Christmas Bluebird
by Nava Thompson
Title
Christmas Bluebird
Artist
Nava Thompson
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
(1st place win in 'Christmas Greeting Card Images' contest 2014)A photo taken by Nava Thompson of a Eastern Bluebird on a rugged bird house with silver stars around it. A Christmas wreath with red berries is in the scene.
Approximately two-thirds of the diet of an adult eastern bluebird consists of insects and other invertebrates. The remainder of the bird's diet is made up of wild fruits. Favored insect foods include grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and beetles. Other food items include earthworms, spiders, millipedes, centipedes, sow bugs and snails. .............Fruits are especially important when insects are scarce in the winter months. Some preferred winter food sources include dogwood, hawthorn, wild grape, and sumac and hackberry seeds. Supplemental fruits eaten include black raspberries, bayberries, fruit of honeysuckle, Virginia creeper, Eastern Juniper and pokeberries. Bluebirds feed by perching on a high point, such as a branch or fence post, and swooping down to catch insects on or near the ground. The availability of a winter food source will often determine whether or not a bird will migrate. If bluebirds do remain in a region for the winter, they will group and seek cover in heavy thickets, orchards, or other areas in which adequate food and cover resources are available. If you want to attract these species, put crunched-up peanuts in a feeder about four feet off the ground. Life historyEastern bluebirds are very social birds. At times they gather in flocks of a hundred or more. However, they are territorial during the breeding season and may continue to defend a feeding area throughout the winter. Mating occurs in the spring and summer months. A mature female will typically raise two broods each season. Nests are constructed in trees within abandoned woodpecker holes or other cavities that provide adequate protection (usually several feet above ground). Construction of the nest is done primarily by the female and takes approximately 10 days to complete. These nests are small, cup-like structures that are lined with grass, feathers, stems, and hairs. Each female lays 3 to 7 (average 4 to 5) light-blue or, rarely, white eggs. The female incubates the eggs, which hatch after 13 to 16 days. The young are altricial at hatching, meaning they cannot care for themselves upon hatching. The female broods the chicks for up to 7 days after hatching. Fledglings then leave the nest 15 to 20 days after hatching. Both parents cooperate in raising the young, which they feed a diet consisting almost entirely of insects. Several studies have revealed that some young will stay around the nest to help raise another brood. Fledglings are grayish in color with a speckled breast. The blue color becomes much more prominent and the speckles on their breast disappear as they mature. Bluebirds may begin breeding the summer after they are hatched.
Uploaded
November 19th, 2012
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Viewed 1,391 Times - Last Visitor from Cupertino, CA on 03/28/2024 at 5:39 PM
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Comments (109)
Jeannie Rhode Photography
Nava, Sharing my Congratulations on your recent Feature in Wisconsin Flower and Scenery ! Beautiful with nice colours and a very pretty bird.
Randy Rosenberger
Absolutely a fabulous holiday capture, and the blue bird is so detailed, as are all your avian pieces, Nava! Just love this beauty! What a fine piece of artwork for me to proudly display on our Featured Artwork section of our Homepage of our Wisconsin Flowers and Scenery group! Thanks for sharing! LIKED & FAVED Randy B. Rosenberger (WFS group administrator)