Bluebirds, Meal Worms, and a Heron Update

This female bluebird has hatched four chicks, who increasingly demand more protein in the form of any bug, whole or mashed, that will fit down a yellow gaping throat, about all the mom sees when she arrives with food. Some time ago M found out that meal worms are a favorite of most mother birds with wide-open mouths to feed, so she now keeps a thousand or so of the worms on hand and has whistle-trained the parents to come and get each spoonful for the rapidly growing chicks. In this photo the mother bluebird has packed about as many worms as can fit into her beak for the short flight to the backyard box. She will make several runs, and then take a breather before prompting M for more by landing on the deck post and peering into the feeding dish for more worms.
(Update)
Since posting on nesting great blue herons (see below), our return this morning showed her to be sitting on eggs, only her head visible above the sides of the stick nest the pair carefully built. Barely visible is the height of heron decoration, the bit of green moss hanging on the left side of the nest.