Bluebirds and Wine!

Many people have fowarded this article to me and I thought I would pass it along.  Very interesting article about how the bluebirds are helping out wineries in CA.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2011/nov/11/5

Wow! Desi and Lucy Holiday Ornaments!

Wow!  Check out these beautiful PSBRP Holiday Ornaments with Desi and Lucy!  These ornaments are a one of kind and are made of high quality porcelain, 2.3"x3.25".  They come ready to hang with a red satin ribbon and would look great on your Christmas Tree or tied onto a gift wrapped holiday gift for a friend or loved one.  For a donation of $12.00, you can choose either the "Desi or Lucy" ornament or the "King Desi" design.  To learn more about these beautiful ornaments and to make a donation towards an ornament, check out our web site at http://www.pugetsoundbluebird.org/events.html  Or if you live in Kitsap County, WA, you can also get them at Wreath Works Christmas Tree Farm in Port Orchard http://www.thewreathworks.com/

Desi, Lucy, and the kids have moved on

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!

Desi and Lucy are in the news!

Photo of Desi in the Kitsap Sun newspaper.  Photo taken by Paul Carson

Joan Carson of the Kitsap Sun newspaper wrote an outstanding article about our beloved bluebirds, Desi and Lucy.  It was published today, Sunday July 17, 2011.  Check out the article at http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2011/jul/12/joan-carson-on-the-trail-of-western-bluebirds/
Thank you Joan for the wonderful article!

Meet the Fledglings!

"Little Ricky", one of the male fledglings of Lucy and Desi.

Tania Nachsel of Divine Photos took these awesome photos of some of the fledglings as they flew around the Christmas Tree Trail in Port Orchard, WA on July 8, 2011.  It is so much fun to watch the "kids" as they fly around the farm, vocalizing and chasing each other as they zip around the field.  The fledglings are doing great and are quickly learning how to hunt for insects.  I am so amazed how well they fly and maneuver around the trail. The fledglings are a bluish-gray color, with spots on their chest, but you can tell the males from the females by the coloring on the tips of their wings.  The males will start showing the beautiful bright blue coloring on their wings, which stands out against the gray color.  The females have a lighter blue on their wings.  The fledglings have been hanging out a lot around the residential home of the Christmas Tree farm, and they love perching in the big tall trees next to the home with Desi and Lucy.  A great big thank you to Tania for taking these spectacular photos.  Check out her web site for more great photos at www.divinephotos.net

One of the female fledglings.  She sure blends in well with the tree!

Desi is a great father to his kids.  Here he is with one of the fledglings.

 

Desi is not amused as the fledgling says "Hey Dad!  Feed Me!"

Fledglings are doing great!

Lucy hanging out on the nestbox

Went out to the Christmas Tree Trail Friday with Tania Nachsel of Divine Photos.  The fledglings were everywhere!  They are now hanging out at the residential home of the owners of the farm, and they were flying all over the place-- it was hard to keep up with them!  They were in the bird bath, on the roof, in the grass, in the trees.  Desi and Lucy were close by to monitor them as the zoomed back and forth.  Every once in a while, a fledgling would beg for food from one of the parents, but not as much as I noticed last Tuesday.  Tania took some awesome photos of the entire bluebird family.  The ones posted to this blog are of Desi and Lucy, but I will definitely be posting picture of the kids soon.  Stay tuned for more pictures of "Little Ricky"!

Baby Bluebirds!

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.