Before I left Arkansas, I had the privilege of seeing and photographing this male Eastern Bluebird teaching his young fledglings where to find food. I did that from the comfort of my dear friend Steve Creek’s deck.
This is the same bluebird who lost his mate just a few days before the chicks were going to fledge. He continued to care for, feed, and look after the chicks by himself until they learned to find food on their own.
*To view these male Eastern Bluebird photos larger, click on the first image and scroll through them.
As Steve and I watched and photographed the male bluebird that day, we noticed that he would land on the driftwood perch and flutter his wings repeatedly.
We thought he might be teaching his young to come to that spot because Steve had been supplying mealworms for the male bluebird to feed the chicks after the female died. We observed the young bluebirds being fed high in the trees on Steve’s property for days.
On this date, the male seemed determined to entice his young to come down lower so they could find the mealworms themselves.
While the male fluttered his wings on the driftwood perch, he called often. We could see that the baby bluebirds were lower in the trees than they had been before.
I was outside on the deck later that evening without my camera when I saw all three of the chicks land near the mealworms. Slowly, I crept to the door, told Steve to grab his camera because the bluebird chicks were close to the deck. Steve came out and photographed the chicks. We both felt privileged to see the male taking care of his young up close.
By the time the chicks were on their own and when the male found a new female, I had left Arkansas. Steve wrote a great post about the days that I missed with these bluebirds which can be seen here: Eastern Bluebird Saga Finale: A New Beginning and a Farewell
Despite the loss of the female, it was so much fun to watch, photograph, and enjoy the family of bluebirds in Steve’s yard. I have hundreds of bluebird images I still need to go through. More to come another time!
Mom would have loved seeing both mine and Steve’s photos of these bluebirds, she sure loved them!
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Eastern Bluebird photos plus facts and information about this species.
Wow! This series of Eastern Bluebird pics is simply wonderful and your narrative is fascinating. Thanks Mia.
Daddy bluebird makes me think of the airport runway guides. All he needs is a couple of flashlights (and opposable alulae to hold them). I’m so glad that he has found a new mate and that the chicks have successfully fledged and left the nest. He is a stunningly handsome little bird — those genes need to be passed on!
Beautiful photos of beautiful birds. I had a nesting family of song sparrows and the male disappeared when the five chicks were nestlings. The poor mom was looking so frazzled. I put a food cup on the fence not far from the nest in the bushes and filled it daily with live waxworms. When the chicks fledged the mother took them to the cup and tried to teach them to eat the worms. All five chicks would stand on the edge of the cup looking down into the cup with their mouths open screaming at the worms to be fed, they expected the worms to just hop in their mouth! I discontinued the feeding not long after they fledged, they needed to find food not sitting in cups to survive.
Fantastic photos!! They are such a beautiful bird!!
Great shots Mia! You’re getting some wonderful photos there!!
Just amazing shots, what grace you captured!
Echoing Patty.
These shots are a delight!