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TOP JOBS

In recent months, I have written about my beautiful bluebird family. I think of it as mine, because I practically wil-led it to be here, and I must admit, I am an enabler.

And, herein lies the tale.

In April, we sadly had five trees removed from our place and knew that there were going to be consequences from this necessary desecration. The most regrettable, we knew, would be the loss of shade.

Most of the plants in our gardens rely on shade. Azaleas and hydrangeas are our plants of choice, and they need protection from the harsh afternoon sun. I was not prepared for much of anything good to come of it, but I was in for a surprise.

One spring day as I sat at my computer, not writing, but looking out the side window, I saw a male bluebird sitting on the fence, looking my way. I couldn't be-lieve my eyes at first. We have lived in our home for 33 years, and have never seen a bluebird here. I have seen them just three blocks away for years, but never in my yard.

I realized that the removal of a large tallow had opened up a flyway that would enable the bluebirds to swoop into the space. I was determined to make our garden agreeable to him and his mate, so I went out immediately and bought a "genuine and official" bluebird house with a pole, a feeder tray, a pole for it, and some meal worms.

My husband and I set up the house, the feeder, and put out the worms. Within 30 minutes, the male was sitting on the top of the house. I think I held my breath for a day or so. First he went inside to check it out. Then the female came and looked, and tentatively went inside. He went to the feeder and showed her all the worms.

He would look at her and then look down at the worms. His body language spoke volumes. He was really trying to sell her this house. It was easy to imagine that he was doing his best to convince her that this was a perfect location, with food readily available. He was so proud of his discovery. It filled my heart with joy to see them so close and to dare to hope that they would make their home with us.

I did have a slight worry, since I do have two cats, but I solved that problem right away. Every time I saw the cats in the yard, I would madly run to the sprinkler system controls and turn on the water. The cats would hear the sound of the water starting to come out of the sprayer, and they would head for safety away from that yard. It was a learning experience for them, and good exercise for me. I quickly realized that I had to cap off a sprinkler head nearest their house with an overturned plastic water bottle and trusty duct tape. I did not want water to shoot into the house and drench the nest and eggs.

After countless trips into the house, around the house, and to the feeder, mama bird made her decision and the nest building began. Wanting to see what was happening in that little house, and when I was certain the birds weren't around, I opened the house door to sneak a peak.

There was the perfect nest with five little eggs. The time for egg sitting was a little more than two weeks and all the while I was offering meal worms several times a day. My gate has a loud latch, and I soon realized that when I clicked the gate, it was a signal to the birds that worms would soon be arriving in their feeder.

"Mama" would fly up into the nearest tree and wait, and "papa" if he wasn't near, would zoom in from afar and cling to the large pine trunk, while I shook out the worms. As soon as I turned to walk away, they would swoop down and eagerly eat. Now, they are well-trained, and if they are in earshot, just like Pavlov's dogs, certain behavior is rewarded.

There are several Web sites for bluebird keeping, and I studied them, so that I would do the things necessary to help this little family survive. It recommended that we check the box frequently, when the mother was away, to determine that all was healthy. Bluebirds do not have a heightened sense of smell, so my fingers on the nest would not be a problem. I was so happy to see that all five eggs had hatched, and the little birds were so cute. I would peek and run, only peering around the edges to make certain no mites or fly larvae were present.

As the weeks went by and the birds grew larger, I would check less frequently, so I wouldn't scare them. On the day of the huge wind and rain storm, I didn't check on them. When all the storms were passed, and I realized I had not seen the parents in a while, I looked into the box, and it was empty. I was bereft, as I feared that fledging in the face of such a storm could not be good. Talk about the "empty nest" syndrome; it happens to any parent or "grandparent," even of birds.

During the next two weeks, the parents continued to come whenever I clicked the gate latch and put out the worms. They would grab mouthfuls and fly away to the northwest through the tall trees across the street.

I knew there had to be some babies, but I didn't know how many had survived. After two weeks, or what seemed an eternity, I began to see the parents leading one or two little birds back into our trees. Sometimes I would see them land on the overhead phone lines. I had read on the Web site that the older juveniles would help feed the next batch of babies, so I continued to hope for some to have survived and to possibly move back into our yard.

One day, I was sitting at my computer, occasionally looking out into the side yard. I noticed several bluebird juveniles on the fence. I went to the window to look and was about to take out some worms, when all of a sudden, a most extraordinary thing happened. Papa flew straight at me, presented his front, and hovered there flapping frantically.

I got the message, "I have them all here, so bring out the food."

It was parent to parent communication, pure and simple. Sure enough, there were all five babies, and mama and papa, waiting for some worms. He had brought his little family home.

After a week or so of training the babies to eat worms on their own rather than standing on top of them in the feeder the parents are starting to build a new nest.

We are so excited that we will get to see this next phase. If we are lucky, we will have a whole flock by the end of the summer, or whenever they fly away. It has been an incredible experience, and has taken a little dedication and effort on the part of each of us. My part has been to supply and protect.

Because of the overuse of pesticides, I think finding enough insects left to keep them going is difficult. Mama and papa have done all the hard work, feeding and training their brood.

Together we are helping to continue the species at a time when habitat is being lost. I never would have thought that so much good could come from the removal of five diseased trees.

How lucky is that!

"What's Blooming In Our Garden'' is a regular feature of the Tyler Morning Telegraph Garden Page. It is written by Mary Claire Rowe, a Master Gardener with the Texas Cooperative Extension, and focuses on flowers and plant life around East Texas. To share your comments on gardening, write her in care of the Morning Telegraph.