April 29, 2022
Two bluebirds are nesting in a bluebird box outside our dining room window. We might as well set a place for them at the table, as we spend much of our evening meal discussing their comings and goings. After a day spent taking care of our animals, it’s oddly relaxing to watch another pair so diligently provide for their own.
We watched as the male collected twigs for the nest the female was building. He seemed very particular, searching at length for just the right stick – small enough to fit through the opening and flexible enough to bend around the edges of the nest. He must have known what he was doing as there is very little that the female rejected. She is clearly the one in charge of all the nest building - he is merely a glorified “go-fer” (albeit a gorgeous one).
The last few days, the male has been foraging for bugs while the female sits on her eggs. Bluebirds have excellent eyesight and can spot a caterpillar in tall grass 150 feet away. We grazed our sheep by the bluebird box last Fall, so the grass is very short and must make his insect hunting practically effortless.
The eggs will hatch in a couple weeks and after that, they’ll both be very busy collecting enough food for their new brood. For now, though, he has a lot of free time and spends most of his day on top of the box resting, or on a branch nearby surveying his estate.
I wonder, as I go about my chores, if they are watching us and remarking on our comings and goings, in the same way we comment on theirs.
The female sitting on her nest might remark:
“It’s so nice to see that Bobbie and Anne got all their sheep back on pasture so early - and what a lovely batch of lambs they have this Spring! I do hope they have a productive grazing season.”
The male perched on the top of the box preening his brilliant blue feathers might respond:
“Weather be willing! Not too much rain, and no more droughts - I think they’ll be just fine. Yes, I’m sure of it, it’s going to be a particularly splendid summer.”
Where there is joy, there’s hope.