Can a bird love?

Sammy and I have a new routine now, he has his breakfast inside, gets some flight time in our large bedroom to help strengthen his wings and then he goes to play in his aviary.  He will be spending his days and evenings in the outdoor aviary from here on out, which I'm sure he will love.

I put some live crickets in with him this morning, to see if they would interest him, but he didn't show pay much attention to them. I also continue to play recording of Eastern Bluebird songs and calls and he becomes quite alert when he hears them.

We had some light rain this afternoon, and being the smart little guy that he is, he stayed on his perch in the corner under his roof shelter and kept dry.

Once he was back inside for the night and was fed, he enjoyed stretching his wings and doing some strong flying.  My grand-daughter, Tenley is here for a few days with her family and I honestly believe he remembers her.  He flew to her a few times, perched on her little shoulder and proceeded to snuggle himself right in against her neck under her beautiful long hair.  I'm beginning to think that if a bird can love, then little Sammy loves Tenley as much as she loves him. He seems so relaxed and content with her, and Tenley is over the moon with happiness.

Sammy tucked in Tenley's hair

Sorry for the pic quality, they were taken with my Iphone without a lot of light, lol.

Tenley and Sammy..who's more in love??

At dark, Sammy was placed back into his nest in his sideways kleenex box in the corner of his indoor cage and chirped softly a couple of times as I draped the towel over the cage.  Then, all was quiet for the night.

First Bath for Baby Blue

Well, it's the day after fledging and Sammy is happily enjoying his outdoor aviary today.  I put him in it early in the afternoon and he seems very content.  His outdoor aviary is 6ft high, 6ft long and 4ft wide..wish I had asked my husband for a little bit bigger one, but it will work fine for Sammy.

Sammy, waiting to go outside

Sammy age 18-19 days old

He has horizontal and semi-vertical maple branches for perching, a feeding platform, a shallow bath lined with small stones so he can have steady footing, a bluebird nestbox with the side open in case he wants to take shelter, cedar branches for shelter and shade, a potted shrub and a plywood roof and sides in one upper corner for shelter from the elements and shade. The sides and roof of the aviary (other than the plywood corner shelter) are made of fibreglass window screening attached to wood framing.  It was set up on the lawn, about 15 feet from the garden that has the seed feeders in it, so he can get used to seeing the birds around him. My husband, Frank, did a wonderful job building Sammy's new temporary home!

Gaping is still an issue, as he is not doing it very often, but he is opening his beak a little more when I gently rub the side of it. He is still eating well and is a hungry little guy...must be due to all that flying!

I placed his bath on the grass in the aviary and he enjoyed his first bath today. He flew down to it all on his own and had a ball!  He fluttered and dunked himself over and over again, and did some very meticulous preening on one of his perches.

I can't whistle worth beans, so I had my husband whistle and recorded it on my Iphone so I could play it for Sammy to recognize me when I approach him.  I also call "Sammy Sammy Sammy".  Today, he listened intently to the whistle recording when I entered his aviary, and flew to me a couple times when he heard it.

Sammy is 18-19 days old today and as beautiful as ever.

BIG Day Today!!!

Well, life with Sammy started off pretty much the same today as the previous mornings.  He was snuggled inside his nest in his cage when I lifted the towel off at 7:30am.  There wasn't any poop away from the nest, other than just over the edge of the nest as always, so I don't think he left his nest overnight.

He did a lot of stretches, flapped his wings, hopped around a little bit, scratched and stood tall. His first morning meal was as usual, me having to gently pry open his little beak and pop the food into his mouth.  After his first feeding, I decided to leave the towel on his cage open a bit, to let a little light in.  I was trying to simulate sunlight coming in through his nest hole in the wild.  He would also possibly be doing some "peeking" out his nest hole at this age.  I want to provide him with the closest to normal experiences as can be possible when you're a wee bluebird baby being raised by a human mom inside a house.

At his next two feedings, I was surprised to find him perching comfortably on his low maple branch perch at the other end of his cage!  The branch is about an inch off the floor of the cage and over a foot away from his nest.

Did he walk there?  Did he hop onto the perch?  Did he...gasp...oh my gosh...no way...fly?!?!

Whatever he did I'll never know, but it was an incredible sight to see him perching there so calmly and casually, like it was something he had been doing his whole entire short life.

In the early afternoon, he began chirping when I had him out to feed him, something he hadn't done before.  I gently rubbed the side of his beak, as I always do, and this time he FINALLY opened his mouth on his own for each morsel!!  An incredible breakthrough!  I hated having to make him open his mouth, so I was very happy to see him "ask" to be fed!

