Waiting for number 6

Wouldn't be spring without your report Kenn ... the variety shown here is as excellent as usual... and as usual, I can't pick a favorite ... happy to hear Missy is doing well... thanks for sharing your backyard beauties.

Dave

Hi all, and thanks to everyone who replied.
We're very fortunate indeed to have a lot of lovely birds here and we sure love to share them with all our friends at POTN. Your encouragement is always greatly appreciated.

|)\/8 wrote in post #14222405
Awesome shots! How do you know Missy is the same "Missy"? They all pretty much look alike to me, . I have a nesting pair of Eastern Bluebirds and I could not tell you if they are the same as years past or not, .

It's understandable that many have asked us how we recognize any of our birds as individuals, or know which is who. Afterall, most birds of any given species, gender, and age will look very much alike. And in truth, even an individual bird can look quite different in various poses, especially from one photo to the next. So the answer may be a bit harder to understand...

Despite their great similarity, there are usually visible differences in the markings and coloration of individual birds. And some have fairly easily noticeable specific physical attributes as well... Ben's leftmost front claw is missing for example. These differences generally can't be noticed at any distance or when they're in flight, but at close range and with frequent repeated observations these distinctions become more obvious.
We spend hours outside with our birds photographing them every day, and we have done so for years. Many of our regulars and especially the Bluebirds stay with us year-round and have become very well-acclimated to us being amongst them daily. Missy has lived here since the early Summer of 2007 and has fledged 62 baby Blues from our nestbox (not counting the ones in the current nest). We see her everyday and thruout the day, very "up close and personal" We know her just as you would know a bird kept indoors... by sight and sound and every subtle nuance of her behavior.

And now a quick update regarding #6... It appears this will be a brood of five chicks. The 6th egg is still intact in the nest as we begin the 17th day since incubation started. The 5 fuzzy nestlings are very active and growing rapidly. But we're beyond the usual hatching window now and it's very doubtful that number 6 will join them. Missy's usual nest has 5 eggs, and this is only the 3rd time in 15 nestings that she has laid 6. Although all 6 did hatch both previous times, she has had 2 or 3 "duds" over the years. This is not unusual really and her success rate has in fact been extraordinarily high. We can only be overjoyed once again to watch as yet another brood grows toward fledging.

Thanks again everybody, ... we'll be back.
Kenn