This summer I had the priviledge and joy of raising an orphaned Eastern Bluebird in Algonquin Highlands, Ontario.
This blog journals his daily growth, experiences and his successful release back into the wild where he belongs.
I hope you enjoy reading about Sammy, as much as I enjoyed caring for him and helping him learn how to be an Eastern Bluebird.
I'm pretty sure that a couple nights ago, Sammy spent the night huddled up on the eaves up against the house, a good place to stay dry from the rain and out of sight of avian predators. He came from their at 6:30am yesterday morning, when I first came outside, flying after a Chipping Sparrow. They both landed on the driveway, then Sammy was chased off by two other Chipping Sparrows into a maple tree across the laneway. I wonder if it was a fledgling Sammy followed, and then the parents who proceeded to chase Sammy off? If it was, then that little sparrow has a good pair of protective parents! He also did some White-breasted Nuthatch chasing too during the past two days.
Chipping Sparrows
White-breasted Nuthatch
As I walked out onto the lawn, Sammy flew back onto the eaves, then down into my hand and ate about 10 mealworms. He hopped up my arm, settling himself on my shoulder. He had a few more mealworms while we had our visit.
Sammy came back in for food around 8:10am and again at 9am, after checking out some new perching places...like the porch light, my camera tripod and the kids swing on the porch. He ate well both times before going off to do bluebird things.
I had to go out yesterday morning and was gone for about 3 hours. When I got back home about noon, Sammy was on the peak of the roof, calling his little heart out and quivering his wings like crazy...poor little guy. Mere seconds after I got out of my car, Sammy swooped down, landing on my shoulder. I checked his mealworm dish, found it empty, so I nudged him onto the platform feeder so I could get him some more. Whether he ate the ones I left out or other birds did, I don't know, but he sure was hungry. Maybe he was even missing my presence or company? This was the first time I've been gone like this since his release 6 days earlier, I know I was a little apprehensive about not being here.
Notice the russet starting to peek through on his side
My friend, Katherine, came over yesterday afternoon hoping to see Sammy. He was very obliging, hopping down from the gazebo roof onto her outstretched hand full of mealworms and had himself a hearty meal.
Often, when Sammy sees me, he flies in and lands on me, looking for a handout I'm sure. Eastern Bluebird fledglings are fed by their parents for up to a month after leaving the nest, and even though he is getting better and better at catching his own food, he still needs some help. Since I'm his "Mom", he seems to actively seek me out and keeps an eye on where I am.
Tip of his beak is starting to harden up, although it is still mostly soft and yellow
Sammy met a Hairy Woodpecker today, either a female or a juvenile and they had quite the stand-off over who owned the maple tree by the pond. The woodpecker would raise his wings out to the side, trying to look more threatening, while fluffing himself up to look bigger.
Sammy vs Hairy Woodpecker...and the staring contest begins...
Hairy Woodpecker all fluffed making himself look bigger
Then Sammy would lean forward and raise his wings too, trying his best to look menacing - which, personally, I think is impossible cause he's just too darn cute! This feud went on for a couple of minutes before the woodpecker "cried uncle" first and flew off. Sammy is becoming quite proprietary over his yard, we jokingly call him our yard bully.
Sammy leaning in meaning business...
Sammy's turn to threaten with a wing-raise...
Bedtime last night and tonight was between 8 and 8:15pm, with Sammy settled in for the night in the beech tree beside the laneway on the same spot on a perfectly, leaf-sheltered branch both nights.
Sweet dreams, Sammy...today you are a beautiful 51-52 days old.
Sammy has been free for 5 days now and is still doing wonderfully! He seems to act just like any other fledgling Eastern Bluebird...except for the fact that he likes to land on us and have "cuddle-time".
Sammy in his "favourite" maple tree
He's been coming in for a free breakfast of mealworms and other bugs around 7:45am, flying out of a tree pretty much as soon as he sees me on the lawn. Yesterday morning, he was calling from his tree perch when I came outside and within seconds, he was on the platform feeder in full begging mode.
We had a flock of Common Grackles come in to the front yard trees this morning which sent Sammy flying off right away. He's also showing some signs of being territorial over the yard. He chased off a White-breasted Nuthatch yesterday from the seed feeders into the woods, the two of them zig-zagging among the trees. And today, it was a Black-capped Chickadee's turn to be evicted from the yard by Sammy. Both birds are competitors for cavity nesting sights for Eastern Bluebirds, and maybe somehow Sammy knows this and is trying to keep them out of his territory. He seems to have favourite perching spots: one is a fairly big dead limb on the big maple tree overlooking the grass area by the pond, the second one is a fairly bare branch on a beech tree on the front lawn.
