First of all, I want to thank tnchick for selecting our blog as the featured post for last week's 'lazy' theme. It was quite a surprise and very much appreciated. We really enjoy being a part of the PhotoHunt family.
Second, I must apologize for being late with this week's theme post. I was unexpectedly called away from home for a day or so and did not have adequate access to the net. (You know how it is when the family calls.) So, I'll try to keep this week's theme post nice and short.
Of all the animals around the pond there is one group that I think best illustrates our notion of 'family.' We always have a few around as they are generally year-round residents in our area of the country. They often have two or even three broods each summer. It is very evident that both parents are deeply involved in raising the off-spring, but the 'family' aspect extends even further.
It is not so very uncommon for members of the first brood to stay around and help with raising the second or third brood by guarding the nest and feeding the young. And even more interestingly, members of the later broods often stay with the parents through the coming winter forming a small, tight-knit family group until spring arrives and they disperse to start their own families.
It is not often one is able to get a family portrait so I was very pleased with this one.
May I present to you, Mr. And Mrs. Bluebird and family.
PhotoHunt
3 months ago
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Oh I'm hooked....how beautiful are they.....tks Baker you have made my evening......
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful birds Baker and you are so lucky to have them...
ReplyDeleteisn't it unbelievable to have colors like that blue in nature? beautiful shot, love all the family looking at the same direction :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a great family photo...interesting that a couple of generations stick around and help out.
ReplyDeleteWow! Those are lovely birds. Our birds are heard, but rarely seen. LOL
ReplyDeleteI love that shot. Perfect for the family theme.
ReplyDeleteThey are my favorite bird! I have a bluebird house outside my kitchen window and I love watching the family grow over the course of the summer. Great photo you got!
ReplyDeleteCheryl - They are great birds to watch - They generally like open spaces for their homes so you can see them from a distance as they go about caring for the eggs and the young ones
ReplyDeleteMichelle - We have several houses around and we generally have at least 3-4 families each year
szilvia - They were all pointed toward the pasture which is a favorite hunting spot for insects - I was lucky to get close enough to take a shot before they started to leave
Kim - The young don't always stay around but is obvious when they do as the houses are generally in the open and you can see the activity around them
Blue - I think that is one reason I like the bluebirds so much - When you hear them you can normally see them too
Carver - Thanks
Annie - That must be cool to have them up close to your house - Most of our bluebird houses are well away from the house in areas where the birds have open space to fly and hunt
Baker
I love bluebirds. I didn't realize that they have more than one brood in a summer or that they stay in a family group until spring. I just know that they are very beautiful birds.
ReplyDeleteBaker, another gorgeous photo!! And what are they looking at?? Absolutely beautiful birds!
ReplyDeleteTammy - Most have at least 2 broods per year - I'm not sure how common it is for the last broods to stay until the next spring but we see it quite often - It may depend upon how late in the season they are fledged
ReplyDeleteavril - thanks - They are checking out the open pasture - Birds nearly always sit on that fence faced in that direction - their backs are to the trees around the pond about 15-20 feet away - the open pasture before them is a prime feeding ground as they prefer insects such as grasshoppers
Your Bluebird family shot is very special. WOW!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful family photo! Bluebirds are so beautiful, I wish I could attract a few to my yard.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photo! I love family stories in the animal kingdom - so often we think of animal instinct as being the opposite of family oriented...
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful family portrait! I'd no idea bluebirds were quite so blue - they're lovely.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots! Yellow is a hard color to capture. No clue why that is. Congrats on getting that bluebird family photo, too. I didn't know one brood would stay to help the next.
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