At 3pm, while he was out of his cage for a feeding, he briefly (like for a split-second) flapped his wings fast on my dresser and FLEW!!  He spread those gorgeous blue wings and flew strong and steady about 12 feet across the room, his landing only a bit awkward.  Then he flew about 4 more feet and landed on a windowsill.  Yay Sammy!!  He did it!!  He fledged!!  He could fly!!

I felt as proud as I did when each of my two sons took their first steps.  Yes, I am very, very attached to this sweet, beautiful bird.

I brought Sammy outside in his cage at 5:15pm and he seemed to enjoy the new sights and sounds. He did a fair amount of pleasant-sounding chirping, flew from perch to perch in his cage and to the bottom of his cage. Sammy did quite a lot of looking around outside his cage and he got quiet when I played the Eastern Bluebird song recording, although he didn't appear nervous or scared.  I gave him about half an hour of getting used to seeing and being "outside", then I moved him into our screened-in gazebo and brought him out of his cage.  My husband and I had placed some maple branches in the gazebo so he would have some safe, "normal" places to land and perch on.  Sammy and I stayed in there for about an hour and a half enjoying the fresh air.

He flew back and forth across the gazebo severak times, made some chirping sounds and was very alert and watchful of everything around him.  He was seeing and experiencing a whole new world for the first time.

He was quite interested in the goldfinches and purple finches that would fly past on their way to the seed feeders and watched them intently.  He was fed two of his meals "al fresco" in the gazebo, mouth wide open on his own for several of his portions.

After I brought him back inside, I put him back in his indoor cage and brought him out for feedings as usual, as well as some flight time.  He flutters his wings seemingly effortlessly, and the blue on them is brilliant. Hislandings were still a little shaky sometimes, and he would often land on the curtain rods and once on the top of a bedside lamp shade.

My husband, Frank, came in about 9:30pm, right after his last feeding and Sammy flew right to him and landed on his shoulder up against his neck.  Frank has been keeping his distance and not getting involved in the raising and caring of Sammy, as he felt he shouldn't, so it was surprising to see him fly straight to him, like they were old friends.

A beautiful flight to...Frank! 

Cage exploring today

Sammy - male Eastern Bluebird - 16 to 17 days old

More milestones for Sammy today!

Last night, I put him snug inside his container nest into his indoor cage.  This cage is a medium dog crate, with fibreglass window screening securely sewn with yarn around the sides and the top. The fibreglass window screening is so he doesn't break any feathers when he starts flying, which the bars of the cage or wire-mesh window screening could possibly do.

Sammy's indoor cage with kleenex box nest and perches with cedar branch shelter

Beautiful blue wing feathers

At his 3rd feeding of the morning, I had a bit of a happy shock to find him standing on the edge of his container nest!  More progress toward fledging the "nest"!!

In the early afternoon, when I went to feed him, he had left his nest and either walked/hopped/flew around his cage!  What a startling and wondrous sight to see him out of and away from his nest!  He was about 10 inches from his nest!

Fledging has begun..sort of!

Sammy is now 16 to 17 days old and still refusing to gape, but continues to eat well and willingly once the food is in his mouth.  He does a lot of super-fast "flying in place", stretching, scratching his head and preening his wing and body feathers. You can actually see him get a single feather in his beak and slide his beak along the length of each little feather.

He loves to stand up tall on his feet and stretch his neck out looking proud as punch!

Sammy stretching tall and proud!

I had caught him a couple of bright green, inch long caterpillars this morning and he was quite curious watching them, but he didn't make any attempts to grab them.

Sammy's blue tail feathers are about an inch long now and simply stunning!

Before bedtime tonight, he began flapping his wings vigorously and hopped/walked at the same time. He's sooo close to flying now!  Every new thing Sammy does is simply amazing and breath-taking..I feel so proud of him and how far he has come.  I don't think it will be long before baby blue is taking his first flight.

Sammy - just taking a little rest

Eastern Bluebird nestling development

Sammy had a good day again today. He did a lot of  "flying in place", which is so strong and fast now!  He's also preening and scratching quite often and I get quite a kick out of watching him stretch. Sammy often stands up very tall on his feet now rather than on both his feet and lower legs, although he still rests on his feet and lower legs at times.

His tail feathers have grown to about 1cm (almost half an inch) and his wing feathers are continuing to grow.  They are such a pretty blue (I guess I should say handsome, as he is a boy, lol).

I played Eastern Bluebird songs and calls again this morning, and he seemed a bit nervous or scared this time.  I will try playing them again later this afternoon.

