This is one of many bluebird pictures I shot last summer. This is a female Mountain Bluebird. It was one of several very photogenic birds I encountered. She did not seem belligerent or overly excited at my being close to her nest. Situations like this are what keeps me involved with the task of maintaining a “Bluebird Trail.”

House Wrens build a very unusual nest. They are cavity nesters, however I once found a nest such as this built on top of an abandoned robin nest in the fork of a willow tree. Twigs are stuffed into a nestbox until the entrance hole is partially covered. This restricts entry into the box for birds and other critters that are larger than the wren. In some nests twigs may be as large as a lead pencil. A deep nest cup is formed in the rear of the box and is usually lined with a thin layer of fine grass. Up to nine small brown-speckled eggs are laid. A normal clutch may be 5-7 eggs.

House Wrens are beneficial birds and deserve a place to rear a family. However, they have a one very unwelcome tradition. The male will set up a territory and start nests in several cavities. The female will then choose one of them for her nesting activities. This leaves cavities stuffed with twigs that could have been used by another species. What a waste! When I find wren activity in any of my bluebird nestboxes I usually stop monitoring that box. At the end of the nesting season when cleaning old nests out of the boxes I find several wren nests that were never used.

Bluebirds generally arrive on territory earlier than House Wrens and stake out their nest sites. However, there are late arrivals and these bluebirds will have to look elsewhere for nest building. Also, wrens will move into a box after the bluebird nestlings have fledged. This prevents bluebirds having a second brood in that box.

I have a special place in my heart for bluebirds and try to help them as much as I can. But, if another species or animal lays an egg or has nestlings in one of my nestboxes that is its home for the duration.

I made my last trip for the year out to the bluebird trails today and found a very photogenic bluebird. Of course his concern was for the nestlings in the box I was visiting. I already have loads of photos of the Mountain Bluebird but I just couldn’t pass up an opportunity like this for another. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have so many of these beautiful birds in my life.

A Common Nighthawk flushes, flies low a short distance, lands and flutters her wings. She attracted my attention alright. I have often seen this action with Killdeer. This demonstration is to lure potential harm away from a nest or vulnerable offspring. As I approached for a better picture she led me farther away. Alas, this is the only photo I was able to get of her.

I often find a rodent nest in a nestbox I’ve set up for Bluebirds. In most cases these critters scamper away when I open the box for observation. This time I found a mother mouse with four suckling infants firmly attached to her teats. When she made her get-a-way the youngsters were still attached being dragged along like a cluster of grapes. I was reminded of some marsupials where the newly born babies climb into the mother’s pouch for further developement. Possums carry young on their back clinging to the parent with their prehensile tail.

This family was photographed in Owyhee county near Jordan Valley, OR. I am wondering as to the species of this animal?

“When whippoorwills call, And evening draws nigh, We’ll be happy in my, Blue Heaven.” This is one of my favorite songs.

“Pooorwilllzz” Even though the call of the Common Poorwill is somewhat different than that of a Whippoorwill it has a similiar quality. It sounds as though it says “poorwill” with a little soft buzz at the end. In the dusk of early evening one can often hear the soft call of a poorwill in the mountains of southwest Idaho. It takes me back to my early youth when I worked on a ranch in the Jordan Valley, OR area. The birds came in quite close to the cabin. Oh, to relive those moments again!

The poorwill nestlings in this photo hatched from the eggs shown on this blog a few days ago. As I approached the nest site the attending adult flushed from the nest and with much ado invited me to follow. I, however, turned my attention to photographing these nestlings. After several shots from various angles I hastened away within a couple of minutes. My philosophy is, try to be not too intrusive and make my presence as brief as possible.

Addendum: After some research I have concluded that this is the nest of a Common Nighthawk. I’m sorry for the mistake.   Al

I would not like to have been present when this activity took place. Evidence shows that lightning struck this tree during an electrical storm. The tree stands on a hillside with few neighbors. The bolt traveled down the trunk knocking a corner from a nestbox hanging there. A few chips from the box were located on the ground below and a larger piece was found some 15 feet away. Sap flowed freely from the wound as evidenced by the drippings on the box top. Luckily the box contained only an abandoned rodent nest.

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Ah, summer! It is the time of year when nature is at her best. After giving birth in the spring to flowers, shrubs, animals and insects this new life grows and matures. The vast array of shapes, forms and colors is manifest. Beauty surrounds us, be aware.

Here we have an Anise Swallowtail Papilio zelicaon butterfly busily searching for and extracting nectar from a flower.

This Common Poorwill nest is the most elaborate that I have seen. The female for this nest chose a site near a pine tree and laid her eggs on the needles, no cup, no scrape. I usually find poorwill’s nest on bare ground under an over-hanging branch of a shrub. Two eggs is the normal clutch size. I’ve often wondered if the newly hatched chicks lingered on the spot and how long. A brief research found that the young are semi-precocial and if disturbed may move to nearby concealment. Both young and adults are criptically colored so as to blend in with nearly any background. It’s neat to hear the poorwill call in the early evening.

Addendum: After further research I have concluded that this is a nest of a Common Nighthawk. I’m sorry for the mistake.  Al

A few miles north of Jordan Valley, OR we pass by this old schoolhouse on Cow Creek. Many times I have passed by this historic building. Each year it seems to fall more in disrepair. I thought I had better take a picture of it before someone decides to demolish it.

Back in the late 1930s my brother Norton and his friend Everett Jones would play for country dances in this building. Since then, I’ve often wondered if there was a piano in this school. Norton played the piano for dances in Jordan Valley. Without a piano music was rendered with a guitar, harmonica and drums. Boom boxes and electronic music devices were unheard of in those days.