Those of us who are lucky enough to have bluebirds nesting in our yards cherish these beautiful, gentle creatures and feel fortunate to have them inhabit the nest boxes we provide for them. These cavity nesters can stay in the Lowcountry year-round, eating not only insects but also seeds and berries. They usually raise several broods of young from April through July.
But life can be dangerous at first as the young birds learn to fly. My Turtle Team friend, Barb Gobien, who lives on the Isle of Palms, had young bluebirds fledge from one of her two nest boxes in mid-May. One of them collided with a sliding glass door even though she had placed stickers on it in an effort to prevent this. She heard the loud THUMP and knew what had happened.
When birds of any species crash into glass, they can suffer head trauma that can cause internal swelling and even loss of vision. With supportive care that includes rest, fluids, feeding and protection from predators, they can often regain their vision and good health. It appeared there were no fractures, but the bird would not fly and frequently rolled onto its back with its legs in the air. We knew it needed medical care and arranged for it to be taken to the Carolina Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in upstate South Carolina. No one, including the medical staff there, thought there was much hope that this little bird would survive and lead a normal life.
Bluebirds appear to have family units that stay together for a while, teaching the young what they need to survive. Sometimes the fledglings from their first nest remain with the family and even help feed subsequent broods of chicks. After a month, we received word that the bird had made a full recovery. We were concerned, however, about the long time it had been away from its family group and living in a strange, artificial environment.
Barb and I met a transporter in Mount Pleasant to retrieve the bird. We were surprised that as we got closer to the Isle of Palms, the bird became very vocal and excited. When I mentioned this to someone who transports and releases birds for the Carolina Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, she said she commonly sees this when returning birds to their home territory. How could the bird know this while inside a closed cardboard box? Certain wildlife, including sea turtles, salmon and some migratory birds, can sense the Earth's magnetic fields for navigation.
When we arrived at Barb's house, her bluebird family appeared and seemed interested in our presence. Perhaps they thought she was about to put out food for them. I held our little fledgling up in the air and made sure his father, perched on the roof, saw him and that he saw his father.
To our amazement, when I released the young bird, it flew up to join its father, mother and a couple of siblings, who had gathered in a palmetto tree. People say not to anthropomorphize, or ascribe human behavior to animals, but who could deny that this was indeed a happy family reunion and that everyone was so glad to have "junior" back with the sweet family where he belonged?