Somebody's a new father....

I regularly monitor nest boxes, a martin house, and various nests built around our structures. We've had bluebirds in the nest boxes, rough winged swallows in the martin house (after the martins moved on without nesting), bluebirds and barn swallows at the shop, barn swallows at the pier, pigeons at the barn, a Carolina wren in the goat's hay bag in their shed, barn swallows and eastern phoebes under eaves of the house, and even a couple of blue jays that fledged a bit too early in the yard.

Can't imagine the bug population if we didn't have all of these wonderful bug devouring fowl!

Now if I could just have a cardinal and mockingbird nest close by :)

There have been abandoned nests, abandoned eggs, babies kicked out due to health and brood parasites (like a cow bird, although I've not seen any), and babies fledging too soon. It's a tough life for these birds but I don't interfere. I just enjoy what I can and record what I can on nestwatch.org 

Today these four babies hatched and are waiting on the fifth making some bluebirds new parents. I added the one photo because it held its head up for food and looked cute :) I attempt to get photos regularly but I often miss them. Enjoy!

Happy Father's Day!

Babies!

Bluebirds nesting in our yard in the city was wonderful.  Living where they are the "sparrow" in our yard is wonderful x 10! We brought three of our nest boxes (had to leave the one used annually by the sweet pair at the house) to place around the yard. After seeing the interest Michael made five more. Got those up a little late but they nest multiple times a year, and sometimes change location, so there's a chance they could all be used. I monitor them on nestwatch.com. Anyway, we've had three nests with eggs and today we have babies! You can see the fourth egg just under the little one on top. It'll hatch sometime today or tomorrow.

Since I'm posting from my phone I can't label each photo. I'm pretty sure y'all can figure out the nest in the nest box, eggs, and babies though ;)

On a side note, happy to be blogging again and plan to do so regularly to catch you up on all that's been happening - finally closing on the old house, finishing the move, buying a condo for Michael, buying a few items including a bed for him, moving him in, getting settled here again, and keeping up with the ranch residents, including brooding a few chicks, leaves little time left over.