May 7: Five bluebird babies in a cozy nest of pine needles (with a couple of chicken feathers underneath, we discovered later). They caught many fresh insects and worms, but definitely seemed to appreciate the ease of stopping at the feeder now and then. The bluebirds don’t seem to mind this, but we didn’t overdo it.įood delivery for the hatchlings! Photo taken on May 7. It is easy to remove the bottom PVC portion from the wooden lid, with just a careful pinching together of the lightweight plastic sides to unhook them from the screws, to look inside. On Easter, April 20, we checked the nest box and found a clutch of five little eggs. But adding water to your backyard is a huge factor in attracting birds, and our bluebirds seem especially thirsty.) The nest box slips right down on the pole. He pounded a 2-foot piece of rebar through two feet of snow and into the frozen ground then slipped the conduit over it, with a clamp on it so it wouldn’t spin around. My husband bought the pole, a 5-foot, 1/2-inch piece of galvanized steel electrical conduit, at Home Depot. I had researched nest boxes starting at and settled on the Gilbertson type, which was recommended on a number of bird-friendly sites. Bluebird picks out a home.īy early March, a pair of bluebirds had staked out their territory, helped along by our purchase and installation of a Gilbertson PVC Bluebird House from Amazon. The birds can rely on the food source and they become accustomed to the people who feed them. They are in a convenient location and easy to see and be reminded. Important note: We check and fill our feeders EVERY day, sometimes two or three times a day. (Recipe to make your own dough is here on .) Four or five bluebirds – and other birds too! – began visiting right away. I served up some whole peanuts and dried mealworms from Agway and some peanut butter suet dough I ordered from Audubon Workshop. I will NEVER recommend or link to a product I have not already tried and liked.)
If you do, I get 4% commission to keep me in bird feed. (Click the pic and you can buy it on Amazon. It works! It attracted not only bluebirds but other new birds as well. So I ordered a feeder that bluebirds can use. I thought: so, they are around in winter! Why don’t they visit our feeders?Ī short Google search later, I had learned that Eastern Bluebirds do not eat the sunflower seeds we were putting out in tube feeders all winter and they cannot cling well to a suet feeder. In January I was snowshoeing in the marsh behind our house and I saw a flock of bluebirds feeding on the red berries of winterberry holly. Let us go back in time, once upon a time, long ago in cold dark winter, before we had these bluebirds living in our backyard where we can see them every day. I share photos on Facebook and get many likes, comments and questions.Īnother reason I started this blog is because my friends say: “You get so many birds in your yard, you’re so lucky!” One reason I started this blog is because I know most people don’t get to see things like this every day. I spotted this scene as I was walking past the sliding glass door this morning. Bluebirds are very territorial and will fight over nesting spots.Photo of an Eastern Bluebird dad feeding his fledgling kid. If you’re placing multiple birdhouses, keep them at least 50 to 100 yards (45 to 91 m) away from each other.Avoid placing a birdhouse that’s been made with wood treated with pesticides since this can be harmful to the bluebirds.Keep bird boxes away from trees or bushes so that squirrels and other predators can’t easily get into them.X Trustworthy Source National Audubon Society Nonprofit environmental organization focused on conservation, citizen science, and public science education Go to sourcePlace a baffle-a sleek, metal cone-on the pole where you’re mounting the birdhouse to keep predators away. X Trustworthy Source University of Missouri Extension University of Missouri program dedicated to research-based, practical public education Go to source Mount the nest at least 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 m) high in an open area so that you can monitor it easily. Bluebird houses usually have four walls, a slanted roof, and a hole near the top that’s about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) wide. A nest box designed specifically for bluebirds will be more effective than a typical birdhouse.
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