Follow Bluebird enthusiast Jack Finch as he examines his Eastern Bluebird nest boxes and discusses his 30 years of efforts to help save the Eastern Bluebird from extinction.
Posted on:
January 28, 2010
Tag Archive: bluebirds
Attracting Bluebirds to Your Backyard (video)
Would you like to attract bluebirds to your backyard? The key to attracting bluebirds is having plentiful nesting locations in the right environment. Bluebirds need and prefer open areas, so they can hunt and capture insects, their main source of nutrition.
Bluebird houses are a great way to attract bluebirds. When mounting a bluebird house, be sure to use predator guards and/or baffles to protect bluebirds and their chicks from cats, raccoons, possums, snakes and other predators. Also, realize that other birds like tree swallows will use the house, potentially forcing bluebirds from the house and backyard. Traps are available to capture the invasive birds and relocate them.
Beside providing houses to attract bluebirds berry producing plants, like bittersweet and holly, can be planted to attract bluebirds. Bluebirds eat berries for winter time food. To provide supplemental nutrion, consider offering mealworms. Bluebirds love mealworms, and be sure to whistle or ring a bell when stocking the feeder, because Bluebirds can be trained to respond to calls.
Consider a Bluebird feeder, which requires a bluebird to enter the feeder through a small hole to get to the mealworms. Generally, only the Bluebirds will enter the feeder, conserving mealworms for them and not the other visitors to your yard.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/backyard-birding/attract-bluebirds/
Tips to attracting Bluebirds to your Backyard
The key to attracting Bluebirds to nest in your yard is having plenty of potential nesting locations, food, and water. Bluebirds prefer more “open area” so if your yard is heavily wooded you’ll enjoy many other nesting birds, but probably not Bluebirds.
In the U.S. there are three different types of Bluebirds. The Eastern Bluebird that occurs East of the Rockies is by far the most numerous. Across the Western one-third of the U.S.A. you will also find Mountain Bluebirds and Western Bluebirds.
All Bluebirds are cavity nesters. Once common in rural and suburban areas, Bluebird populations declined by as much as 90% from 1920-1970. The decline was due to two things: The loss of nesting habitats, such as tree holes, rotted out fence posts and old orchards; and the introduction of the starling and house sparrow in the last half of the 1800’s.
These two species, introduced from Europe, competed heavily with the Bluebirds for existing nesting cavities. Utilization of a sparrow trap is often critical to Bluebird breeding success.
Permanent link to this article: http://blog.newenglandbirdhouse.com/backyard-birding/attractt-bluebirds/
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