Sammy sitting quietly on a dead maple limb
He caught a big wolf spider that was hanging down from a maple branch and took it to a driftwood post in the garden where he proceeded to bash it until he was satisfied it was ready to eat. We've also observed him catch and eat small brown ants on the ground, a couple small worms and some unknown bugs while in the air, so he is providing for himself as well as being supplemented by us with small green caterpillars, grasshoppers, moths and of course, his beloved mealworms.
This afternoon, Sammy landed on my shoulder and sat there contentedly, so I took him for a walk around the backyard to show him the perching posts Frank had put up for him to hunt from. Eastern Bluebirds like to hunt from elevated perches like hydro lines, fence posts and bare tree branches. So just like the ropes Frank hung in the front yard to imitate hydro lines, these perching posts were to provide him with more spots to hunt from. He flew onto one of the perching posts and sat there for about 10 minutes while I worked in the vegetable gardens nearby. He flew down to the garden and ate a bug while I was there, then back onto my shoulder, so I took him over to the dogwood shrubs where there are tons of big black ants and small brown ones and showed them to him. He hopped right down and had himself a little feast, then flew off into the edge of the woods.
Preening on one of his favourite branches
Later this afternoon, we saw him perched on the deck railing in a light drizzle, wing quivering and calling softly. He was facing the door, which makes me think he knows this is one of the places we come out from. I took him out some mealworms and he ate 9 of them with gusto before flying off again. In the early evening, he landed on Frank on the deck, making himself quite comfortable in the hood of his sweatshirt..we thought he was going to go to sleep as he stayed in the hood for about 10 minutes, just resting quietly. All of these interactions are initiated by Sammy, with a little bit of us calling to him sometimes. He chooses to come to us and seems to enjoy being close. For us, this has been a truly wondrous experience - having this beautiful little bird, who is completely in charge of his own life now, trust us and want to be with us.
If you look closely, you can see the vivid blue feathers just starting to show on his shoulders, as well as the rusty breast feathers starting to develop.
Sammy having some quiet time in Frank's hood
Just before dark, Sammy did some ground hunting on the gravel driveway - most likely little ants - for about 15 minutes, before he flew up into the beech tree along the driveway for a few seconds, then onto the eaves of the garage where he tucked himself in against the house. I think he was trying to stay dry as it was drizzling out again, and this was a sheltered, fairly safe place for him. When I went outside at 10pm, in full darkness, he was still perching there quietly, nice and dry, so I think this is where he is going to spend the night.
Today makes Sammy 49-50 days - still going strong in the wild.
Sammy seems to be adjusting well and enjoying life in the wild the last couple days. He's been showing up around 7 in the mornings and having his breakfast of mealworms. Yesterday, he gaped for me to feed him, just like he would have begged his bluebird parents for 3-4 weeks after fledgling.
Sitting on the eaves
Doing some preening
Tenley, my 3 year old grand-daughter is here for a few days, and when she came outside for the first time yesterday morning, Sammy was perched on a rope and flew right down to her, sitting comfortably on her shoulder and chest for quite awhile. It's been over two weeks since he has seen Tenley, but I'm positive he remembers her. She was so thrilled that he came to her all on his own and had a cuddle with her. She simply adores him and I truly believe this love is reciprocated by Sammy.
Late this morning, Frank saw Sammy sitting on our ATV in the parking area, so he took him over some mealworms. He was gobbled down about 15 mealworms and a spider, he must have been very hungry. It's got to be hard work learning to locate and catch food, and unfortunately he doesn't have his parents to watch and learn from. After filling his belly, he hopped onto Frank's finger, so he walked around the house throughout the yard with Sammy. He said he was showing him around, lol. When they reached the feeding platform, he had to nudge Sammy off his finger onto the platform, he didn't want to leave Frank. I think he's looking for companionship, which he would have had from his bluebird siblings if they had survived.
Baths are still enjoyed by him, he gave himself a good soaking both days, then flew into one of the beeches on our lawn to preen his feathers just so. I've got my regular bird bath placed close to the feeding platform where his shallow bath from his aviary is, I'm hoping he will discover it and start using it instead.
He seems to really like the 3 ropes Frank strung up between our trees and the porch post and uses them as hunting perches often. I'm hoping to get some pictures of this in the next few days. He also has been up on the eaves of the house, catching bugs sometimes, but mostly just sitting snug against the house, almost like he's trying to hide.
