One Day After Release

I woke up early and anxiously this morning, hoping to see Sammy safe and doing well.  I walked around our yard several times, scanning the trees with my binoculars, but I couldn't spot him anywhere.  It shouldn't have, but my heart sunk lower as the morning wore on. It's normal and instinctive for fledgling bluebirds, almost any baby song bird actually, to seek sheltered hiding spots to try to remain safe while they learnt and observed the world around them.  So, actually, I guess I should have been happy that I couldn't see him easily. But, my soft heart took control once again, and I let worry overtake me.

I even went for a drive down our road and the next road over, driving slowly past all the open field areas looking for him.  Why I thought I would be able to find one particular little bird is beyond me, but as I said, I wasn't using my brain, only my heart.  Needless to say, I didn't see him anywhere along my drive.

At about 11:30am, I decided to take my 3 little dogs for a walk in our woods and as I was walking through the semi-treed path between our laneway and our neighbours, I heard what I was sure was Sammy's soft calls.  I called out "Sammy Sammy Sammy" and turned back toward the house, hoping it was him and that my calling would draw him out into the open.  I saw a bird land in the beech tree between our laneway and the platform feeder and it was Sammy!  My heart almost exploded with happiness and relief!  He had survived his first night out in the world!

Perching on the grasshopper container

Sammy flew down from his perch in the beech tree and landed on the feeder, had two big drinks from his shallow bath and ate a couple of mealworms.  He also let me give him a grasshopper, then flew off onto his aviary roof for a minute.

Sammy perching on his aviary

I think he wants a grasshopper!

Next, Sammy flew over the house and then back to the beech.  He was very busy, flitting from one spot to another.  He checked out one of his perching ropes above the feeder, came back down for another mealworm, then finally settled on our gazebo roof, where I gave him 3 more mealworms.

He hopped onto my hand after eating the last one, then flitted to my chest and sat there quietly for about 5 minutes, eating a couple more mealworms.  Sammy ended up on my shoulder after that, sitting and nuzzling against my neck for over 10 minutes...having a rest and a cuddle, I think he even slept for a couple of minutes.  Sammy seemed to have missed me almost as much as I missed him.  I don't think the smile left my face the entire time!

Cuddle time

After his "cuddle-time", he hopped onto my lap, ate 4 more mealworms and a big black ant I caught for him as it crawled by.  Sammy flew off after that, but pretty much stayed in our front yard area for the next few hours.  He occasionally came down from his tree perches for mealworms and a couple of drinks.

So handsome...

Around 2pm, I watched him swoop down to the lawn and catch a small black beetle and an ant.  It was terrific seeing him hunt food for himself in the wild, how he could spot it from several feet above the ground was amazing.

A little later in the afternoon, Sammy flew through our covered front porch and checked out several perching spots in the trees and on the ropes.  Once, he flew down to the chair I was sitting on and begged and gaped at me for food, and ate 2 mealworms I offered him.  I placed several more on the chair and he ate them all.

Sammy left our yard about 5:30pm and we didn't see him again until almost 8:30pm.  We found him perched on the brush pile at the back of our parking area.  I walked over to him and held my hand out in front of him and he hopped on.  I walked back with him to his aviary, wondering if he might want to sleep in it's relative security and shelter.  The front wall was off, so he would still have the choice to come and go as he pleased.  He flew onto one of his perches, then his feeding platform and ate a mealworm out of my hand.  Sammy flew back and forth between his perches in the aviary a couple times, then flew out and landed in the beech tree beside our laneway that he had been sitting in often during the day.  He perched in the same spot he had used several times today, then went up one branch higher, under a cluster of sheltering leaves and settled down onto his feet.

Just after 9pm, almost dark, Sammy was still in the exact same spot, sitting low on his feet looking like he had found his roosting spot and was settled in for the night.

It had been an exciting, delightful day for me, watching him flying around our yard, catching his own food and exploring everything around him.  I'm sure he was exhausted after his very busy day, and he had chosen an ideal roosting spot to help keep him protected from the elements and hidden from predators.  I felt so pleased and at peace that he appeared to have adjusted to living in the world so easily.

Today, Sammy is 45-46 days old...alive and free.