He has started to become interested in things he sees now and is exploring things..like my garnet ring that he likes to lightly peck, lol.

I had quite a surprise when I went to feed him at 5pm.  He had crawled/hopped/fluttered out of his kleenex filled container nest and was on the floor of the terrarium! I think he must be getting close to flying and "fledging" his nest.

Sammy age 15 to 16 days

Eastern Bluebirds are cavity nesters but they don't make them, rather they use old woodpecker holes and other natural cavities in trees and wooden fence posts.  They also will readily use nestboxes. Unfortunately though, they have competition for them, as well as for the natural cavities.  House sparrows and european starlings will often attack nestlings, and even the adults, which is what happened to Sammy's siblings.  They will peck them on the head to kill them and sometimes will toss them out of the nestbox.  They will peck holes in the eggs, too.  Both attacks are so they can take over the nestbox or natural cavity.  If the mother Eastern Bluebird is in the nestbox when attacking bird enters, it will attack the adult until it either escapes and abandons the nest or until it is killed.  Eastern Bluebirds have an incredibly strong protection instinct and often lose their lives to these non-native birds rather than abandon their eggs or babies.  They also have competition for nesting sites from nuthatches, chickadees and tree swallows.

The scientic name for Eastern Bluebird is Sialia Sialis, and the Sialis website is a wonderful, informative source all about Eastern Bluebirds, putting up nestboxes or starting an Eastern Bluebird nestbox trail.  Also, the Ontario Eastern Bluebird Society has instructions on making nestboxes for Eastern Bluebirds, plus other interesting information on this beautiful songbird.

Sammy age 15 to 16 days

Stretching and Preening Today

Sammy, the male Eastern Bluebird nestling giving me "the look"

At 14 to 15 days old, Sammy the male Eastern Bluebird nestling is still going strong and I'm no longer worried that he'll make it.  He's always very alert, eats and poops well. This willful, sweet little baby bluebird still does not gape for food, but he takes it very willingly.

He had some new moves today which were amazing to watch.  He is just the most beautiful, gentle little bird and he has unconditionally won my heart.

He stood up very tall and bent his dazzling, blue wings downwards in a giant stretch this morning. Standing very tall on one leg and stretching is another new move.  Sammy also has started to scratch both sides of his head and has been preening his tiny wing feathers near his body.

His wing flapping is continuing to progress, they were moderately strong this morning and by mid-afternoon it was very strong.

Here is a little Iphone video of Sammy, the Eastern Bluebird nestling, scratching, stretching and flapping his little wings really fast.  This video was made for my grand-daughter, Tenley, for her daily fix of Sammy, so excuse my "conversation" with her!

Of course, I've done a ton more reading on Eastern Bluebirds.  I tend to "over-research" anything I'm interested in, some people call it an obsession with me.  Anyway, I discovered that his song is partially instinctual and partially learned.  So, I started playing Eastern Bluebird songs and calls from my Merlin Bird ID app (from Cornell Lab of Ornithology) on my Iphone for him this afternoon.  His reaction was very cute and a bit sad.  He attentively listened to the songs and calls, but when I played the chattering/scolding sounds he hunkered down very low as if he was scared or trying to hide. These are the sounds his parent bluebirds would make to warn him of danger, if he had been lucky enough to still have parents.  Upon hearing this, Sammy and his sibling fledglings would have reacted this way, trying to be undectable.  I stopped playing that sound right away, as I didn't want him to be nervous or afraid.  Later that day and in the evening I played the songs and calls for him again, which don't seem to bother him, but I didn't play the chattering/scolding sounds.

Sammy, the Eastern Bluebird nestling, showing off his beaufiful blue wings

Sammy, today, at 14 to 15 days old

Eastern Bluebird Nestling 13 to 14 Days Old

Sammy at 13 to 14 days old

Sammy is certainly one stubborn little bluebird baby - he still will not gape for food.  He doesn't even make the begging sounds I have heard and seen on videos of other nestlings.  He's hungry, he eats well, but I still have to open his mouth to get the food in.  I use my thumbnail to carefully open his beak, which is still soft and yellow, then I can place the food in his mouth.  He actively swallows as soon as he feels it in his mouth.  I hope he starts opening up on his own soon, it would really make feeding time so much easier for him and me.

Male Eastern Bluebird nestling developing lovely blue wings

Wing fluttering is strong and he takes a firm grasp of my finger to perch.  His crawling/hopping is getting better too, he can now move about a foot's distance before he stops. His tail has grown to approx 5-6mm now and he is almost completely feathered, just the odd, tiny bare patch. Sammy's beautiful dark eyes are still bright and alert.

