When the male Eastern Bluebird takes flight and the sunlight illuminates his feathers, it is truly the most beautiful creation in my yard. Genesis 1:21 says, in part, “…So God created…every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”
We began with five eggs in the nesting box. That was on April 20, 2021. Today, May 16, 2021, I know that four bluebirds hatched and flew away. I’ve been checking the box to take pictures and watch them grow. They all flew away yesterday afternoon or possibly this morning. The last time I saw them, they all had feathers and I knew they would be leaving the nest very soon. Whether or not this breeding pair nests again remains to be seen. They have been known to do that.
May 06, 20221
Four little birds.
May 11, 2021
Growing fast. Only five days since the previous picture.
May 13, 2021
I look at these last two photos and see a lot of difference in the feathers in only two days. God is GOOD!
The box has been cleaned out and made ready for a possible second brood. The Eastern Bluebird is my favorite and perhaps the favorite of many other people as well. I’ve used two photos this time that were pulled off the web from a free download site.
It has been my wish, many times, to put out a feeder for the bluebirds. They are protein eaters; ie, grasshoppers, crickets, various bugs, etc. Trying to feed these particular birds and NOT feed the squirrels has been a problem. Squirrels may not eat meal worms, but being as inquisitive as they are, they would chew and dig at whatever was placed in the yard.
By the way, there is a remedy for squirrels that like to dig in my containers. Crushed red pepper flakes. Apparently when the sun warms the pepper flakes, the squirrels don’t like the smell. Problem solved. Just sprinkle a generous amount on top of the soil and, voila! Now if only there were a remedy for a certain rat terrier who is a terrorist in the yard. She grew up watching me pull weeds and one of her favorite things is to retrieve the clumps of grass that have just been pulled up and tossed. She also loves to bring the clumps inside and shake the dirt all over the carpet. Looks like I’ll be throwing weeds where she can’t reach them.
Cricket found a terrapin the other day. I made a video of her barking at it. I’m not sure if my readers are ready for the videos. Plus, I’m not sure I can figure out how to upload one! (Grin) So my little rat terrier did manage to pick up the “turtle” and carry it around. I was concerned she might crack the shell and neither did I want her carrying it in the house like the clumps of grass. Although, the turtle might make less mess. We ended up putting this little reptile out of reach and crossed our fingers that Cricket would forget about it; eventually.
Probably the quietest pet we ever had was an Eastern Box Turtle. My youngest son found one, oddly enough, with only three legs. There was much speculation as to how it lost a limb. TC named it Tripod.
Until next time, step outside or go for a walk. Look around and take a picture. Maybe you can share what is visiting your yard, or patio, or wherever. — Be blessed!
So enjoyed the pics and article. I’ll agree with the flip flop snake on the pic you sent me also hahaha.
Thanks for the words of encouragement. Say hey to Douglas for me! Have a blessed weekend!