Empty nest

Not MY nest, thankfully, but the one in our backyard is now vacant.  We've enjoyed following the family life of a couple of Eastern Bluebirds who decided to start their family in this little wooden house.



For days we watched the pretty mom and dad fly in and out of the little hole, and a few days later we discovered there were about 5 little blue eggs in there!

On Easter morning the first little one hatched... and after being tended to by a few other random birds (still a mystery to me), the little baby was joined, not only by his parents, by also by a couple of other siblings.

We've all enjoyed watching the little guys grow....  but while we were at the beach, the time must have come for them to stretch their wings, and the kids (and I) were sad to find that they were gone when we got home.

Now we're keeping our eyes out for some teen-age-looking bluebirds partying around the yard, texting on their little birdphones.  It will be fun to spot bluebirds in the future and wonder if they were our little babies!