At each feeding, I kept him out of his nest for a few minutes so he could build up strength in his wings and legs. I took a really cute video of him today for my grand-daughter, Tenley. I promised her I would send her videos or pictures every day of Sammy..she said she would miss him when I took him home yesterday.  Usually it's me she's going to miss and never wants me to leave..I think I've now been displaced by the baby bluebird, lol.

Today makes Sammy 13 to 14 days old.

Sammy's handsome blue wings

Wing-fluttering today

At 12 to 13 days old, the blue of Sammy's feathers is more vibrant and richer, especially on the bottom part of his wings at the front, the primaries I think they're called.  I am almost positive now that he is a male.  His breast and stomach are almost totally covered in feathers now, with beautiful soft, white spots surrounding by a warm rusty-brown.  He still is fairly bald under his rump though.

He is very alert and watches my movements often.  When Sammy sees my hand, he crawls/hops into it all on his own..is he looking for comfort or safety or just to feel snug I wonder?  My heart says he's looking for a cuddle with his mama (me lol), but my head says he's probably just trying to feel safe and secure, and for him, that means in my hand.  But, I'm going to go with my heart.

He also hopped/crawled into my grand-daughter Tenley's hand today and she held him so tenderfully in her cupped little hands.  She is an animal and nature lover and is a very gentle soul. He seemed perfectly content nestled in her hands...he must have know he was safe with her.

A couple of times today, while on my hand, he clung to my finger with his little claws and perched there. He was very steady with a strong grip. A first!!

Sammy is still eating heartily even though he still won't gape on his own.  It doesn't take a lot of prying, but I wish he would just open his beak on his own.  He is still being fed every 30-35 minutes about 1/2 tsp of nestling food.  I weighed him today and he is a hearty 28-30g, right where he should be.

His wings are developing beautifully, they are getting longer and more open every day. This afternoon, he started fluttering them when he was out of his nest for feedings.  Another first for Sammy today! What a proud mama I was watching him do these two new things.  It's been an amazing and heartwarming experience watching him grow and develop each day.

What a difference a day can make!

Sounds of Cheeping

Sammy made the drive last night just fine.  He was snug in his nest with a towel over the terrarium on the front seat for the hour long drive.  I fed him just before we left and then immediately when we arrived.

Tenley, my almost 4 year old grand daughter was instantly in love with this little bluebird and was at my side for every feeding last night and for almost every one today.  Throughout the day, she would constantly ask "Is it time to feed Sammy?"  She couldn't get enough of watching him.

In the early afternoon, when I had him out of his nest to feed him, he made delightful, soft cheeping sounds..definitely music to my ears! He is still eating and pooping well, but I'm still having to encourage and gently pry his beak open.  It's like he has forgotten how to gape for food, but once it's in his mouth he swallows right away.

Birds just look so grumpy sometimes..

I think Sammy is recognizing me now, and getting attached (bonded, imprinted...) to me, just as I am to him.  When he hears an unfamiliar noise or if he seems nervous, he backs up into my sideways cupped hand and snuggles right in against it. Maybe he views me as safety or maybe he just likes to feel snug like he would have with his siblings in his nest. Either way, it is so endearing and I will admit - I am completely, utterly, hopelessly in love with this little bluebird baby. I didn't think I could have gotten so attached to a bird...but I have.  His health, well-being and dare I say, happiness mean so much to me.  I am going to do everything possible to give this delicate, trusting, little love the best care I can.  He deserves it.

Content after his feeding

Today makes Sammy 11-12 days old and he has changed again overnight.  His feathers are starting to open up at the tips, and his head is even fluffier. There is lots of feather sheath dust on the bottom of his little kleenex nest, so I change the kleenex frequently in case it is irritating to him.
Gave Sammy his final feeding about 9pm and then we both settled down for a good night's sleep.

DAY THREE OF RAISING EASTERN BLUEBIRD NESTLING

Sammy's version of giving me the "stink-eye"

Sammy is 10-11 days old today, and progressing very well.  He pooped overnight a couple of times again, out and over the edge of his kleenex nest.  His first feeding of the day was a little late, at 8am, and he ate a good meal, although still not gaping voluntarily.  I keep trying all the suggestions of rubbing his beak, tapping his beak and gently shaking his nest, but to no avail.  He is a stubborn little guy!

He is eating about 1/3 tsp of nestling food at each meal and by early afternoon he opened his mouth a crack when I gently rubbed the side of his beak with his feeding utensil.  I've switched to a metal cuticle pusher with a rounded blunt edge to feed him with, it has a nice shallow indent on the end, perfect for scooping up his food.

