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| No bluebirds in the box :-( "Empty Nest Syndrome" |
I was kind of dreading this day, but knew that sooner or later, it would happen. It looks like Desi, Lucy, and the fledglings have decided to move on to their next big adventure in "Bluebird Land". Lucy never showed any signs or interest in July of making another nest. It started to become evident after a couple weeks. At first, I thought that there was a good chance that she would have enough time to have a second clutch after the first brood fledged on July 1st, but each week I went to check the box, there were no signs of any new nest building. The Bird Cam set up to take photos of the nest box also showed no activity. During the week of July 17th, I went out twice that week to check in on the bluebirds, but each day I went (7/19 and 7/21) it was quite windy. It has been my experience that bluebirds stay perched high up in the trees during windy days, so I wasn't surprised when I didn't see them flying about. The only birds who were brave enough to battle the winds were the local violet green swallows, and even then, they were being tossed about in the air. Phil and Fran, owners of the Christmas Tree Farm, mentioned to me that they had seen the bluebirds earlier in the week, so I wasn't too concerned about not seeing them. Then on July 24th, I received an email from Phil, stating that he had not seen the bluebirds since early Thursday morning on the 21st, and he was beginning to think they had left the area. I was getting ready for a trip to CA, so I thanked him for the update and asked him to keep me updated if the bluebirds returned. No news from Phil while I was gone, so on August 1st, I headed out to the trail. Sure enough, there were no bluebirds to be found. Phil also agreed that he had not seen any bluebirds for two weeks.
So even though I am feeling a little bit of "empty nest syndrome", I am also happy for Desi, Lucy, and the fledglings. Desi and Lucy had a very successful clutch: Out of the 6 eggs laid, 5 of them hatched, and all 5 of the nestlings fledged! A 100% success! It has been an honor and pleasure to watch and monitor Desi and Lucy's kids this year, and we have high hopes that Desi and Lucy will once again choose our trail again next year for their family. And who knows, maybe the fledglings will return to the area and take up residence in some of our other near by bluebird trails? We can only hope this will be the case, and we anxiously look forward to next years trails and bluebird adventures!
A big thank you to Phil and Fran, owners of the Christmas Tree Farm where the Christmas Tree trail is located. We appreciate your support of our project and for being such an active part in the bluebird's lives. May all your days have the Bluebird of Happiness!
