Female Bluebird Possessed With Her Reflection

[Evelyn Cooper]

Poor thing. I've watched her for several days now. She and her mate come to the backyard and if there's a vehicle there, she will look at herself in the mirror, jumping over and over again from on top of it down to the mirror and back up. I put some old cloths on the mirror and she comes to the den window. Then, I pull the blind. She then goes over to the backyard box where there is the beginnings of a nest. She just sits on top of the box. Her mate is sitting on the power line near her all this time. Then, I saw her go over to a nearby building and land on the screen that is over the window there. She spends nearly all morning going back and forth and to me it seems that this is inteferring with her nesting activities. I can't imagine this obession being stronger than the breeding urge.

There is a nest completed (no eggs yet) north of the barn which is north of my house about 300 yards. I am wondering if that is her nest and she will eventually lay. It is a very puzzling thing to watch. Her mate is always at her side though, so maybe eventually if she lays, she will settle down.

Last season, a female did the same thing in the backyard, I have a strong suspicion that this is the same female. I did notice that when nesting season was over, it stopped.

Evelyn
Delhi, LA

[drbirdsong4]

Evelyn,
I can sympathize with you.
Last year I had a resident male I nicknamed (that mythological dude who loved his own reflection, whose name escapes me at the moment).that had the same obsession.
Besides making a mess of car doors and mirrors, I fretted over him not paying enough attention to his mate, that was incubating their eggs at the time.
I never saw him bring her anything to eat, causing her to have to eat out,leaving the eggs exposed and cold.
I thought for sure it would not be a happy ending.
As it turned out, my worries were for nothing.
The eggs hatched right on time, and he was a real "wings on" kind of dad.
He forgot all about the other bluebird in the mirror, and the chicks fledged just fine on time.
This year he must have moved elsewhere. I haven't seen him.
Weird.
Hope yours gets over it.
DR

[Evelyn Cooper]

I am glad you had a happy ending to your story, Duane.

Here's a little update on mine. Three days ago, she started a nest in the box in the backyard. My husband had parked his truck in the shop which is about 200 feet from the box and she didn't bother it there. She was busy all morning working on the nest. My son came by after lunch and parked his vehicle not far from the box. She quit her nest building and started admiring herself in the mirror or talking to that bird she saw.

After he left, she started her building again. Yesterday, no vehicles were parked in the yard near it and she worked frantically all day long. When I left at 5:15 p.m., she was still working on it.

She worked on it all morning today and apparently has it like she wants it as she has not been in there since about 3:00.

I am seeing all this take place on the nest box cam we installed there. I am hoping she will lay her first egg tomorrow morning. I was amazed how they do a little shuffle with their feet packing and rounding the nest. She put the bottom in last.

I decided a while ago to go inspect the nest and when I got to the box, I saw a small cord like string hanging out of the hole down the door. I pulled it out and it was about 18 inches long. She had carried it in with some straw and it was woven down in the nest on that end. This is a good example of how monitoring is so important because it could have caused much problems later on if she had pulled all of it in there. I've read of birds getting tangled in such and dying before they could be rescued.

For the rest of her cycle, I am going to request that family and friends park farther out from the box so as not to tempt her with any mirrors.

Stay tuned.

Evelyn
Delhi, LA

[Evelyn Cooper]

The female didn't lay an egg yesterday. The male stayed close by the box nearly all day and she would come and sit on the wire above it or the rain gauge near it. She just wasn't ready to lay. She went in the box two or three times and removed a piece of grass. (via the nest cam) Hopefully, she will lay one this morning. One of our friends came by and parked his truck in the yard not far from the box and she never came to see herself in his mirrors. I am hoping she is losing interest now that the nesting is getting down to serious business.

Stay tuned.

Evelyn
Delhi, LA

[Evelyn Cooper]

She finally laid the first egg this morning! This is 8 days after she completed her nest. She would go in every day several times a day and do some rearranging and packing. It was the most perfect little nest!

The egg laying was very interesting. When she came in the box at 7:11, I could tell something was up. She was panting very hard (never did this when building). She didn't do any rearranging and she would change her positions on the nest. At 7:16, she had her back to me and between her shoulders and under her neck, it was moving up and down very hard. I am sure that is when she was pushing for the egg to be laid. After about 8 times doing that, she sat there and then she took her beak and seemed to be moving the egg. (I had not seen the egg). Then, she shuffled her body from side to side. she sat there until 7:26, when she left the nest and I saw the egg. She spent a total of 15 minutes on the nest. That is why it is so important not to monitor in the mornings because they lay their eggs in the mornings and if they are interrupted at anytime during this event, it could have some effect on the egg. Apparently, the time sitting there on the egg after it is hatched is important.

I did see her come back to the nest at 7:59 and 8:19. She looked in the entry hole, came in, sat down on the nest and got up immediately and left.

