Bluebirds and Happiness

When we moved in there was a small birdhouse on the back fence.  Much to our surprise, a pair of eastern bluebirds moved in this spring and built a nest.  Then they laid eggs.  And you can imagine Anna and Micah's delight when the eggs hatched! 

We've been listening to their hungry cheeping for about two weeks and then this morning something was obviuosly different.  We noticed the mommy and daddy were hovering around the house and only feeding the babies when they got the courage to stick their little heads out of the house.  The babies kept coming to the hole, teetering on the edge, and then floping back in.  We watched from the patio and even scared away a neighborhood cat. 

We were standing inside the screen door when the first baby lauched from the hole.  His flight/glide took him directly to our feet.  He landed about 4 inches from our toes!  Baby #2 landed in the grass and baby #3, no doubt the show off of the family, launched, turned, and landed on the fence.  They spent the next 10 minutes taking practice hops and flights while mommy and daddy rewarded them with food.  Eventually they were coaxed over the fence into the grassy field under the power lines.  We sent them off with lots of cheers and encouragement.

The website we read says this pair will probably make two more nests and if we clean out the old nest in the house, they are more likely to reuse it.

 How amazing that these little animals will be on their own in only a week from now!  God's creation is amazing.

S