Subject: Bluebird behavior
Date: Mar 21 11:04:59 1999
From: Robert Taylor - taylorrt at email.msn.com


Hi Tweets

For the past month or so we have had Western Bluebirds in our
neighborhood. When we first noticed them Elaine wanted to put up a nestbox,
so three weeks ago we hung one in view of the kitchen windows at the back of
the house. Within hours they were checking it out and have been seen daily
since then.

They have perched on, climbed in, and thoroughly checked-out the
nestbox. I put some scraggly string, wool and other soft stuff inside.
They promptly removed it and scattered it around the yard. We have not
seen them bring anything to the box. I say 'they' because there are two
males and two females that visit regularly. They sit on the fence posts and
fence and sally out and back or land in the grass and recover to the fence
or gutters on the houses in the area.

This AM my Mom noticed that four of 'them' were at the box. Starlings!
She is very observant but her ID was off a little! Just as we were cussing
out the interlopers and considering some sort of violent action it was taken
care of for us. A pair of Bluebirds charged in and was followed by the
second pair. They teamed up and removed the Starlings from the area one by
one. Lots of aerial acrobatics and frontal assaults. Really short work!!
Didn't know that the Bluebirds were that territorial and aggressive. Seeing
a Starling knocked off the fence does my heart good.

Our fingers are crossed that they will stick around, nest, and fledge
younguns.

Elaine and Bob Taylor
Sumner, WA
taylorrt at msn.com