Looking for bugs
Sammy hangs out in this corner often
Sammy doesn't seem to like our white-breasted nuthatches very much, he's chased them quite a few times off the seed feeders and over the pond into the edge of the woods. So far, these are the only birds we've seen him chase. I wonder if he instinctively knows they are a competitor for available nesting cavities for Eastern Bluebirds? Watching him pursue them is fascinating, they both weave so quickly between the trees. The nuthatches zigzag at a very fast pace and Sammy stays right behind them, dead on course like a guided missile. We're amazed Sammy or the nuthatches haven't crashed headfirst into a tree!
Late this evening, Sammy came down for a meal and ate another 15 or so mealworms, 2 black beetles and a big black ant that I had caught for him earlier in the day. Quite a big meal for this little bird, although we have seen him catch his own food, maybe it hasn't been quite enough for him. After his meal, he did about half an hour of ground hunting on our stone laneway, catching and eating several small brown ants. Eastern Bluebirds hunt several different ways including:
- diving to the ground from a perch to catch their prey, then returning to the perch with it
- ground feeding, like American Robins, although they tend to hop along the ground rather than run like robins, cocking their heads to find their prey
- aerial hunting, which involves swooping off a perch to grab prey in mid-air, often hovering over it
- gleaning insects from leaves, branches and trunks of trees.
Sammy settled for the night at 8:50pm, in the beech tree beside the laneway again. He perched on the same branch in the same spot as the previous couple nights, concealed under a canopy of protective leaves.
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.
When we woke up this morning about 7am, Sammy was flying around in his aviary kind of frantic and agitated looking. He was flying back and forth bouncing softly off the screen sides and roof of his aviary, over and over again. I thought maybe he was out of food and was really hungry, so I took him some fresh plump mealworms, and he ate a couple, plus 2 grasshoppers and one big black ant, but that didn't help to settle him down.
He didn't try to land and perch on me, as had become his morning habit, and did not want to be picked up or to really be near me at all. I left the aviary and sat on the front porch with Frank to watch him for awhile. Sammy continued to seem upset, distressed and restless, flying continually back and forth from screen to screen.
I think he wanted out of his aviary and this was his way of letting me know that he was ready and eager to be out in the world. Sammy was hunting and eating on his own very well, had successfully spent a couple of nights outside in his aviary and his flight was strong and confident. We decided we had to give him what he seemed to so desperately want...today was going to be the day he got his freedom.
I took him back inside the house, which was no easy feat like it usually was. Every time I tried to pick him up to carry him inside, he wiggled himself right out of my hands. When I finally had him snug and secure in my cupped hands and tucked into my cardigan, I took him upstairs to my room and as soon as I opened my hands he flew right off. While Sammy and I were inside, Frank was busy taking off the front screen wall of the aviary, so that he could choose when to leave it. Our plan was to leave his aviary up for several days, in case he wanted to go back into it for safety and security, which is part of a soft release.
He flew the length of the room a few times before settling to perch on a window sill, where he quietly sat and looked out the window. If I put human emotions to this, I would say he was looking wistfully out the window at the world he wanted to be a part of.
Wistfully watching the world that was about to become his
I tried offering him more mealworms, and although he ate 2, he still didn't seem like himself. Sammy has always been a calm, confident-seeming, trusting little bird and his behaviour today just did not seem normal for him. He didn't like me approaching him too close, didn't want to hop on my hand for food, didn't try to land on me, didn't try to have his morning cuddle, he just seemed very detached, wary, agitated and almost restless.
I brought him back outside about 8:30am, placed him on his feeding platform in his aviary, and he flew right off onto one of his perches for a few seconds. Then he flew onto my head, hopped down to my shoulder and sat there calmly quiet.
Moments before release
I, however, was not so calm - I felt anxious, worried, nervous, excited for him and I felt like I was shaking inside. From here on out, he would be in charge of his own fate and at the mercy of his environment and predators - I wouldn't be able to keep him safe and out of harm's way any longer.
Sammy and I
I spent several seconds savoring his closeness and just looking at him, he seemed very at ease now...so different from the start of his morning, almost as if he knew he was getting his freedom. I stroked him one more time, whispered to him to be safe and that I loved him, took a deep breath and slowly walked out of the aviary with him perched calmly on my shoulder.
Saying goodbye...
Seconds after walking out of the aviary
Sammy sat on my shoulder for about 30 seconds, quietly looking around, then he suddenly flew onto our song bird platform feeder a few feet away from me.