Weighed him again today, once after his 8:30am feeding and he came in at 25g.  Then again after his 11:30am feeding and he was 30g.  I'm guessing my scale is not pinpoint accurate, but it will work for making sure he is not losing weight and slowly getting up to his approx 30g adult weight.

Sammy's eyes are open even more today, 3/4 to almost fully open. They are bright, glossy and alert, healthy looking to me. He has a lot of white specks from his feather sheaths today and his feathers are peeking out of them a tiny bit more.  Every day, there is a noticeable difference in his feathers and how much more area is getting covered by these downy like feathers.

Today he spread his wings out quite a bit, and did some more crawling and hopping around, strengthening his muscles.  He still stands/sits on the whole bottom part of his leg, but I have read that he will stand on just his feet as he grows.

It's been a very busy day of feeding, cleaning his nest and playing with my grand-daughters. This evening, Sammy and I are off once again to stay with my other two grand-daughters, Tenley almost 4 and Adalyn, another baby at just 6 months old.

The timing could have been better for "adopting" this bluebird, since I had to travel out of town,but he handled the journey fine and we both made it safely home. I kept a towel on his terrarium to keep it warm and dark, and left the radio off so it would be quiet for him.

Sammy at 10 to 11 days old

DAY TWO OF RAISING EASTERN BLUEBIRD NESTLING

After staying up til after 2am reading and researching everything I could find on raising wild baby Eastern Bluebirds and songbirds, I woke up this morning at 6:45am to the beautiful sound of soft cheeping from the little nestling.  The joy I felt hearing him was wondrous.  He made it through the night!!

He had pooped over the edge of his "nest" a couple of times through the night, which was another good sign!  Usually, the nestlings wiggle their butts up over the edge of the nest to poop while helpt to keep the nest clean.  Tidy little guy!

I fed him right away, still having to gently pry open his soft, little yellow beak.  He wiggled his little butt after eating and promptly had a poop on paper towel.  His poops are very easy to clean up, it's contained in a white balloon-like sack.  His parents would have carried it away and dropped away from the nest site.  They do this to keep the nest clean and so that the scent doesn't attract predators.

I fed him every 30 minutes during the morning and he seemed to have his own schedule of pooping right before and after each feeding session.  From what I had read, the poops looked like they should, which should mean that he was healthy and his bodily systems were working fine.

At his 12:30pm feeding, his left eye opened up just a slit, right on track with my estimate of him being 9-10 days old today.  His wing feathers grew a tiny bit more and his tail feathers are about 4mm long (1/7 of an inch).  His head is getting a bit fluffier and the down getting a wee bit sparser. There are also white dust speckles on his body, which is from the feather sheaths starting to disintegrate.  His abdomen is still bare, also his back, butt and the tops of his legs.  He began spreading his wings out slightly and was crawling around a bit, which was terrific to see!  He was making progress!

I went and bought a little food scale this morning, as I found out what his weight should be and how much he should be gaining each day til he fledges.  I weighed him at 11:30am, right after his poop, and he weighed 25 grams (8/10ths of an ounce), which was perfect.

Eastern Bluebird Nestling - Day Two of Care - 9 to 10 days old

I kept feeding him every half hour throughout the day, except for when I had to pick up my grand-daughter, Audrina, from Junior Kindergarten.  That interval was 45 minutes, but he seemed fine. By mid-afternoon, both his eyes were opening up halfway.  Beautiful little dark eyes they were!  I wish he had been able to see his parents rather than me the first time he opened his eyes.

Eastern Bluebird Nestling - Eyes opening halfway today

Audrina named the baby Melody, as she hoped he was a girl, lol.  At this point I wasn't sure whether it was a girl or a boy, although I was leaning toward boy as the small feathers looked very blue, not grayish-blue.  As time went on, by about 13 -16 days old, I was certain he was a boy and he was named Sammy, by my 3 year old grand-daughter, Tenley.

He did well all throughout the day and evening, feeding and pooping as he should, and moving around a little bit.  It was quite a hectic schedule, feeding him every half hour as well as caring for my two little grand-daughters.  But what an amazing day it has been, seeing the slight changes in him from the day before and feeling much better about his health and strength than I was yesterday.  I really believe he has a real chance at surviving and I am going to do everything in my power to see that he does.

His last feeding was at 10pm, again I wanted him to have a couple extra feeds before bed, just to make sure he was fine.

Some of the pics and videos in this blog were taken with my Iphone 5C and some were taken with my Nikon 3200.  I am just learning photography, so some pics will be great and some

not so great, lol!