I had about given up on her as she was still spending so much time in front of mirrors and windows. We have so much equipment that has cabs on them with huge windows, buildings that have windows by the shop and lots of folks coming up and parking outside my backyard near the shop. There were just too many places for me to try to cover.

The male has been so patient and devoted all this time. He would sit for the longest time on the rain guage right near the box or on the nest cam line above the box, when she was off checking out the mirrors and windows. When they came to the feeder, he would pick up a raisin and feed her. About 10 minutes into the egg laying, I heard him on the outside of the box chirping (to her I guess) and she noticed it. She kept right on with her procedure, but she was aware that he chirped.

Now, we'll get to see the incubation, hatching, feeding and fledging. I did get to see a clutch incubated there up to two days before hatching (two season ago) and the lightening fried my nest cam. I learned my lesson and unplug it at night and also when bad weather comes up. (It fried my computer, TV, answering machine and the telephone it was on too!) Surgers don't help when it is that bad.

Stay tuned.

Evelyn
Delhi, LA

[Evelyn Cooper]

This morning at 7:10 (one minute earlier than yesterday), she came into the nest. She was panting a little more than normal. She turned around in the nest and turned the egg she laid yesterday. She left the box.

My son drove up about that time and parked his vehicle not far away. We didn't see her come in the nest on the nest cam and I looked and she was at his mirror fluttering around it. This continued until 7:28 when he had to leave. Then, she went back into the box. She went in and out of the box, turning the egg she laid yesterday. At 8:13, she entered the box and was panting pretty heavily (I call it labor) At 8:17, she started the pushing (the back of her neck between her shoulders went up and down). She did this three times and the egg was out. Yesterday, it took at least 8 pushes. I told my husband looked it was the same with their labor and birth of an egg as humans having babies. The second and third and so on are easier to deliver. She continued to sit on the nest and turn both eggs. She left the nest at 8:26. This was exactly an hour later than yesterday morning. I am wondering if the distraction of the mirror had been there all morning, would she have failed to lay that egg this morning. It definitely intefered with her laying for a while this morning.

Papa Blue really loves her though and he is always by her side and feeds her. I guess if she is flighty when it comes time to feed the babies, he'll be the solid one.

Evelyn
Delhi, LA

[Evelyn Cooper]

Saturday, she laid her fifth egg. I went out of town early that morning and didn't get back until Sunday night. She was on the nest incubating. This morning it was about 59* when I got up and she was off the nest. She went in and out a lot this morning and I wondered if she was keeping the eggs warm enough. I looked at my husband and son's vehicles in the shop and didn't see her fluttering at the mirrors. However, she could have been at some of the ware houses that have windows.

Each day when she laid up to the fifth egg, she was a little later laying. It seemed the slightest noise would startle her and she would get up and go back outside. I saw the male come and feed her several mornings while she was trying to lay the egg.

I surely hope she will settle down and the babies will hatch.

Nest box cams are wonderful!
Evelyn

[Evelyn Cooper]

Mama Blue has been attending the eggs and seems to have forgotten about the mirrors and windows. She comes in the nest and turns the eggs with her beak and feet and stays on a few minutes and leaves. Then, she is back in a few minutes doing it again. I saw her stand up yesterday while on the nest. It is so hot (83* in the shade) and she doesn't have to stay long on the eggs. You can add 10* to the ambient air to the inside of the nest boxes and that's pretty warm. I am sure the boxes in the full sun are getting more than 83*. I may have to get out the solar screen and put on them. I'll explain that in another post.

I am going to put a thermometer in the box and see how hot it is.

Evelyn
Delhi, LA

[Evelyn Cooper]

The temperature in the box yesterday afternoon at 3:15 was 102*. I put the solar screen on and in a little over 30 minutes, the temp was 98*. When the temp gets 104* and above, eggs will not survive. Small nestlings cannot survive 107* and above. I've had nestlings a little over a week old that could survive the extreme heat. The eggs never hatch if the temps go to that extreme. I do have quite a few infertile eggs on the third cycle.

The solar screen does help keep the babies more comfortable that are old enough to make it through the heat on those cycles. However, I have not found anything to help reduce extreme heat in the boxes on the third cycle to where it would not cook the eggs.

Having temps this high here on the first cycle makes me wonder what is in store for the rest of the nesting season.

Evelyn
Delhi, LA

[Evelyn Cooper]

It has been very cool the last two days and Mama Blue has spent a lot of time on the nest. I saw Papa bring her an insect while she was sitting on the nest and feed her. April 30th will be the 12th day, so I'll be watching closely starting on the day for hatching.

She is completely consumed in her nesting activities and has forgotten the image in the mirrors and windows. If she is the same female that did that last year, I am wondering if they ever get over it.

Evelyn
Delhi, LA