When I moved into my new home in Lincoln, my friend Truman put up two bluebird boxes as a housewarming gift. Until yesterday, I’d never seen any activity around either bird box. Then, yesterday morning, I noticed an unfamiliar bird, clinging to the front of the bird box that is visible from my sliding door. It was peering into the hole in the box. When the bird flew to the nearby shepherd’s hook, I picked up my camera and stepped outside. The bird did not seem fazed by my appearance and didn’t move as I inched slowly closer. When it flew to the top of the bird box, it paused briefly, then returned to the shepherd’s hook. I thought it might be inspecting a potential nest site. Then I noticed a male Western Bluebird perched nearby where the fence slopes up away from the nest box. Yay! It was the first time I had seen Bluebirds in my yard. At first I thought the unfamiliar bird must be a female and they were looking for a nest. After a few minutes, the male flew off, followed a few seconds later by the other bird. Later though, when I looked at my images, I realized that the first bird I’d seen was not a female but rather a juvenile Western Bluebird, still in spotted juvenile plumage and with that Walt Disneyesque baby bird beak. I don’t know what the juvenile bird was doing at the nest box. Is it possible that I completely missed bird activity in that box? Was it a parent still looking after a fledgling? I travel frequently but I do go into my yard often and the Bluebird nesting box is near where I hang several Hummingbird feeders. I think I would have noticed birds coming and going to and from the nest box. I kept my eye on the box the rest of the day to no avail. I hope I will be able to solve the mystery soon.
Beautiful images!