I was hoping for an Easter egg, but it looks like Mrs. Bluebird isn’t ready. She ducked into the box a few times this morning to put some finishing touches on her nest. She should start laying eggs any day.
I’m still searching for wildlife to photograph. Anyone have a fox, coyote or bobcat den? Have a bear coming and going regularly? I’d love to know!
We’re watching eastern bluebirds in a specially built nesting box with a camera permanently installed to let us watch without disturbing the birds.
I’m beginning to wonder if Mrs. Bluebird has decided to make building her nest a lifetime project. She was back at it again this morning. Usually it takes only a few days for bluebirds to build their nest. I’m sure she knows what she’s doing.
This morning’s video is a bit choppy. I had some network hiccup that stopped the continuous recording on my desktop. The camera will save a 12-second clip every time it senses motion (with a five-minute pause between recordings). This video is a bunch of those clips stitched together.
We’re watching eastern bluebirds inside a specially built nesting box with a camera installed to allow us to watch without disturbing the birds.
Mrs. Bluebird is still at work on her nest. Today makes a full week she’s been at it. She should finish up in the next couple days, then it will probably take a couple days before she starts laying eggs.
I’m still looking for critters to photograph. Do you have a fox or coyote den? A bear showing up regularly? A Woodpecker or owl nest? I’d love to know.
You can now follow me in Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/uppervalleyphotos/ .
We’re watching eastern bluebirds in a nesting box with a camera installed to allow us to follow along without disturbing the bird.
We’re having a rainy morning here in Vermont. Looks like momma bluebird took a rain delay before getting to work. Since she got started, she’s been coming into the box every few minutes. She’s adjusting the grass in the nest and pressing her belly down to form the cup for her eggs.
We’re watching eastern bluebirds build their nest in a camera-equipped nesting box. We can watch without disturbing the birds.
Momma bluebird has been hard at work again this morning. She’s been hauling in more grass and getting things squared away.
There’s a spider in the box, you can see a piece of grass caught in her web on the left side of the video. The question is, how did the spider get in the box? Just chance? A couple years ago, we had wrens in this box. Mrs. Wren brought a spider into the box but didn’t eat it. A quick web search suggests this is common behavior for wrens, apparently the spiders prey on mites, fleas and ticks that annoy the birds. Let’s see if Mrs. Bluebird cohabitates with this spider, or if it becomes a snack.
Have critters showing up regularly? I’m always looking for critters to photograph. I’m always on the lookout for mammals bigger than a squirrel, especially with a family. For birds, I’m looking for owl and woodpecker nests this year. It usually takes me several trips and many hours sitting and waiting to get the photos I want. If you’ve got critters someplace I can come and go without bothering them or you, I’d love to know.
We’re watching eastern bluebirds in a nesting box that I built with a camera mounted inside so we can watch without disturbing the birds.
Our bluebirds continue to work on their nest this morning.
You can now follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/uppervalleyphotos/
There are some background noises that you may hear in the videos. There’s often the wind making a rushing or roaring sound. The thumps and scratches you may hear are one of the birds on the outside of the house.
I’ve built bird boxes with cameras installed in them to allow us to watch the birds without disturbing them.
Another busy morning for our bluebirds. Mrs. has been hauling in building material and is starting to form the ‘cup’ in the nest for the eggs. She’s pressing her underside down into the grass and fluttering her wings to get the right shape for the cup. Mr. Bluebird peeks his head in from time to time to make sure everything is going well.
I’ve installed cameras in several bird nesting boxes in the yard to allow us to watch the birds without disturbing them.
Today is the third day that Mrs. Bluebird has been working on her nest in our camera equipped nesting box. She made several trips in with material this morning before taking a midmorning break.
I installed a camera inside the box to let us watch their progress without disturbing them. Today’s video is in black and white because the camera has a automatic exposure sensor that switches to B&W in low light. We’re having a gloomy morning here in Vermont and there isn’t much daylight.
Our bluebirds are back and they’ve selected a bird box for their nest. They’ve started building this week. Check back regularly for updates as we follow their progress.
I put a small video camera in the box to let us watch without disturbing the bluebirds. I’ll post updates regularly while their building the nest and raising their family.
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Mrs. Bluebird returned to the box on schedule late this morning to lay a second egg. She’ll likely lay one a day for until she has four or five eggs. She won’t start sitting on them until they’re all laid.
I’m still looking for mammals to photograph this spring. If you know of a den – fox, coyote, bobcat – or have a racoon, mink, fisher or bear on some sort of a schedule I’d love to know.Â
Here’s Jeans settling in to lay her egg.
We’re looking inside a nesting box with the bluebirds in West Newbury, Vermont. The camera is permanently mounted in the box and we can watch without disturbing the birds.Â