The Bluebird Family

Mr. & Mrs. Bluebird

6350 Garrett Road

Front Porch Apt 1

Walnut Hill, FL 32568

Let me give you the backstory first. Several months ago, my mom gave me this decrepit old birdhouse that she had found when she was going through stuff out in their shed. It was a birdhouse that Daniel had made back in the school days for Rhonda as a “sorry” gift for breaking a rubber snake that she had taken to school for some reason! Never one to throw anything away, and since it looked quite vintage at this point, I plopped it on the end table on the front porch for decor; not thinking much more about it. Fast forward to the end of April when I noticed an animated bluebird couple perched on the roof of our Gator that was parked near the front porch. Suddenly, one of them would fly to the birdhouse, flutter about peering inside it, wing back to the Gator and chirp away to its other half. Then the same process would repeat itself but with the other bird! You could practically see the thought bubbles above their heads!

 

Mr. Bluebird, “It’s perfect! This is a good neighborhood! So kid-friendly! Didn’t you notice the bubble wand and popsicle wrapper in the flowerbed?!”

Mrs. Bluebird, “But it’s way too cramped! Even smaller than our house last year, and the paint is peeling! And besides, I’m so over barn red! I just want it to be modern and fresh! I’ll consider it if you give it a coat of Benjamin Moore Cloud White! Inside and out!” 

Mr. Bluebird, “You know we don’t have time to paint! Those eggs aren’t going to wait around while you get it Pinterest-pretty! We’ve got to get a move on!”

Mrs. Bluebird, “OK, OK, I know you’re right. Sigh.” 

Next, call it lazy or efficient, they proceeded to build a nest using the material from the coco liner in the nearby hanging basket! A tidy little nest was compiled in short order! Once that was done, Mrs. Bluebird added a gorgeously speckled blue egg to the nest every day for four days! Danielle and I would check the progress daily or multiple times a day; sometimes at night with a flashlight. Mrs. Bluebird would patiently endure the bright light in her eyes while she kept her eggs warm. I was dubious if they would even hatch! We had several storms where I would gently set the house in a safer place since it wasn’t attached to anything secure! Human scent abounded. Danielle delighted in perching nearby with her binoculars. It couldn’t have been a restful experience for them by any stretch of the word. I think Mr. Bluebird even regretted his cheerful words of recommendation some days! And then one day we saw an ugly scrawny baby bird inside! And then three more! The Bluebird parents were even more on edge, scolding us for interfering and bounding back and forth with worms dangling from their beaks! They both took an active role in parenting as near as I could tell. This is 2020 even for the birds! But they also got so used to us, that we could sit on the porch bench and they would fly into the birdhouse while we watched only a foot or so away! We loved our Bluebird family and I think they loved us. Danielle would even reach inside and pet them. And then, one morning last week when she did her daily peek, she discovered that the little red paint-peeling abode was empty! We hadn’t even gotten to watch their first fluttering flights! Oh well, it was an intriguing experience while it lasted! Maybe next year one of the babies will be back all grown up and ready to lay eggs of her own in the old home place!