Bluebirds

For the third year in a row a pair of bluebirds is nesting on the front porch. Mom and Dad are pretty comfortable with letting us sit out there and watch them coming and going with food for the babies, but for some reason the camera makes them wary. I imagine it looks like a large eye watching them, like a predator, and they won't come to the nest box if I have the camera in my hand.

I haven't figured out what sort of caterpillar or worm they are feeding the kids, but there seems to be a huge number of them in the yard now. Good thing, since feeding the brood is an all day job. They perch up in the small tree or on top of the bird feeder poles and peer down to find the next snack, then fly down and grab it, then up to the tree again, or occasionally the porch railing. From there they make sure the coast is clear before zipping over to the next box to feed the screaming kids. At this point Mom and Dad don't actually go in the box, just hang on the side and feed whichever chick has it's gaping mouth closest to the entrance hole.

 

They have always laid four eggs, but have always lost one chick somewhere between hatching and fledging. This year all four chicks seem to be doing well.

 

L Sullivan had asked on a previous post how the Caboose progress was coming along, and the sad answer is, it isn't. It seems there are just too many other things going on right now, and too many (good) excuses for not starting on it. I need to get some dirt work done, as there is no flat, level place to work on it here unless I park it in the front yard. Somehow I don't think the neighbors would be in favor of that.  lol In the meantime I've been trying to finish up all the half-done projects on the house  so I can get an appraiser out here. I purchased this place dirt cheap, mainly due to the deplorable condition the house was in. Hopefully all the work over the last three years has boosted the value some.

Summer plans are still up in the air. I really need to get to MN and start working on clearing out the house and outbuildings there, but everything is sort of on hold right now. My almost-son-in-law (who lives in NC) and my daughter (who lives here) are flying to Utah next week where he has a job interview. If he takes the job, she will be moving out there with him, so for now everything is on hold until the job decision is made.