Bluebirds, Part 2

The bluebirds continued to shuttle back and forth from the field to the bird box near my house, bringing caterpillars and grubs to their young. Their harvest can be seen in the photos accompanying this entry. They are like a food-conveyer-belt on wings.










Meanwhile on Sunday, June 21 the grease on the post was disturbed. It was evident, very evident a snake had tried to climb the post and succeeded to some degree. Investigation showed the grease was smeared and nearly non-existent on some of the post. It had been disturbed to within 8 to 10 inches of the box. I was anxious, were my bluebird nestlings still there? I checked, hoping that if any were still there, they wouldn’t fall out of the box. A quick peek gave relief. They were still there, and so I slathered the post afresh with a lot more grease. I probably needed to put a sign up to warn the children next door.










When one considers the number of days the male and female bluebirds have been shuttling back and forth with food (they typically do this for 18 to 21 days), it is quite impressive. They are certainly dedicated to the task and to think they could lose their young to a snake or other predator along the way.

I’ve noticed too that when one bluebird comes to perch on the black locust tree closest to the bluebird box the other bluebird will call after awhile. Then one will swoop down to the bird box to deliver what they have fetched. They show amazing cooperation, taking turns and working together.










On the other hand, if one of the bluebirds detects my presence, it is immediately perceived as a threat. This then causes them to take some evasive action – usually leaving the tree for a more distant tree, or disappearing altogether to return 3 or 4 minutes later.

I suppose it is their nature to survey the bird box each and every time they come to it. Maybe it was first learned and is now second-nature to them. Or maybe it is a trait within their DNA. It seems, given a situation, they already know what they will do.

I had to go out of town for four days, and it appears the nestlings had fledged (approximately 18 days after hatching). They were gone.

At any rate their behavior reminds me of additional scripture that we must learn and internalize as part of our lives:

John 10.10 – Watch for the thief that comes to steal life from us
Proverbs 29.18 – Seek divine guidance
1 Thessalonians 5.17 – Communicate continually with God
Deuteronomy 4.6 – Adhere to God’s advice for life

Bluebirds and a Greasy Post

Why would I ever consider bluebirds with a greasy post? It’s a chronicle worth retelling.

For the past several years we’ve had a bluebird box in the backyard. Bluebirds came and went without much thought. It was a casual relationship. I enjoy the sight of bluebirds and wanted to promote the species in my neighborhood, but I am not a big bird enthusiast.

Late last summer that casual relationship began to change. Bluebirds came, built a nest in the box, laid eggs and wham, overnight they disappeared. The box appeared not to have been disturbed. I cleaned the box out, eggs were laid and it was the same scenario again. The bluebird eggs disappeared. Spring came and another clutch of eggs vanished again.


The internet was helpful. Bluebirds, it appears have a number of predators: kids, raccoons, cats, other birds, snakes. What gets into a box without so much as a disturbed twig? The answer: snakes. They could not go unchecked. Counter-measures were needed. This fact set into motion this, my most recent chronicle.

Though snakes do not have very good eyes they smell very well. They also climb well and can eat eggs without messing up a nest. Even though I hadn’t seen any snakes around the box, they must be the culprit. Surely there was a solution.

One website suggested greasing the post with wheel axle grease. One caveat - grease isn’t 100 percent effective against snakes. Many are constrictors. If it didn’t work, other solutions and devices would have to be explored.

So I greased the post. (Check out my greasy post. Bugs stick to it pretty well.) I waited, and within a few days bluebirds had build a nice nest in it, and in a few more days there were 5 beautiful soft-blue eggs. (OK, it’s hard to get great photos of the inside of a bluebird box, so bear with me.)


Once eggs are laid, it takes about 2 weeks for any of them to hatch. During that time, I didn’t see much activity around the bluebird box. Nevertheless, I checked the box daily to make sure the eggs were still there. The grease on the post was smeared once, but I couldn’t tell whether it was the children next door or if a snake had tried to climb the post. I wondered. Then I laughed out loud at the thought of the two children next door, after fingering the post, going home with grease all over their hands and clothes and what their mother might have said to them. Well, no one (neither mother nor child) has ever mentioned the grease on the post. Someday, maybe a story will spill out, but there hasn’t been even the slightest mention of grease yet.


Last Sunday, the first bluebird chick hatched. On Monday, three more eggs had hatched. As you can see, this clutch is all eyes and open mouths. They are very small, naked little things and full of bobbing. (Can you make out the eyes and the 4 open caverns that must be mouths?) Wow, life is so amazing. They are truly a gift of God. Now, it’s up to their parents to bring insects, berries, seeds, and other nutritious things for them to eat so they can grow and become fledglings (they remain nestlings for up to 3 weeks). There is now a constant shuttling into and out-of that box. They are also very quick. (OK. It’s also hard to photograph a bluebird on the wing.) I now await fledglings graduating to the skies. Beauty has wings.


And by the way, I’ve seen a rat snake in the yard.



Genesis 3.1 – The snake is cunning
Mark 4.15 – Satan takes away God’s message
2 Corinthians 2.11 – Be aware of the ways of Satan