Another Bluebird thread

If he doesn't move he gets pecked on the head.

As you can see, he moves.

Almost 11 O'clock before the thermometer reached 20 degrees. Thankfully the sun was shining and there was no wind.

Supposed to warm up a little toward the end of the week. If not I fear we will lose a lot of birds.

One or two more.

Another female

I put a few worms in the bowl and as many as five crowded in. Here we see four.

And for the last pic, a beautiful male.

Super Shots Dave!! Really like the peck on the head shot, and your last one.

Excellent shots Dave!! They are all so beautiful!

Wow Dave...they just get better and better! Great shots and that last little female is especially precious.

Great pictures!

Thanks for posting these! I love bluebirds and have had nesting boxes out for years. I cannot wait to hear them warbling again! I have a few around thru the winter. What is something that I can feed them in the winter. I never see them at the regular feeders?
Teresa in KY

Hi Teresa

Bluebirds require food, water and shelter. If they find all three you will see them year round. If not they will migrate to where they find all three.
They are cavity nesters and nesting cavities are always in short supply so if you put up nest boxes you may attract them in summer.
Bluebirds are primarily insect feeders (grasshoppers, catapillars, spiders and such). They will eat fruits and berries (like 'possom grapes and poke berries) if they are readily available, but only rarely will they eat bird seed. In winter they often survive on small fruits like crab apples and ornimental pears and more often winter berries like holly. Since many other birds (mockingbirds, starlings and bluejays to name a few), also feed on these berries, they may be harder to find between now and late February.

Some people offer suet and report the birds can be trained to eat it. A link to a site with several home made suet recipies can be found below. I buy meal worms and they bluebirds love them. They can be expensive and sometimes hard to find. I also have a warmer for my birdbath during the coldest time time when most natural water sources are frozen.

Here is a link to Bet Zimmerman's Sialis site. It is a virtual encyclopedia on bluebirds. Bookmark it and go to it when you have a general question or when you have time to just read. I still do.

And good luck.

Dave

http://www.sialis.org/index.html


And here is the specific page that talks about suet:

http://www.sialis.org/suet.htm

2ndCousinDave----where do you buy your mealy worms? Do you think they would eat the dried ones during the winter?

Shirleyd
Zone 7b

Hi Shirley

I get my meal worms from Southeastern Insectaries in Perry, Georgia. but they just told me last week they are running low. I guess with all this cold weather people have been buying more to help the birds survive. Plus the cold weather apparently slows the growth of the worms they have coming along.
I don't know about dried worms. I have heard of people making home made suet and getting their blues to eat it. But I haven't tried that either.

Dave

I tried the dried meal worms and they wouldn't touch them...nor would any of the other birds. Should I try again...or wait until spring when they start to nest and see if I can get them to sample some at that time?

2ndCousinDave-----thanks for info on meal worms. I am going to have to try the dried ones at this time as I do not have access to the live ones. Luckily, I have a can of the dried in my second frig.

Shirleyd

2ndCousinDave------I was wondering if bluebirds will eat bits of hard boiled eggs? I thought that since they were protein eaters they might try it. Do you know?

Thanks,
Shirleyd

Hi Shirley

I have never heard of anyone feeding them egg bits.

Maybe if you mixed it in with some meal worms, they might.

But I rather doubt they would go fo it unless they were starving.

Dave

One thing that I have had sucess with is sumac berries. I live in the country and we have an over grown thicket along our road. I just break the stem and put it on a platform feeder.

Thanks for info on egg bits. Since we had the coldest weather in 30 years recently, I think I will give it a try. They may be hungry enough to try a new diet. Will let you know what happens.

Shirleyd

I am sorry to report that all the hard boiled egg bits are still in the cage feeder that I set up for my blue birds. They are either not that hungry-------or perhaps did not survive our 100 hours of below freezing temperatures a week ago.

Shirleyd

Shirley, I am sure they are fine. We were in single digits at night almost a week, and our blue birds are still around. I have a couple of pair that never migrate. I wish I could get a picture of them when they are near the cardinals!

Don't have a pic but I saw a pair of Bluebirds checking nesting boxes out this morning! :)

That's great CB!

Wow!! So many great pics from everyone and so little time!! I could spend most of my day sitting at the computer just looking at birds;-)

CD Love your Bluebird pics.