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 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.
Well, Sammy spent his first full night in his aviary last night and seemed to come through it no worse for wear! Although, I can't say the same for me...I was a nervous, anxious wreck most of the night and didn't get much sleep.
The weather was perfect for his first overnighter: no wind or rain, only the odd cloud to darken the skies and a lovely mild low temperature of 17C (63F). I have to admit, I did quietly go outside just after midnight to check on him and found him sleeping quietly, all fluffed up sheltered in the cedar branches. I was relieved that Sammy had found the perfect spot to spend his night, and I had a small smile on my face as I snuck back inside. Finding proper shelter from the elements and predators is very important for a song bird, and Sammy, being the smart little guy that he is, knew this.
This photo was taken just before full dark, before I left him for the night.
A perfect sleeping roost!
When my husband, Frank, went outside at 6am, Sammy was busy flying, preening and doing some hunting seeming totally unaffected by his night spent outside or having missed his nightly "cuddle-time" ritual. Can't say the same for me...I was rather fond of cuddle-time myself and had worried about him all night, which had proved to be unnecessary, as Sammy did just fine.
Watching the sky...
I watched him for about an hour after I got up at 7am, and his behaviour was no different than any other day. After watching him, I brought him some fresh insects which he caught and ate on his own. As soon as he had his fill, he flew to my shoulder and hopped under my ponytail and tucked himself right in. I let him stay for a few seconds, then placed him on a perch, but he flew right back and snuggled in again. I tried putting him back on a perch 3 times without luck, so I finally let him stay under my ponytail, where he sat quietly for about 15 minutes. I guess bedtime cuddles have now moved to mornings.
I think he's giving me the "stink-eye"
The rest of his day was business as usual and he was definitely on track for being released in the next few days. After worrying about him overnight, I've realized his release is going to be even harder on me than I thought.
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.
Catching moths has become quite the art form for Sammy, he does really well at catching them in the air and also off the screen walls of the aviary. His hunting skills continue to improve every day, and he is successful more times than not. I still help him hunt sometimes, by placing his insects in front of him on his feeding platform, like the green caterpillars in this video.
Spiders, beetles and big black ants seem to be a favourite of his over the last few days. He even caught a small spider in the house on the windowsill.
Here's a quick video of Sammy catching a spider.
I keep the curtains closed over the top half of the windows in our room where he gets indoor flight time, and the bottom half of the window is open to the screens. This way Sammy can still watch the world outside, which he seems to love doing, while avoiding flying into hard glass accidentally.
Morning and evening indoor flight time is getting stronger and stronger, he now flies the length of our bedroom 2 or 3 times before deciding to perch somewhere, usually one of the curtain rods or a window sill.
Sammy "hiding" from the Blue Jay family
Cuddle-time before bed is still going on, and still initiated by Sammy. I don't call him to me or encourage him in any way to land on me. And I've decided that as long as he wants or needs to, I'm going to let him continue. I know some people say that we can't and shouldn't attach feelings to birds or animals, but I don't believe that. This little guy is actively seeking out my companionship and wanting (needing?) to be physically close to me. I believe I would do him more harm by refusing him this contact, than in continuing to allow him to have it, but only when he chooses to do so. Almost every living creature needs some kind of contact with another living creature throughout their lives, at one time or another - for Sammy, I'm all he's got for now. On a lighter note, I truly enjoy the time he spends pressed up against my neck or under my ponytail. It's so peaceful, calming and heartwarming enjoying this little bird's affections, and I am grateful he has triumphantly made it this far.
