The big day has come for the Bluebirds, and it was one of the more dramatic and wild fledges I have witnessed 😁 I am so proud of this momma bird, she did an amazing job with them all by herself. I have cleaned out and maintained both nestboxes, and one of them has gotten some visits from a Bluebird couple this morning. Fingers crossed there will be another brood. (link, file too big for here)
#birds #birdsofMastodon #Ostdrossel #nestwatch #nature #Bluebird #pureMichigan

https://youtu.be/i9wDtSzjDvs

A #Bluebird update :) I let it speak for itself, but I am so proud of this little momma bird. (Link cause file is too big for here.)
https://www.tiktok.com/@ostdrossel/video/7249535948663590190?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7241595172461626923
#birds #birdwatching #nestwatch #eabl #bluelove #birdsofMastodon #nature #pureMichigan #Ostdrossel

Chickadee update 😁 I am having way too much fun with these silly videos. (Link because video is too big for Masto.)
https://youtu.be/no0Ah4fIlu4
#birds #birdsofMastodon #chickadee #babybird #nestwatch #puremichigan #nature #Ostdrossel

This is the weirdest nesting season I have experienced so far. On Father's Day, the male #Bluebird stopped coming, and now the female is raising the babies by herself. There is a male around but he is not helping her, and I'm not sure what's going on. She is great but can use a little help. The babies are 10 days old and looking great.
#birds #birdsofMastodon #puremichigan #birdsofnorthamerica #nestwatch #Ostdrossel

The Chickadee babies are spending the first night without Mom. Some of them look ready to fledge, and we have some hot days ahead of us. I am going to miss watching these cuties. (I have tons of video but need time to process it.)

#birds #chickadee #nestwatch #cuteness #birdsofnorthamerica #nature #birdwatching #huddle #zzzzz #Ostdrossel

News from the nursery - the last #Bluebird egg hatched very early this morning, which I thought was a surprise, a whole day after the others. They are all doing well, and the cooler weather and rain provide lots of bugs.
#birds #nestwatch #birdsofmastodon #birdsofnorthamerica #birdwatching #Ostdrossel

This #chickadee family is so much fun to watch. I am unfamiliar with most of what they do but I can tell some patterns, as described in the video. The babies all seem to do well so far, and the rain helped a lot with the food situation. #birds #birdsofMastodon #nestwatch #birdsofnorthamerica #puremichigan #birdwatching #birdlovers #nature #Ostdrossel

We got rain today after a drought of almost a month. The mommies are pancaking in their boxes, with the Chickie trying to cover them all. They have been so much fun to watch! They are super dedicatd to these tiny babies that look like Enoki mushrooms. I've been too work busy but will post things this week. ⁠
#birds #birdwatching #nestwatch #birdsofmastodon #Ostdrossel

All but one #Chickadee eggs have hatched, and it was fun watching this little one finding its way into the world. #birds #nestwatch #birdsofmastodon #nature #Ostdrossel

The #Bluebird momma is still incubating her five eggs. She must have seen the Chickies today because she brought a worm to feed but there are no hatchlings yet 😄 Her man brought her some big snacks later on. These guys are ready for more offspring! Meanwhile, our air has gotten quite hazy here, due to the fires in #Canada. I hope people and wildlife won't be impacted too badly ❤️
#birds #nestwatch #birdwatching #Ostdrossel

It's hatch day for the #Chickadees! There were lots of cute scenes but I thought this was neat to watch - the female is trying to find a taker for the food, and carefully using her wings to keep herself from falling into the nest. #birds #birdsofmastodon #nestwatch #Ostdrossel

The bird moms are ready for the night. The Robin baby is doing fine, and both Chickadee and Bluebird are still incubating. I love watching them in the evenings, they certainly do look cozy. ⁠And with so many birds nesting, feeder activity has slowed down a bit. Which is nice for the bird food budget. #birds #birdsofMastodon #nestwatch #birdwatcing #nature #Ostdrossel #birdsofnorthamerica

The #Robins started hatching today! Mom and Dad share feeding and diaper duties, and they are such fresh parents that they still seem to be unsure how to do it. You can see Dad bringing some food and Mom wanting to feed it to the baby but then letting him do it when he seemingly insists. She's eating the diaper instead. #birds #birdsofMastodon #nestwatch #birdwatching #babybird #Birdsy #nature #Ostdrossel
https://youtu.be/GlsRcRSsjx0

The #Robins are hatching! You can watch live here: https://birdsy.com/c/Ostdrossel3 #birds #birdsofMastodon #nestwatch #birdwatching #birdsofnorthamerica #nature #Birdsy #Ostdrossel

This happened early in the morning 😃 They came back with their babies today too. We put a sparrow spooker and Wren guard on the box, which were quickly accepted. Now it feels like the yard is back in balance.
#birds #birdsofMastodon #birdsofnorthamerica #bluebirds #nestwatch #nature
#birdwatching
#Ostdrossel

It looks like the Chickadee is done laying and started incubating today. I am not sure how many eggs she has but I can spot at least five. While she was still laying, she covered the eggs with fluff so they were invisible. Now that has changed, and that is why I think she is incubating. I love that she chose the nesting cavity spot where I can see it. The wren guard is on and things are looking good.
#birds #birdsofMastodon #chickadee #nestwatch #nature #Ostdrossel

Here is a view into both nestboxes, as of this morning. The Bluebird couple that has been coming over a lot has finally decided to build 🎉. I think it is the same male but a different female. The Chickadee nest is still being updated, and I still have no idea if there are actually eggs in there or not. The female spends every night in the box and adds fluff throughout the day. The male brings her snacks. #birds #nestwatch #Ostdrossel

The Robins have three eggs now, and since the female did not lay another today, I am assuming that the clutch is complete. It is very interesting to watch them do their thing in the apple tree. The female sits on the nest most of the day, turning the eggs to incubate them evenly. Whenever she leaves, the male stands guard on the edge of the nest. ⁠
#birds #birdsofMastodon #birdsofnorthamerica #nestwatch #nature #Robin #pureMichigan #Ostdrossel

The female has made a lot of progress on the nest today. She seems to be done with the moss, mostly, and is now adding grasses and fluff. The male will always seek her out to give her a snack. I love how communicative they are and how much I am learning.⁠
#birds #nestwatch #birdsofMastodon #birdsofnorthamerica #birdwatching #birdlovers #nature #Ostdrossel

These #Chickadees are so entertaining to watch! She has spent the last two nights in the box but at 5.20 AM, he will come in and try to wake her up. There is a lot of talking until she finally does, and then he leaves 😆⁠
#birds #birdsofMastodon #nestwatch #nestbox #birdwatching #funny #Ostdrossel #nature