Rescue Day of Eastern Bluebird Nestling - 8 to 9 days old

Recued Eastern Bluebird Nestling - 8 to 9 days old

During the drive, after I picked up supplies, I stopped every 30 minutes to check on and feed the little nestling.  I had made the food mixture in a parking lot in my car using a plastic spoon and a disposable soup bowl with a lid.  I fed Sammy with a coffee stir stick during the drive and had to gently pry open his beak each time...he just would not gape.

He seemed a little weak, I don't know how long he was without food.  I had checked on the nestlings the day before around noon and rescued him around noon today, so it could have been up to 24 hours since he last was fed by his parents.  He swallowed the food fine once it was placed in the back of his mouth, although I was pretty messy with it.  It's going to take a bit of practice to get the hang of this! I fed him 2 or 3 little bits of the food mixture at each feeding.

We arrived at our destination around 6:30pm and I promptly fed him again and moved him into his terrarium covered with a towel. My son, Jason, couldn't believe I showed up with a baby bird!
His daughters, Audrina-almost 5 and Jaelyn-two and a half, thought the baby bird was just the cutest thing.  Especially Jaelyn, she seems to have a soft spot for living things. She has enjoyed watching the blue jays and other birds when up north at our home and will sit for several minutes watching them. When she saw the baby bird, she softened her voice and cooed "hello baby birdie" to him.

She wanted to hold him so badly, but I couldn't let her, she was just too young and the baby bird was just too little.  She watched me feed him and said "night-night" to him and blew him a kiss and a hug when I placed him back in his little nest.  Audrina thought he was adorable and so little, she enjoyed seeing him too and was very quiet when she watched me feed him.

I fed him that night every 30 minutes until 10:30pm, later than the rehabber said, but I felt he needed the extra food as he didn't seem to be very strong.  He still wouldn't voluntarily gape, even after gently rubbing the side of his beak and tapping it lightly.  I had to pry his beak open with my fingernail for every morsel, which I hated doing to him, although once I had it open a tiny bit, his beak seemed to fully open almost by his own free will.  It wasn't a struggle, I didn't have to "force" it open and it didn't seem to be uncomfortable or stressful for him.  He just didn't seem to know or understand that he needed to open his beak so I could feed him.

After the last feeding, I placed him back in his terrarium nest, covered it with a towel and put him near me on the table beside the couch where I slept.  I was worrried about him and wanted to be able to check on him throughout the night.  I wished him a safe night and begged him to please make it until morning, then I settled down on the couch to try to sleep.

Rescue Day of Eastern Bluebird Nestling - 8 to 9 days old

Feeding, Care, Housing Instructions for Eastern Bluebird Nestling

I thought I would post some of the instructions I was given from the licenced song bird rehabber that I spoke to for taking care of and raising this nestling Eastern Bluebird.  He is 8-9 days old today, judging from pictures and descriptions on the internet from reputable sights.

First off, this baby bluebird will need to be fed at least every half an hour from dawn to dusk..just like his parents would have done.  Once he was over 2 weeks old, I could gradually stretch out the time between feedings to around an hour, again as his parents would do.  Once he was flying, I could stretch it out a little more.

The rehabber gave me a special recipe for making Eastern Bluebird nestling food and I stopped at a pet store to get the ingredients. I debated whether I should share this information, and decided that if even one person used this to feed a nestling rather than feeding an inappropriate diet that could kill or at the very least, malnourish and impede the healthy development of a bird, then I should definitely share it.

Let me say this first though, some of the "recipes" and advice on the internet are absolutely ridiculous:
like feed the babies (or adults) bread soaked in milk or just milk..have you ever seen a bird nurse it's young??  Birds DO NOT produce milk, therefore birds DO NOT drink milk!! Processed meats, which are so full of additives and chemicals, are another definite no-no.  Not all birds eat seeds, so an insect eater, like Sammy, would either not eat them or would not develop properly.  All baby birds need protein and calcium as a major part of their early diet.  Worms also are not a proper food for many nestling, as they may not be able to digest them properly.

So, PLEASE, if you decide to illegally care for an orphaned, healthy-seeming nestling, as I did, PLEASE at the very least provide the proper food by calling a LICENCED SONG BIRD REHABBER.  The best option is to actually get that baby to a licenced song bird rehabber, especially if it seems injured or ill.  I was very fortunate that Sammy survived and stayed healthy and strong..it could have very well ended in tragedy and could have been my fault since I had no prior experience in raising a song bird.  So, do I recommend doing this yourself? No, definitely not..but sometimes there is no other option in order for the bird to have a chance.  And sometimes, like me, your heart rules out over your head and you take the plunge and do your best to save a little life. I am thankful and grateful every day that Sammy did so well in  my care.

