A Blue Bird Summer

While visiting the Fairhope, AL  Arts & Craft Show several years ago, 

I bought this metal roofed Blue Bird house.

Sadly several years went by with no visiting Blue Birds. I thought it a lost cause, so I enlarged the hole slightly to allow other birds to use it. But still no interest......that is until we moved to Maryland.

 I had moved the house close to the backdoor to discourage any birds from using it because the house was soon to be packed into a box - we were moving again.

                 Days before our move, a beautiful bright blue male did the house hunting
                                                   before the female set up house.

I watched only for a very short time before I quickly cleaned out the nest and moved the house inside. 

Such a shame after waiting for years.

Our new backyard. Setting up the bird house was one of the first things I did.

But there wasn't a Blue Bird in New York that was interested! 

Eventually a Chickadee family did set up house and we watched the comings and goings of the very busy parents all summer.

So this Spring I changed my strategy ....I purchased another house and moved the now Chickadee house to another location. 

A wild turkey group would often casually walk by as we finally saw some Blue Bird activity.

 A family moved in :) 

 (there is a very handy space below the roof that I can slip my mobile phone into for a photo)

It was so fun to watch the very busy parents.

 I didn't want to disturb them often, so the next time I looked at the four little babies they already had all their feathers.

We were away for a few days and on our return I found an empty nest.

 But soon after the babies fledged, we would see the family visit our yard - the male would perch on the highest tip and the babies would take the lower branches.

It was several weeks later when we were very surprised to see more activity at the house.

By the time I tip-toed up for a photo I found four more babies newly hatched.

                                                                 they grew quickly

and were soon fledged.

I  found three of them huddled together in a nearby branch and was able to watch the male come and go with insects for awhile until a big Blue Jay came along and scattered them....

they went in every direction.

                                             We kept watch on the tip of the big tree again, 

                                          seeing a couple of them only briefly once or twice.

Next spring we will watch again.

(the gold coloured tree in the background was actually green during the day, but the pollen caught the low evening light and would turn a brilliant gold)