Small But Wise

Somehow, these baby birds have a wise look to them. As if they were born with some knowledge, that we humans do not have. To say they have to grow up fast is an understatement. Can you believe they are only 13 days old? When I open the box, this little girl gives me a look that says, I have my eye on you. I think she is the big sister. The leader of the clutch. I imagine that she was the first to hatch. The hunkered down babies look like a pile of feathers. It's amazing how they've changed just since Friday.


Getting a little higher on my ladder, I can look down on them. The ones that already have bright blue feathers are boys. Hard to say if there's three or four boys, as one of the birds is covered by the others around his/her wings. At this point, I think it's two girls and three boys.


I haven't been shooting any video of the babies since they don't move when I look at them now. Only the occasional flinch when the flash goes off. Maybe this generation of bluebirds will grow up to not be afraid of my flash.

Mr. and Mrs. Blue must be of the new school of bluebirds. They are very brave when it comes to protecting their babies. While outside gardening a couple days ago, I witnessed them attack a bluejay (a very mean bird) by flying at him criss-crossing back and forth. They won't even give him a chance to get close to the nest. Just yesterday, I saw a squirrel who did somehow slip past their security and was dangerously close to the nest box. The squirrel was oblivious to the nest box, as he was foraging on the ground for wild berries that grow nearby. Mr. Blue dive bombed him and actually hit the squirrel repeatedly. The confused squirrel turned this way and that, not knowing which way to go. He finally ran off into the woods and was left alone by Mr. Blue. Without the parent's vigilance, those predators would eat the baby birds. This type of aggressiveness is a good trait to find in a bluebird, as they are known to be the wimps of the bird world. The reason why there aren't as many as there should be. Maybe it's not courage, so much as they too were born wise.