Enough said (hopefully), here is the nestling recipe for an Eastern Bluebird:

2 tbsp powdered egg white (or hard-boiled egg white, no yolk)
1 can (360g/13 ounce approx size) moist puppy food (chicken)
2 tbsp freeze-dried blood worms (can be found at fish or pet stores)
1/4 tsp Prime brand avian multiple vitamins (again at pet stores)
1/4 tsp calcium carbonate (or washed, baked, crushed to a fine powder chicken eggshell)
2 ounces cold water
1/3 cup tiny diced grapes or berries.

Mix together and keep it in fridge (good for 2 days) or freeze in ice cube trays, then store in air tight container in freezer and take out as needed.

Food MUST be served room temperature or barely warm, NOT COLD, as cold is hard on their digestive systems. This formula is fed either by a medicine dropper syringe, a blunt tiny instrument like a plastic cuticle pusher or a straw with the end cut out into a little spoon shape and filed smooth, whichever works best for the bird. Do not feed with anything that has sharp, ragged or pointed edges as it can damage the birds mouth. Once self-feeding, this mixture can be made thicker and then frozen and then crumbled and mixed with mealworms.  I froze mine, and thawed on the counter or in the microwave as needed, be careful of hot spots in the formula if using microwave.

The nestling should have gaped when I approached him, but he didn't, so I was advised to try rubbing the feeding utensil very lightly along the side of his beak, very gently tap his beak like it was his parents beak touching him, or to very carefully pry open the side of his soft beak with my fingernail and then place the food at the very back of his mouth at the opening to his throat towards the right side.  At the base of his tongue is a hole leading to his lungs and it was VERY important not to get any food in there or he could asphyxiate.  At first I used a plastic, rounded cuticle pusher then switched to a straw with the bottom end cut away and made smooth, to form a little "spoon" about an inch long, as the syringe I tried pushed out too much food at one time. It was a little messy, and I would gently wipe the sides of his beak and face with a soft, damp cloth. Food left on his feathers could cause sores to develop.

The rehabber recommended I keep him in a little terrarium with a vented lid and I placed his "nest" inside that.  His nest was a little round plastic container, filled with kleenex made into a snug nest,
I kept a breathable towel over the terrarium top and sides, to keep out the light and simulate the darkness of his original nestbox and also to help keep him warm. I kept a small corner of the top uncovered to allow for air circulation.

One Lone Survivor..

I wasn't going to check the nestbox today.

I was going to wait until tomorrow as I was headed out of town for a few days.  My plans changed and I ended up leaving today instead, one day early, so I decided to check on my way out of town..and I am so glad that I did.

It must have been fate, if you believe in such things.  Yesterday, there were 5 healthy baby bluebirds. Today, when I opened the nestbox, I had a quick look, snapped a couple of pics, but something just didn't look right through the viewfinder. The babies were not snugged in together the way they were on the previous two visits. One was on top of the rest and I could see a pair of little legs upright in the nest.

Sammy is the one on top, with his back towards the camera.
 Sadly, the other four nestlings were dead.

With a lump in my throat, I reached in and touched one of the bottom ones..the baby was so cold and didn't move. I gently picked it up and saw little blood droplets on it's head and what looked like peck marks.  Sadly, it was gone.

I picked up 3 more and they were all the same, lifeless.

From my research, I suspect that either house sparrows (although I have never seen house sparrows around here) or european starlings pecked them on the head to death to possibly claim the nestbox.  A vicious act and a tragic ending to their short lives.

I reached for the last one, the one that had been on top of all the others, I expected it also to be dead. It was alive!

I was relieved, happy and nervous at the same time. It wasn't moving very much, it's eyes were still closed, and it was a little cool to the touch, but it was definitely alive..the sole survivor out of five beautiful nestlings. I quickly and carefully checked it over for any injuries, and finding none visible, I gently placed it back into it's nest, alone.

I closed up the nestbox and with a heavy heart, placed the dead babies in a bag and walked across the field to wait anxiously for the parents to come back and feed the little one that was left.

I watched vigilantly for over 2 hours and saw no sign of them anywhere in the field or the surrounding trees. On my previous two visits, both parents were back feeding the babies within a few minutes. All I could think was either something had happened to them too, or they had abandoned the nest thinking all their babies were dead.

