Daily Archives: May 9, 2019

The Fledglings

Our 3 bluebird babies. born on Easter Sunday, left the nest on day 17. It was a remarkable experience to see these little things on the day they were born–tiny and hairless, like little pink shrimp.

We were all amazed at how quickly they developed. By day 4, we could make out their eyes–still fused shut. When I peeked in, they opened their little mouths, thinking it was feeding time.  They were still covered with soft, gray down.

After a week or so we could make out the feathers.  The last picture  I took of them was day 16.

The bluebird parents did an excellent job guarding the perimeter, perched on our fig tree.  We became familiar with their sounds and watched as they flew in and out, delivering grub worms to their hungry babies.

Our massive tabby Franklin would occasionally look up at the house, licking his lips and making that funny, chattering sound known as the kill-bite reflex.  Too big and clumsy to scale the pole for a snack, he kept other potential predators at bay. Guardian of the yard, he resumed his usual practice of hunting for frogs in the pond.  Fortunately, they too have proved elusive.

I told Levi we’d clean out the birdhouse and let another family start over again. He seemed pleased.