Worth Every Mealworm

“Build it and they will come,” said a kajillion people. Sometimes accurate. Sometimes not. This time, YES!

I have a bluebird nesting box in our front yard that has been home to bluebirds for at least the past five springs. From my work-from-home office, I watch with delight as pairs of bluebirds check out the site during the winter. As spring approaches, one pair claims the box, and the needle on my delight scale rises.

The nesting box is now occupied.

Spring is also the time of year when I put mealworms on the outdoor platform feeder. The starlings tend to monopolize the feast, along with robins that only visit when mealworms are on the menu, but I still find great joy in seeing the bluebirds find nourishment from the worms I put out just for them. I buy these pricey bags of dried worms specifically for my bluebirds. Early in the season they eat to satisfy their own hunger and to help produce healthy offspring. Now they gather additional worms to feed their young.

This spring, however, I witnessed something different at the feeder. One morning the pair stood on the platform together, having already made the nearby nesting box their home. What made this sighting unique was that the brightly colored male picked up a couple of worms and fed them to the female, who was positioned right there beside him. He did this several times, as if she were somehow unable to dip her head the inch or two needed to gather the worms herself. I have seen this behavior with other species, but this was a first for me with bluebirds. She was more than capable of feeding herself, but now she seemed content to simply be fed.

There are a couple of reasonable explanations for this behavior, which is common among nesting birds. First, it is often referred to as courtship feeding or pair bonding and takes place during the early nesting period. The male is demonstrating that he can be a good partner and provider. It reminded me of college when Pixie would bring pies to Fred, my roommate, proudly declaring with each delivery, “I’ll make a good wife and keep you fed.” It worked.

Second, producing and laying eggs requires a great deal of energy, so the male will often help by bringing food to the female, allowing her to conserve energy and focus on filling the nest with healthy eggs.

Whatever the reason for this behavior, it seems to be working.

My delight is now registering high on the scale. It is a spring Resurrection Weekend, and the nest is bursting with life. Five downy-feathered Eastern Bluebird nestlings, now past the fragile hatchling stage, lie snuggled together in a nest made of pine straw and other natural materials gathered from our yard and beyond. Mom and Dad are in constant motion all day, flying back and forth with insects and the occasional mealworm for their nursery. If all goes according to plan, in a couple of weeks these five birds will fledge, pushing my delight scale to its maximum.

Thankfully, when these birds fly the coop, the fun is not over. Once they leave the nesting box, two more wonderful phases begin. First, I get to watch the mother and father feed the fledglings for the next couple of weeks, often using my suet feeders as their fast-food stop. As the young birds mature, they begin trying to feed themselves. At first, they are clumsy, sometimes landing on the green metal suet cage and pecking at the outside, not yet understanding that the food is inside.

Once they figure it out, they often stick around for easy meals, giving me the pleasure of watching my birds grow up. While the young of many bird species look just like the adults, this is not true for bluebirds. In fact, many people see a juvenile bluebird and do not even recognize it as a bluebird. The blue on the young birds is much duller than that of the parents, and the breast is spotted, like a small thrush, instead of the clean white and rusty breast of the adults. But once you learn these field marks, the young birds become easy to recognize as they visit the feeders.

The second wonderful thing about fledglings leaving the nest is that I get to watch it all over again as the pair begins work on their next clutch. And if previous years are any indication, they may even raise a third brood, supplying continued delight well into summer.

I so enjoy the entire process, from courtship and house hunting to the day the nest is empty again. What fun it is to watch it all unfold each step along the way.

These moments pop. I try to savor them, often lingering, watching with a smile on my face and in my heart. Whether I am working at my computer or in the middle of some other responsibility, these moments give me a mental break from the routines and pressures of everyday life. They are small moments, but they offer something many of us are looking for.

They offer joy.