Marie at 1 Write Way

Monday, Monday

I was going to do a “Macro Monday” but the photo below isn’t a macro and there’s story behind it anyway.

What you see here is a baby bluebird. A live one, fortunately.

A bluebird chick in the hand.

First, some context: a few months ago we set up a bluebird box in our front yard. Well, it’s on the other side of our driveway, a narrow stretch that is bordered street side with azaleas and our 8-foot fence opposite the street. Apparently, it’s a good spot because a pair of bluebirds have moved in and started their SECOND clutch a couple of weeks ago. We’ve never saw the first clutch of bluebirds, but during the first and with this second, we’ve enjoyed seeing Ma and Pa Bluebird take turns bringing juicy worms to the box.

Today, when I arrived home after attending a yoga class and grocery shopping, my husband came out to help me with my loot.

Then he saw the tail end of a gray rat snake hanging from the opening in the box. He quickly went into action.

He grabbed the tail but the snake wouldn’t budge. Nothing to be done but pull up the box (it’s attached to a long pole) and see if we can get the snake out.

SNAKE WARNING: the next photo shows the snake.

Gray rat snake in a bluebird box, with a bluebird chick.

Son of a b———. We could see the snake had a grip on a chick. My husband upended the box and the snake and two chicks fell out.

The snake wasted no time in slithering away. It was obvious one chick was dead, probably smothered, but the other one (see photo above) was alive.

Then, when we righted the box, we discovered two other (alive) chicks!

I slipped the chick back into the box, we placed the pole back in the ground, and then my husband put an apron-like baffler around the pole.

We already had a squirrel baffler on the pole and thought that would be enough to deter snakes. We thought wrong.

Here’s hoping that Ma and Pa Bluebird recommence with feeding their youngun’.

Meanwhile …

Wendy is doing quite well. Two weeks now with no vomiting or diarrhea. We started her on a special diet, for now mixing it with regular food, and she’s been licking her bowl clean. The last drug she’ll come off is Cerenia, for nausea. She’ll stay on PredisOLONE for life.

We have three more B12 shot appointments, but those are in-and-out, no waiting around for the vet.

She’s enjoying the good life again.

Wendy and her favorite sleeping spot.

Marie A Bailey

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34 responses to “Monday, Monday”

  1. A daring rescue! Y’all saw that snake in the nick of time. My sister says bluebirds don’t mind human interaction so I’m rooting for the mama and daddy to resume duties.

    I don’t think I’ve ever told you Wendy looks so much like a kitty I had in law school, Speckle, who was such a good cat. I’m glad she is progressing SO well.

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    • Speckle … what a great name! Thank you for checking about the bluebirds. We were worried that the parents might not return if they smelled human on their babies.

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  3. wendy looks so sweet lying in the window – and what a calm way to end the post after the big drama of the snake and surviving baby birds.
    Wow – what timing to be able to rescue three – and the apron-like baffler sound slike a good idea –

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  6. Holy moly! What a wild and crazy rescue! Hope you find a way to keep the snakes out. And sending out good vibes that Ma and Pa Bluebird come back to take care of the rest of their young uns.

    Lovely to hear about Wendy.

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      • Shudder! Meanwhile, over here, I bought raised beds to keep my garden away from the groundhogs… Came home yesterday to no lettuce, no peas, no eggplant. Sigh. Would appear I now have a squirrel problem.

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        • Squirrels can be cute but they are such pests. A neighbor used a “butterfly cage” (a box frame covered with wire mesh) to get her tomatoes started. Her problem was the feral cats who liked to use her garden as a litter box (😒), but I can see where squirrels would be a big problem too.

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  7. We’re on the second clutch here too. I love watching them and what I assume are the teenagers from the first clutch still come by for the mealworms. I’m hoping we don’t get a snake in the nest box but I’m so glad yours got away alive. Snakes gonna be snaky.

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    • Yup, snakes do what snakes do. And, other than this episode, I’m usually happy to see them in our yard. We haven’t had any bluebirds at the feeders. I think Greg tried mealworm but either the other birds ate it up or it went bad. But we have plenty of worms around 🙂

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  8. I’m so glad you came home when you did and that most of the babies are OK. Scary. And very happy to hear that Wendy is doing so much better. She looks very content.

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    • Thank you, Darlene. It is scary to think of what would have happened to those babies if our timing had been off. Wendy is a happy kitty again, and we hope we can keep her happy. 🙂

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  9. Wow! I had no idea you husband was a snake wrestler! I wouldn’t have known what to do. I’m glad the baby birds seem OK. And I’m thrilled and so happy for you that Wendy seems so much better! She looks very content. 💙

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  10. You two are heroes! Wow, what a rescue! The poor little dead one, but that leaves three alive, right? So you put up a barrier that snakes can’t get through? That must be something because I imagine they are trick and slinky. Ugh, nature is so dramatic and dangerous!!!

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    • Oh, goodness, Nature is so full of drama 😄 Greg had another squirrel baffle that is more like an open umbrella. The first one was just a cylinder, and I could feel how the snake might have gotten enough traction to slither up to the box. The other baffle should be a better deterrent. We did count two live chicks plus the live one that fell out with the snake and the dead chick. We’ve been keeping our distance from the box, maybe in a few days Greg can check and see if the chicks are still in there.

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