Bluebirds

Last year about this time I was adding on 15 feet on one end of the porch and 25 feet on the other side so it would run the full length of the house, plus adding a long wheelchair ramp. There was a small hanging birdhouse at the east end of the old porch that the previous owner had put up. During all hte sawing and hammering I noticed a pair of bluebirds starting to build a nest in it. Since that end of the porch was going to be enclosed with wire to make a "cat porch" the bird house could not stay where it was without the danger of them become a snack for one of the cats. I first moved the nest down about 8 feet so it wouldn't be inside the cat area. When the prospective parents didn't seem to mind I moved it again, and a day later moved it yet again. At this point it was right in front of the table and chairs on the porch. Even though we spend a large amount of time sitting on the porch they didn't seem to mind the close proximity to people, so I bought an actual bluebird nest box for them. They got right to work, filling it with grass and pine needles, and eventually laid 4 eggs. All this with fairly major construction going on just a few feet away!  They hatched all 4 eggs, and 3 chicks fledged a few weeks later.

Fast forward to this year. The bluebirds are back, and we're tearing off the roof of the house. Lots of debris being thrown off the roof right in front of the nest box but again they don't seemed fazed in the least. Here's Dad watching from a Bradford Pear in the front yard. He's very inquisitive, often sitting 4 or 5 feet away on the railing and just watching us.

Mom watching from the ramp railing.

And from on top of the birdhouse which is attached to the roof support post.

This afternoon they both left the nest and flew off across the road, so I took the opportunity to sneak a peek inside the box. They've got 4 eggs again this year!

We had a nice little butterfly visitor briefly checking out the dog leash and posing for a couple photos.

And the resident rooster wanted to have his picture taken as he was patrolling the yard. 

Todd finished the roof this morning and spent the afternoon finishing up some electrical projects: moving a receptacle, replacing 2 GFCI receptacles (Yay! Now the plug-ins work in the bathroom and kitchen!) and installing a switch and track light in my daughter's room.

That's a nice looking roof! He'll be heading out in the morning on his bicycle, heading towards Michigan to visit family, then working his way back to the southwest for the winter. He seems very happy with the compensation for his work; a new bike trailer, a small solar powered weather radio, some parts off my daughter's bike, a new tent and sleeping pad, room and board while he has been here, and $150 cash. I think I definitely got the better end of the deal though. I'm very happy I ran into him!