A Family Emerges

These are photos of the female (top) and male (bottom two) Eastern Bluebirds as they guard the nestbox which housed their young. The young fledged later this day, encouraged by the adults to emerge. The adults proved to be very wary and I never had the chance to band them. They continue to hunt in the area, along with their young. If you happen to be in the park, look for them near the small pond. 

Eastern Kingbird

This is another bird which you may notice in the area surrounding the nestboxes. This is an Eastern Kingbird. They eat mainly insects and berries, and are visual hunters. They will fly from a perch to grab insects, or sometimes small frogs. They are migratory birds and spend their winters in South America. This is the first year that I have noticed them consistently in the park, and they likely have raised young here. They will soon leave for South America. The birds in the park can often be found sitting on the cattails in the small pond, as they hunt insects, or perched on the small trees or fence near the pond.

Fledge Day Coming Up

In only a few days, these birds will fledge from their box. They have grown a lot and, as you can see, their feathers have emerged from the sheaths from whence they started. The amount of blue in the flight feathers indicates that the two birds in view are males. You may notice the parents hanging around the smaller trees near the box. They keep watch from here and will attempt to dissuade you from approaching the box. Please heed their warning; the nestlings are prone to premature fledging now, and quite likely would not survive. Watch from a distance and you may see the nestlings fledge when they are ready.