Mountain Bluebird Nestbox Update
(click on images to view them full size)
Mountain bluebird season has officially kicked off.
Spring is finally making an appearance and those vivid blue streaks of colour marking the male mountain bluebirds’ return to our area have arrived. I’ve been seeing local photographers posting images of mountain bluebirds and my nest box monitoring partner, Nick indicated he’d seen half a dozen of them while cleaning out nest boxes a few weeks ago.
Borescope used to monitor nest boxes for nests, eggs and hatchlings.
After installing 11 replacement boxes (nest box construction project) and checking on the rest of the boxes I have been eagerly awaiting their arrival. I’ve pulled together my nest box monitoring kit which includes a handheld borescope with a camera so that I can check the boxes for nests, eggs and hatchlings without disturbing the bluebirds by opening the nest box. I also carry screwdrivers and other tools for quick repairs if required (cows and horses continually rub against the nest boxes and their posts).
Mountain bluebirds are very strategic in their approach to nesting. They arrive almost a month before their main competitors for nesting locations (i.e., tree swallows and house sparrows) which affords them the best nesting location choices. There is obviously a risk to this strategy as we can have some late snowfalls and cold snaps well into March and April, but these are hardy birds and they are very successful at securing nest spots.
Young male moose.
Kory and I decided to make a quick bluebird run to see if we could see any early arrivers, but as we drove along the initial part of the run there was no sign of bluebirds. Part way along the first section of the run we pulled off the road to have a quick snack and that’s when I looked up and saw this fellow happily munching away on some shoots poking up through the snow.
Moose typically moult in the spring, but they can also have bald patches due to winter ticks. Particularly bad tick infestations can result in hair loss or cause the moose to rub against things to soothe the irritation. This young male was very focused on eating and didn’t seem to notice us stopping nearby.
Close up of a moose.
A lifer sighting
Hawk owl perched on a power pole.
After our snack we continued on our way and I kept my eyes peeled for the illusive bluebirds. Kory suddenly pointed to a large bird flying towards us asking if it was a hawk - it looked a bit like a hawk, but the shape of the head wasn’t quite right and it seemed a bit on the large side. I tracked its flight and then as it flew by us I recognized it might be a Hawk Owl. I’ve only ever seen them in photos so this was a lifer sighting for me. He sped by and then circled around to land on a power pole about 200 feet behind us.
This was too good to pass up, so we turned the truck around and slowly made our way closer to his roosting spot. About 100 feet away we stopped and I got out and started to slowly walk towards the power pole. I had my big lens with me which has a maximum focal length range of 840mm (great for zooming in close). It’s a great lens, but with my camera that’s 13 pounds of weight to try and keep steady while handholding (I didn’t have time to set up a tripod). I was certainly noticing the benefits of my strength training (more about that in another post) as I managed to snap off a few images before slowly moving closer. He was curious and looking all around - scouting the area and likely looking for food.
Cars passed by going the opposite direction, but he wasn’t bothered by them. I got about 50 feet away and decided to not go closer - I captured some great images and just stopped and took in the amazing details of his chest feather pattern, the hooked beak and piercing tawny coloured eyes. What an exciting sighting.
Close up of a Hawk Owl.
Finally found our bird
Male mountain bluebird portrait.
After leaving the Hawk Owl behind to find his lunch we continued on our bluebird route and just as we were about to head home I spotted that illusive vivid blue perched on a fence post. We stopped just ahead of him and again I got out of the car and turned towards him and got several nice portrait shots before he took off and flew towards me to the next fence post.
Hovering behaviour of male mountain bluebird.
The dead crop stubble in the field combined with the patches of lingering snow made for a very pleasing contrast to the vivid blue of his plumage. After a short stop on the fence post he took flight again and flew about 6 feet into the field parallel to me and started hovering over the ground (about 10 feet up in the air).
Hovering flight behaviour of a mountain bluebird.
Bluebirds will exhibit this hovering pattern while scouting for insects and they will even catch them in mid air, but I’d never been able to capture this behaviour before. I quickly raised my camera again and started to take a sequence of shots that beautifully captured this hovering behaviour and the colours and details of his wings.
I’m never quite sure what I will see when I go on a bluebird nest box run - I returned four days later with my borescope to see if any nests were being built. I didn’t see any birds that day and only one box with evidence of nesting material. It’s still early in the season and I expect that activity level will kick into high gear once I’m back from Iceland.
Mountain bluebird taking flight.
I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.
