Katydids and Cuddles

This morning, Sammy was waiting on his feeder dish when we came outside at 7:15am. He was very hungry this morning, gobbling up about 15 mealworms in two visits to the dish.

He stuck close to the house for a couple hours this morning, alternating between sitting in the beech tree on the front lawn and a majority of the time under the porch roof on one of his ropes. It was raining and fairly windy, so I think he was trying to stay dry. The rope attached to the porch post is the perfect place as it shelters him somewhat from both the rain and the wind. I felt so bad for him having to endure the crappy weather, but he's a tough little guy and smart enough to "come in out of the rain"!



Hunkering down on his rope

The rain stopped by noon and while I was tidying up the deck and cleaning the tables, Sammy stopped in for a visit and hung out on the deck railing for several minutes. He watched wherever I moved and seemed very content just hanging out. He also kept an eye out for the big black ants that come out from under the deck boards...a tasty snack he quite enjoys!

When Sammy landed on me in the afternoon, I offered him a big katydid I had caught earlier in the day.  He picked it up and banged it around several times before finally swallowing it whole.  Quite a mouthful for a little guy, but he managed just fine.  Here's the video of him having his katydid, taken with my IPhone.

Katydids are a common food source for Eastern Bluebirds and I continue to try to introduce him to natural foods that should be part of his regular diet.  He may have already caught and eaten some on his own, as we know he hunts for himself and is very good at it. So, yes, I'm still out catching all kinds of bugs and moths for him to help him learn what to hunt and eat.  Sammy would have learnt hunting skills and types of prey from watching his parents, so I'll continue to be the bug lady! Sometimes, I give them to him as his parents would have done and sometimes I toss them on the ground below him or near him so he can hunt them himself.

Watching prey from above

Sammy flew in to the porch feeder around 7:15 this evening and had a couple mealworms, plus a spider and a couple of grasshoppers.  He flew down from the dish with the second grasshopper and landed on my arm where he proceeded to knock it around and eat it.  Sometimes he removes the legs from the grasshoppers and leaves them before he eats the rest of it, which I've read is common.   It makes me so happy to see him do the things wild Eastern Bluebirds do...reassures me that I haven't "tamed" or "domesticated" him too much.

After he finished his bedtime snack on my arm, he hopped onto my chest under my neck and nuzzled himself in.  I sat down in a chair and enjoyed our quiet time together.  He stayed on me for over half an hour tonight...the rain had returned bringing with it dark skies and thunder, so I think he was taking refuge from the storm and enjoying some comfort being close to me.  Sammy did some preening and chirped softly a few times while tucked up against me, but mostly he just sat quietly.
I offered him some more mealworms during this time also.  After eating, he hopped off me onto the backrest of the chair, turned himself around and pooped over the chair onto the deck, then hopped right back onto my shoulder under my hair.  To date, knock on wood LOL, Sammy has never pooped on me...several times he has hopped off or flown off a few feet away to do his business and then came right back onto me.  I seriously believe he is intentionally NOT pooping on me, it has happened so often it just can't be coincidence!

Sammy, just being beautiful!

Sammy stayed for another minute or so after that, then flew off into his beech tree for the night and settled himself in.  I felt so relaxed and content after this special, peaceful time with Sammy tonight.  I am completely amazed that he is still seeking me out and wanting to have these moments with me.  Every morning I wake up with happy anticipation of seeing him, he has filled my life with such joy and purpose.  This has been such an incredible journey being part of his life, I can't even express the feelings that course through me watching him thrive.

Today, Sammy is 62-63 days and is sleeping almost at the very top of his bedtime beech tree, all nestled in beneath some leaves.