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 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