NestWatch is a collaborative effort involving many institutions and thousands of citizen scientists interested in monitoring the success of nesting birds across North America. Won’t you join us?
Featured Participant Story
A Rocky RoadImages and Story By Glenda Simmons of Tallahassee, FLClick on an image for a larger version.
Images and Story By Glenda Simmons of Tallahassee, FL
Click on an image for a larger version.
Recently, I watched a couple of Eastern Bluebirds peeking out the entrance hole to their nesting box. I monitored the bluebirds in my yard and knew they would fledge at any time. I went inside the house to get my camera gear, hoping to witness the big event. As I walked toward my front door, I saw a flash of blue on my front porch.
The "flash of blue" made a very wobbly, low and slow flight back toward his nesting box, landing on the trunk of a small tree next to the nesting box. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw movement in the shrubbery and spotted the second fledgling. I then saw movement of another fledgling about six feet up a Crape Myrtle tree. Mom and Dad were swooping down, with constant chatter, trying to get the grounded birds to follow them in flight. It did not work! In the meantime, I noticed another fledgling, observing all the commotion from the safety of its nest box.
For the next hour, I observed, from a distance, the fledglings hopping about my yard, taking short flights and preening, like they did not have a care in the world. Their parents were very concerned. Then one of the grounded fledglings took off, this time hopping across the street into my neighbor’s yard that has cats and dogs. I made a big loop behind it and the fledgling flew back into my yard. I had lost track of the other fledglings trying to keep up with this wayward soul. It was almost dark when he finally climbed a foot off the ground, up the trunk of a tree, to a knothole, which was a snug fit. I felt this was the best place this little guy could be since he could not seem to get to the treetop. I am certain this is where the fledgling spent his first night out in the big world.
The next morning, I went looking for the fledgling. Not seeing the bird in the knothole, I turned and walked toward my house, and spotted him, just sitting on a brick next to my house. I was relieved that he had survived his first night in the wild. I then spotted one fledgling napping low in a tree and another flitting about higher in the tree. Later in the day, I found the chicks, a little higher up in a different tree, and none on the ground. Yeah! Progress!
I was reminded that fledging is not always a smooth flight. I hope they all made it.