I went to the Christmas Tree Trail today to check in on Lucy, Desi, and the kids. I have to admit, I've had a bit of "empty nest syndrome" since the nestlings fledged last Friday. I don't know why....it's hard to explain. I am very happy that the fledge seems to have gone successfully and that they all fledged before the 4th of July (fireworks can cause many nestlings to jump out of their nests pre-maturely), but maybe it's because they have left "home" and there is a possibility that once they leave, I may not see them again.
When I arrived at the trail, I saw Desi almost immediately. He was flying around the Christmas Trees like normal, and hanging out around box #6 (a nestbox I have thought that Lucy and Desi have also laid claim to, by placing several pieces of grass and blue feathers in it). He then disappeared as I headed down towards their nestbox. I thought he would be following me like he normally did, knowing that I would have a few tasty meal worm treats for him, but when I looked back to see if he was there, he was gone. As I opened their box, I noticed there was no change since last Friday. The old nest was still smashed down and there were no signs of any new nest building. I left the meal worms on top of the box and stepped back and watched, but no bluebirds appeared. After a few minutes, I went back to the box, collected the worms, and went and checked the rest of the boxes on the trail. After going through the rest of the boxes, I returned to Lucy and Desi's box. Still no sign of them, so I placed the worms back on top of the box, stood back a few hundred feet and watched. After several minutes, I decided to leave, and as I began to walk by the box, Lucy suddenly appeared with Desi. How happy I was to see them! I tapped lightly on the box to show them the worms, and they dove down and grabbed up the worms. Just then, Desi flew up to the large tree near by to the familiar "chew chew" sounds of the fledglings. Then, to my surprise, some of the fledglings flew down to nearby trees. Eventually all the fledglings came down and were flying from tree to tree, sometimes begging for food from their parents, but mostly flying down to the ground and "pouncing" on insects. As they flew around, they made the familiar "chew chew" sound that bluebirds sing to each other to keep track of each other. First of all, I was amazed how well the fledglings were flying! They flew so well and were maneuvering like their parents. They also flew longs distances, and were seen close by to the house on the property(never had seen Desi or Lucy go that far before). But I was also amazed to see that the fledglings were actually trying to hunt. I'm not sure if they were able to catch anything, but they were definitely acting out the hunt. Desi and Lucy were there to monitor the kids and occasionally, would feed one of the fledglings an insect that they had caught.
What a thrill it was to see Desi and Lucy with the fledglings. It definitely made my day! I don't know if Lucy will build another nest for a second clutch. Western Bluebirds sometimes will have a second clutch, but it is not a guarantee. I believe Lucy may still have time to have a second clutch, but that is something I will just have to wait and see. It is my hope that conditions are just right for a second clutch of nestlings. Until then, I will enjoy seeing the fledglings, Desi, and Lucy during their time here.
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