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

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

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

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.