I think I knew, even before I realized this tiny baby was on his own, that if it needed help I would provide it.  It wasn't a difficult decision.  I knew it was illegal to keep and care for this little one. And I didn't really know how to care for it. But, it needed help to even have a chance to live.
I could not walk away and leave it to die. That was NOT an option.

So, I gently scooped it up out of the nestbox, carried it in my cupped hand against my chest back to my car. I drove back home and held the baby in my hands to warm it up for about 20 minutes and once it no longer felt cool, I tucked it into a towel to keep it warm.  Next, I got some supplies to take with me, as I still had to head out of town.

I found a little box with a lid, laid a small towel in it and arranged kleenex into a cozy nest inside a small round plastic container.  Then I carefully tucked the baby bluebird in and closed the lid partially so air could get in and to make it dark, as it was used to.  I had mealworms at home for feeding my yard birds, so I put some in a container to bring with me. I also got tweezers and paper towels.  I looked up a song bird rehabber and stored the number in my phone. Then, the baby Eastern Bluebird and I set off on our journey.

As soon as I was on the road, I called the rehabber (my phone can be used with the car speakers, hands-free) and explained the situation and asked for advice on feeding, care, etc. She asked if I could get the bird to her and I couldn't as she was over 4 hours away from me. She was very knowledgeable and friendly, and gave me all the information she could on how to help this poor little orphan stay alive, grow and be healthy, ready to be returned to the wild where he should be.

And so the story of raising this lone little survivor begins...

Second look at the bluebird nestlings

Two days later I returned to check on the baby Eastern Bluebirds and their parents. I watched from a distance at first, and saw both parents going back and forth with food for the nestlings. A good sign that all was well with the babies.

I quickly and quietly opened the nestbox and was relieved to see all five babies still snug and safe in their home. They are 7-8 days old today.

Five Eastern Bluebird Nestlings  7-8 days old

A couple of quick pics and I closed up the box. I didn't want to disturb the babies any more than was necessary to make sure they were safe, healthy looking and free from blowflies and ants.

Blowfly larva can infest a nest attach themselves to the little nestlings in order to feed on their blood, which can do serious harm and possible death to the babies..vampire-like awful little beasts. If discovered in a nestbox, many authoriative sights recommend removing the blowfly larva and/or replacing the nest with dry grass made into a "nest" and returning the nestlings to the new clean nest.

I watched for the parents and they were back within 3 minutes with food for their offspring.

Five Eastern Bluebird Nestlings  7-8 days old

Finding an Eastern Bluebird Nest

The raising of Sammy, an orphaned male Eastern Bluebird nestling, all began with a drive around our area bird watching.  As I drove down the road behind us, I saw a brilliant flash of blue flying above the road. It landed on a hydro line..a male Eastern Bluebird!! The first one I have ever seen! He was absolutely breath-taking and I was so excited!

I tried to find him again as he flew off down the road, so I was driving slowly. Then I spotted a nestbox at an opening in a mown field and I pulled in to it. I discovered 4 nestboxes set up in a Bluebird nestbox trail with a male Eastern Bluebird perched on the fourth and farthest box. I couldn't believe my luck

I checked each box carefully and quickly, and discovered 6 black-capped chickadee eggs in the first box.

Six Black-capped Chickadee eggs

The second and third boxes had bits of moss in them, the beginning of chickadee nests, but not completed.

The fourth box held a wondrous treasure: 5 nestling bluebirds about 5-6 days old as best as I could tell. 

Five Eastern Bluebird Nestlings - 5 to 6 days old

The excitement I felt was incredible! They were so beautiful and delicate looking, all snuggled tightly in their nest. I took some quick pictures, closed the nestbox and moved far back into the field to make sure the parents came back to feed them.

Within minutes, both mom and dad were back with juicy green caterpillars and what looked like a big black ant and a black cricket for their babies. What good parents! I stayed and watched for several minutes, just fascinated by how many trips the parents were making to feed their young. They were back every few minutes with a new mouthful of food and would usually perch on the top of the box and look around a bit before entering. Watching for danger I imagined.

The dad was simply gorgeous with rich cobalt blue feathers and a lovely russet breast.

Male Eastern Bluebird - Sammy's Dad

The mom, as usual for song birds, was more subdued: a lighter, greyer-blue and a much softer, duller breast.

Female Eastern Bluebird - Sammy's Mom

I quietly left and drove home with such a feeling of awe and wonder at viewing this intimate look into the lives of this family of bluebirds.

I began researching this beautiful bird on the internet and ordered some books about them. I also started writing notes so I could report this nest to Project Nestwatch for Bird Studies Canada.