First flight of freedom - to the bird feeder
Relaxing with a little scratch
He stayed there for a couple minutes, and had himself a drink of water from his shallow bath dish that I had placed there. Next, Sammy flew onto the aviary roof for a couple of minutes, turning his head this way and that, observing everything around him.
Sammy watching his world from the roof of his aviary
I felt much calmer at this point and was enjoying watching him out where he belonged. That is until he flew off into the beech tree several feet away and several feet up. I think my heart actually jumped into my throat, to see him so far away and out of my "reach".
First time perching in a real tree!
Sitting quietly in a beech tree
He didn't stay in the beech for long, moving to a huge hemlock tree across the driveway, then to a maple tree next to it, a few minutes spent in each one.
High up in a hemlock tree
Hunkered down in hemlock tree
Hopping along a branch
Resting quietly from his first big flights
Watching him fly so high and confidently was simply breathtaking. His wing beats were strong and powerful, even gliding part of the way and his landings were steady. He looked so small up in the branches and blended in to his surroundings very well. It was a very moving experience, watching him explore his world for the first time.
Next thing we knew, he flew off over the house and was gone. This part, I was definitely not prepared for...I guess I didn't expect him to be out of my sight so quickly. My research on raising him had led me to believe that he would hang around for several days, weeks, if not a couple months, just as he would have stayed near his parents to be fed and protected. So I think my naive mind pictured Sammy staying close enough for me to see him. I kind of panicked when he disappeared, and started crying while I walked around the yard calling his name "Sammy Sammy Sammy", which is what I would say (since I can't whistle) when I entered his aviary or opened his indoor cage. I'm pretty sure this was totally inappropriate behaviour on my part - certainly not how a professional rehabber would behave - and I should have just gone about my business, happy that he survived, was healthy and able to fend for himself. But, once again, my heart was in charge of my brain and I felt overwhelming sadness and even a bit of fear for him, worried if he was going to be okay.
Sammy showed up in the front yard again a long, long 10 minutes later and the relief I felt upon seeing him was overwhelming. He went straight to our feeding station, where his mealworm dish and bath were ready for him. He ate a couple of mealworms, had a drink of water and a quick bath - like it was just another day. Just like a child, he was oblivious to how worried I had been.
Having a little bath
Getting good and soaked
After his bath, Sammy flew onto his aviary and on one of the 3 strong ropes that my husband, Frank, had hung at various heights between the trees and our corner porch post and spent some time preening his feathers. When Sammy flew off out of our sight about 20 minutes later, I felt much calmer, happier and confident that he would be okay.
Sammy on his perching rope
Do I look tough?
Spreading his gorgeous blue wings to dry
Eastern Bluebirds like to perch on hydro lines, fence posts, etc to scan the ground below in search of prey that they will swoop or flutter down to catch. Since our hydro lines were underground, the idea was that these ropes would be his own personal perching lines. I also had Frank make a couple of perching posts, kind of like crosses, out of 2 by 2 lumber and pound them into the ground, so he could use these in the backyard for hunting perches. Did I go a little overboard in preparing for his release? Probably, but if he was going to hang around for a little while, I wanted his territory to be as "bluebird friendly" as possible. Remember, I'm the woman who hunted fresh bugs for him daily while he was being raised so he could learn to hunt!
We didn't see him again until mid-afternoon, when he flew towards me from the wooded edge of our backyard as I went outside. He flew over and down towards me 3 times, then flew across our pond to a large tree and clung like a woodpecker on the side of the trunk.
Clinging high on a tree trunk
A few minutes later, he came into the front yard again, had himself a mealworm snack, perched on his ropes again (which may have been going overboard, but he definitely seemed to like them!), in the beech trees and then back onto the rope close to the porch post. I walked over to him, held my hand out below him and he hopped right on. Sammy moved to my shoulder, close to my neck and under my ponytail. I thoroughly enjoyed this incredibly special "in the wild" cuddle-time that Sammy shared with me for several minutes before he was once again off exploring.
Sammy flew through the front porch a few times after that while we were sat there enjoying the beautiful day watching him come and go. He also came in for more mealworms and a few live grasshoppers that I offered him. He discovered a dead, exposed limb on a maple tree that overlooks the grass area surrounding our pond, a good hunting perch, and rested there for a few minutes. At 3:45pm, Sammy flew off over the pond into the edge of the woods and that was the last we saw of him today.
At 44-45 days old, it was done. He made it. Sammy was free.
