During my recent visits to the nearby prairie, I was able to observe a pair of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) that were hanging around a nest box that is placed near the parking lot. On my first visit of the spring, I saw the female bringing in dried prairie grass, to be used for preparing the nest. And during my last prairie visit, I saw both the male and female bringing in “munchies” for their young family. As the male arrived at the box, I saw an open beak from within the box. But this nest box is out in the open, with no cover nearby. So, I had to photograph them from farther away. Here are a few images I captured during my last outing:
The female sits on a nearby fence post, with a juicy morsel in her beak:
Immediately after feeding the snack to the young birds, the male shows up with a different snack, a moth:
After feeding the moth to his young family, the male flies to a nearby fence post and keeps a close eye on the nest box:
By the way, the Eastern Bluebird is the Missouri state bird, so we take special pride in overseeing them nesting. In fact, I have 5 nest boxes on my acreage right now. But this year the number of bluebirds are somewhat down in my area and none have chosen to nest in my boxes. But it seems to go in a cycle of about every 2-3 years that I am happy to have them nest on my land. Maybe next year! And I’m already planning on taking my portable blind with me to my next prairie visit … maybe I’ll be able to capture some family portraits! :o)