four healthy eastern bluebirds
Spring 2015 is once again proving to be a banner year for bird broods in my beautiful wildlife garden. Bluebird brood #2 has successfully hatched and 4 healthy mockingbird babies located in a holly shrub not 15 feet away joined them this past week. It is dizzying watching the two sets of parents feed the 8 hungry mouths. As the days go by the number of feedings increase and the size of the insects get larger and larger. Both sets of parents participate in feeding the youngsters.
mockingbird eggs were in a shrub close to the bluebird nesting box
Earlier this month I spotted a baby dove nestling with one of the parents. I was lucky to catch sight of them for the next day baby was on its own sitting in the nest and one-day later all was quiet. The baby looked a good size and must have fledged in the early morning to avoid confrontation with the resident bird dogs. Doves generally lay two eggs and apparently this brood only one hatched.
Dove baby and parent were spotted in thick shrubbery
Having the right conditions and plenty of readily available food in the form of insects is imperative if you are to be successful in attracting nesting birds to your garden.
two days later baby mourning dove was ready to fledge
The mockingbirds and doves like dense shrubs. The mockingbirds reused a nest from last year in a holly cultivar. The doves reused a mockingbird nest from last year that was in a bottlebrush shrub.
Mockingbirds were caught in the act of hatching late one evening
I use to hem and haw over whether to leave nest remains or to remove them. Now I leave them unless they are completely disintegrating. The birds do refurbish them and I have had successful nestlings in the renovated nests.
Two days later mockingbird babies are getting feathers
Bluebirds are cavity nesters so I maintain a nest box in the yard. I generally clean out the old nest about two days after fledge, but this time I didn’t get a chance to. Mom and dad just brought in some clean materials and freshened up the existing nest and as can be seen, the four little ones don’t seem to mind “used” digs at all.
Mockingbirds like to nest in dense shrubs
Plant a variety of native plants to provide larval host materials for the insects that are key to making your garden attractive to birds looking to set up homes. If they see easy access to a food source, coupled with the right type of habitat, they are sure to stop, stay and raise their young. Then you can enjoy year after year of entertainment. A variety of berry-producing shrubs will keep the adults around and satisfied through the winter. During nesting season birds tend to eat more insects while later in the season and as the winter approaches they seek berries and seeds to fatten up.
The bluebirds start with small insects for the little ones.
I have a variety of blackberry, elderberries, holly and beautyberry shrubs that the birds all seem to relish. Bluestem grasses, Black-eyed Susan, Bidens alba and a variety of other wildflowers feed the need for seed. Be sure to have a readily available water source as well. It can be as simple as a shallow dish or as large as a full size pond.
As the babies get bigger, so does the prey
And don’t be to tidy with the garden. Leave some dried debris so they have hiding spots that also provides a plethora of building materials. It won’t be long until the masses take up residence in your own beautiful wildlife garden and you can watch them soar.
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