Early July saw the eastern bluebird family grown, with the fledglings nearly ready to depart. I had been watching this family since they began nesting in the spring; in the early days, the male and female carried nesting materials, and later, hunted endlessly to feed their insatiable nestlings.
Now the young have fledged and are hunting on their own, remaining within a few meters of their nest box and under the watchful eye of their father. The fledglings antics are a lot of fun to witness; the young birds are eager and learning, but are not yet fully coordinated in their efforts, and at times you can see in their expression that they are surprised, or puzzled.
The siblings sometimes worked together, scouring the tree trunk and branches for insects, before separating to practiced dive-bombing, dropping from overhanging branches to the grass below in hopes of a snack.
By now, the young have almost certainly struck out on their own, as both they and their parents prepare for the fall migration. What I presume is the same family group has been nesting in the same box for several years, and I truly hope to find them again next spring, and see the start of another generation.