Eastern Bluebird

©Ruthe Smith

Published: April 25, 2004

This image of an Eastern Bluebird carrying nest material in its bill comes to us from Ruthe Smith, a birdwatcher from Rossville, Georgia.

Ruthe shot the photo with a Fujifilm Fine Pix 3800 digital camera as the bird (Sialia sialis) was flying to a nesting box below her back porch. She and her husband Young had seen bluebirds in their yard before, but this was the first year the birds nested on their property.

"We've enjoyed having titmice using nesting boxes before and thought we would try our luck with the blues," says Young. He found plans for a bluebird nest box online, built a couple of boxes, placed them in the yard on March 15, and immediately attracted the handsome birds.

"A week later we opened the hinged side of the box to have a peek, and much to our surprise found a nest," he explains. The pair laid eggs, and on April 21 five chicks hatched. Ruthe and Young are now enjoying watching the parents feed the nestlings.

View a photo of an Eastern Bluebird feeding a mealworm to a fledgling.
See a picture of two Eastern Bluebirds eating suet in Atlanta.
View a photo of an Eastern Bluebird in flight.
View a portrait of an Eastern Bluebird clutching a winged insect.
View a photo of a Western Bluebird.
View a photo of a Mountain Bluebird.