RELEASE DAY!!!

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.

Splash Time

I've been leaving Sammy in his outdoor aviary until 30-45 minutes after dark the last couple of nights, in preparation for spending a few full nights outside in its' safety before he is released.  His release date is fast approaching, and I want him ready in every possible way.  I'm anticipating his freedom with a mix of excited anticipation, anxiousness and sadness.  I am thrilled that he will get to experience life as he was meant to do, but at the same time, I am worried about what that life will bring him.  And yes, I will miss him terribly.  Yup, I've broken the "cardinal rule" of the real rehabbers:  I am hopelessly attached to him.

The first night, he was perched on a cedar branch in the top corner of his aviary when I went to bring him inside.  The 2nd night, he was on the screen door of the aviary when I went out.  I'm not sure if he had been perching contentedly before I went out, then flew to the door when I turned the porch lights on, or if he had been "waiting" to be brought inside.  And yes, cuddle-time is still the before bed routine for Sammy.

Sammy has been busy perfecting his hunting techniques, flying down from a perch to the ground to catch beetles, grasshoppers and ants.  Moths he takes right from the aviary screen walls and roof.  He also drinks water regularly from either his water dish or his bird bath.

He's been doing a lot of calling lately, and it is such a beautiful, simple two-note sound.  He calls more when he's outside than he does when he's in the house.  He often makes these calls when I'm approaching his aviary, then usually flies to me once I'm inside, landing on my shoulder, head or arm. This could be his fledgling call that he would usually make to his parents (most often the dad) hoping to be fed by them.

After Sammy had a quick bath this afternoon and was busy preening, I got busy cleaning his bath.  As soon as I had it filled up again, he flew right back and had himself a good, long drenching bath.  It made me wonder if he was curious about what I had just done, or if that was his plan all along - to have a second bath?

Here are a series of photos taken as he preened after his bath.

Sammy's impression of "looking tough"

Sometimes he looks so grumpy...

Drying his impressive blue wings

Today makes Sammy 41-42 days old.

Bath and Cuddle Time

I've been trying to encourage Sammy to pick up his own food, so today when he was gaping and begging, I slid his feeding dish in front of him instead of popping mealworms in his beak.  I guess he was hungry enough that he decided he better feed himself and proceeded to eat 7 mealworms on his own.  After this successful self-feeding, I began alternating between offering him food from the tweezers and having him "catch" his own food from his feeding platform or dish.

To help Sammy learn to hunt grasshoppers and crickets, first I "disable" them by removing their back legs so they can't hop away from him, but can still crawl.  My thinking:  first he needs to learn what he should be hunting before he has to learn how to be really good at it.  Kind of giving him an easier learning process, like a handicap in golf!

He has been showing quite a bit of interest in his old terrarium, which is where I keep his bugs.  He perches on it and pecks at the lid trying to get at them.  There are always some loose bugs in his aviary, but the extras are kept in the terrarium.

Sammy still enjoys his baths with unbridled abandon.  Here's a video of him splashing around in his shallow bath.

Once Sammy is done his bath, he really works at getting his feathers dry and just right, as you'll see in this video.

Today, I spoke to Julie Zickefoose from Ohio.  She is a renowned writer, artist, naturalist, songbird rehabber and public speaker.  She was kind enough to call me back to answer some questions about Sammy.  I told her all about him, probably more info than she wanted or needed, and she said that it sounded like I was doing everything right!  She even thought I was doing more than I needed to, as far as catching bugs for him to eat and hunt in his aviary, mealworms would be just fine for him she said.  I'm still going to continue doing the bug-catching though, I want him to learn to hunt before he is set free.  She did suggest that Sammy be given more flight time in a bigger area, so I will start giving him longer morning and evening time in our large bedroom (28 ft long by 12 ft wide) to stretch those gorgeous wings.  Julie also looked at her records for a trio of Eastern Bluebirds she raised and said that Day 42 would be a good age to soft-release Sammy. vOf course, this tentative date was dependent on Sammy being fully capable of feeding himself and his flying strong and sure.

If you're out there Julie, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy life to offer advice about one lone little bird...what a remarkable, caring woman.

Just before dark this evening, Sammy started calling and clinging to the aviary screen door like he does when he wants more food.  I went in but he didn't want to eat, he flew to my shoulder and hopped under my hair and nuzzled himself in.  I brought him in the house early thinking maybe he was cold, it was already down to 12C (53F), cooler than he was used to.

Once inside, he ate a bit of his formula, did some flying around the bedroom, then landed on my shoulder again, hopped under my hair and perched against my neck.  I couldn't resist myself and sat down on the couch in our room and enjoyed the closeness of him.  After a few minutes, I moved him to a fold in my cardigan against my ribs, where Sammy promptly settled himself down on his feet and went to sleep.  I couldn't believe that he was so comfortable and calm with me that he actually slept on me.  He woke a couple times, did some scratching and preening, but then would close his eyes and go back to sleep.  This "cuddle-time" drew me hopelessly further in love with Sammy, which would make his release harder for me as I knew I would miss him terribly.  He was such a trusting little soul, he melted my heart daily.  Sammy and I sat like this for half an hour before I placed him in his nest inside his cage for the night.  After draping the towel over his cage, I heard a couple of soft cheeps, then all was quiet for the night.

Grasshoppers, baths and begging

Feed me!!

Sammy continues to beg and gape for food, thank goodness!  It was quite a long time waiting for him to start doing this and I'm so glad I don't have to pry his beak open anymore.  I bet he is too!  When he sees me coming to his aviary, he starts chirping, gaping and quivering like crazy.  He readily eats live crickets and grasshoppers, and of course his beloved mealworms.  His nestling formula...not so much, lol.

He also began a new habit of calling and landing on the screen door of the aviary when he's hungry.   I guess he figured out that his meal delivery service (me) comes through that door, lol.

Sammy has enjoyed a couple more baths since my last post, he is a picture of pure, uninhibited pleasure while he bathes.   He dunk his face and breast into his shallow bath and shakes his head back and forth vigorously.  Then he lowers his back end into the water and beats his wings quickly, getting thoroughly soaked.  I'll post a video of bathtime soon!  Sammy's bath is a shallow, clear plastic tray for a plant pot that is lined with small pebbles to give him sure footing.

Playing with a twig in the bath

Sammy makes puts on quite the show when he preens after his bath, flapping  his wings so fast you can barely seem them moving.  He pulls his beak down the length of individual feathers grooming them methodically.

Sammy preening under his wings after a bath

Stretching and drying out his wings

Thoroughly soaked from his bath

Spreading his amazing, vivid blue wings

He has also started drinking little sips of water from either his bath or water dish.  He dips his beak in, gets a couple drops and then tilts his head far back and swallows.

Flying down to the grass is common now, I think he is hunting little brown ants on the ground, but I'm not sure.  He likes to spend a fair amount of time perched on a branch that runs up the side of his aviary facing the seed feeders, just taking in his surroundings and the other birds.  He doesn't seem to like when blue jays come in, they're such noisy birds when they announce their arrival, and Sammy usually flies back up to his sheltered corner perch until they leave.

Watching the sky above him

Cuddling continues to be something Sammy initiates, landing on my shoulder and then tucking himself under my ponytail or against my neck.  He's also a little intrigued by my eyeglasses and pecks them sometimes.

A little cuddle before bed

Today makes Sammy 26-27 days old.

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.