Predators are certainly one of the Nesting Challenges faced by bird parents.  In this sub-series, we will begin with a male Eastern Bluebird taking on a grey squirrel who got too close to the Bluebird’s nest box — a box full of nestlings.  In future posts:  We’ll see both a Tufted Titmouse and a Carolina Chickadee go to war with a bumblebee (bumblebees are frequent invaders of nest boxes — will even take over a box for a bee hive if possible).  On a more humorous note, birds will also visit other bird’s nests — one species stealing bits of nesting material from another.  Finally, I’ll share images of frequent hawk visits to active bird houses — the houses being a favored perch from which the hawks hunt for prey in the surrounding landscape.

Not On My Watch!

This was the first year I had two pairs of nesting Bluebirds.  The pair who has nested here for several years seems undaunted by my comings and goings, and those of the woodland creatures.  I call them the urban pair.  They come up to the house to get mealworms — even if I am sitting close by.  The new pair, who showed up in 2017, has not been urbanized.  I call them the rural pair.  They hunted everything they fed to the nestlings and did not like me one bit!  In fact, when their last nestling fledged and was hopping around down by the pool, I went out to make sure it didn’t end up in the pool.  I was dive-bombed by both the parents.  Pretty impressive courage given our relative sizes!

In the featured video, a grey squirrel dared to climb onto a fence near the rural Bluebird’s nest box.   Daddy Bluebird was not amused.  You will see that he not only chased the squirrel off the fence — but he continued the attack until the squirrel was long gone.