A few days ago, I noticed something unusual in my yard, a male Eastern Bluebird had joined up with a female who had already raised three young on her own. I’ve watched many bluebird pairs nest here over the years, but this male is different. I’m not sure I can describe exactly why, but his behavior stands out.
This is the same female I wrote about in an earlier post, where she successfully raised her brood alone: Solo Bluebird Mother Raises Chicks Alone in My Yard.
I first observed this male’s behavior in a previous blog entry: Male Eastern Bluebird Behavior: A New Arrival Near the Nest. At that time, he had just appeared near the nest box, staying close to the female but not assisting in feeding the chicks. It seemed he was forming a bond with her, possibly waiting for the current brood to fledge before starting a nesting cycle of his own.
I also briefly mentioned this male’s early behavior in another post: Bluebird Nest Building Begins with Returning Female. At that time, he had just shown up and already seemed pushy about getting a new nest started.
A Rough Start for the Female
The first thing that caught my attention was how aggressive he was. While the female continued to feed her fledglings, he kept landing on the birdhouse, then chasing her around the yard. He’d return to the house repeatedly, peeking inside as if inspecting it. It looked like he was trying to get her to stop feeding the fledglings and start building the next nest right away.
I felt sorry for her. She was already working hard feeding three hungry young and now had to deal with a male that seemed more like a bully than a mate.
Driving Away the Fledglings
This went on for a couple of weeks. Eventually, the male shifted his focus to the fledglings. He began attacking them and trying to drive them off. That part is normal bluebird behavior, adults will often push the young to leave so a new brood can begin. But this male was more forceful than I’ve seen before. Maybe it was because these weren’t his fledglings. That could explain why his actions felt more aggressive.
Starting Fresh, Sort Of
Once the fledglings left, the female began bringing pine straw and other material to the birdhouse for a new nest. The male stayed close. Whenever she entered the box, he would fly up to the entrance and peer inside. At one point, she dropped a piece of straw on the post, and he picked it up, fluttered his wings, and made noise. It looked like he was scolding her for being careless.
I even watched him take material out of the box. Sometimes males will help tidy up or rearrange the nest. It’s not common, but it does happen.
Is It Just Me?
Maybe I’m too protective of this female after seeing what she went through raising the last brood alone. But this new male just doesn’t sit right with me. His behavior feels overbearing. I’ve seen many bluebirds nest in this yard over the years, but none quite like him.
Honestly, this male bluebird seems like a jerk.
Camera Settings for First Photo:
Camera: Canon EOS R5
Lens: RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM
Exposure Mode: Manual
ISO: 800
Aperture: ƒ/9
Shutter Speed: 1/500
Focal Length: 800.0 mm
Exposure Compensation: 0
He does seem like a jerk!