Three Baby Bluebirds

John and I checked the nest box yesterday. There are three healthy babies inside! Dorie had four eggs, so one must not have hatched. I'm not sure if it's common that one egg wouldn't hatch, but I'm delighted there are three babies there. It's been approximately two weeks since the eggs hatched, so I'm guessing it's almost time for the babies to leave the nest. I hope we're able to see Dorie and Hank feed them! Maybe we can even take pictures!

Dorie's Eggs Have Hatched

Today, my husband checked on Hank and Dorie's nest at about 3 pm. Hank didn't appreciate the intrusion. He flew down at John and flapped his wings at John while he was taking the picture of the new little birds. At least two of the four eggs have hatched! The count down to fledge day has begun.

Baby Brown -headed Cowbirds

Some baby Brown-headed Cowbirds have started visiting our feeders as of this past week. The female Cowbirds don't make their own nests, but they lay their eggs in the nests of unsuspecting mommy birds who raise the cowbirds as their own. Last year, we had one baby Cowbird who stuck around for a few weeks. My suspicion is that they were raised with House Finches. At first we thought the Cowbirds were House Finches, but they are larger and have a different beak. This year, we were able to identify the Cowbirds sooner, and we have at least two babies we see every day now. As they grow, they start to intimidate the smaller finches and walk on the deck like they own the place.

Female Cardinal

One of my favorite birds is the female Cardinal. I like the earthy brown colors that are complimented by the bright red. Most of the cardinals are skidish, so I've been trying without success since last year to get a picture of one at our feeder. I was finally was able to get a picture on June 11th. This may be a juvenile, but I think she is a she. She was eating some of the seed that spilled on the deck. It seemed like she posed for me for a couple of minutes!





In Dorie and Hank news, we haven't been able to check the nest since Wednesday. According to the timeline, it's possible that the babies have hatched. It's raining today, and we're suppose to wait until the weather is good to look in the nest. Hank and Dorie continue to be very protective. Yesterday, I looked out the window just as they had teamed up to chase away a bird. That bird landed in a nearby Leeland tree. Hank and Dorie continued to fly at the bird until he flew out of the tree. They were seriously aggressive! I'm hoping to check the nest for little birds tomorrow.

Nesting Timeline

We should expect the little Bluebird eggs to hatch 12 - 14 days from Saturday, May 30th! On June 10th, we'll start checking for babies. This web site has been a great resource for the nesting timelines: http://www.sialis.org/eablbio.htm#time.

All of the babies will be named Hank, Jr. and Dorie, Jr.

All the babies should leave the nest around 17 days after hatching. I hope we're able to see them and get pictures when that happens!

Four Eggs in the Nest!

Dorie has 4 eggs in her nest!

Our neighbors have a nest complete with baby birds in a planter hanging on their porch. They are baby House Finches. I think they're 6 about days old.