lots of protein  and this is the best source for our sweet babies.

Food is usually spotted from our ribbon elms, willow and redbud trees all within a few feet or Nesting Box #1 and #2. Our BBs are often seen in our front yard  pricking the lawn . There have been several occasions in earlier seasons with fledglings educating them in how to hunt and forage.
Upon a rare occasion, I’ve seen them catch insects in mid-air  as is the true fashion of tree swallows.

[Phyl]

The Bluebird Menu (continued)

Some statistics* for feeding nestlings are:
 caterpillars-32.4%
grasshoppers-25.6%
spiders- 11.3%
Sometimes earthworms are fed to older hatch-lings. But I have read  that this can cause a bad case of  diarrhea
* Sialis.org

[Phyl]

The Bluebird Menu (continued)

The remainder of our BBs diet consists of small fruit from native shrubs  like our  Common Privet, English Ivy (Hedera helix) in our deck rail planters,  and Persian Lilac.
 We have noted that a wider selection needs to be provided and plan to plant a few more next spring.
Keeping fingers crossed that the economy improves...a lot!
They also eat, flowering dogwood, holly, mulberry, wild grape, pokeweed, Virginia creeper and Viburnum.
Either picked right from the plant or from the ground below.