Unique Birdhouse Boutique

In order to entice bluebirds, sometimes their very favorite food must be offered. And meal worms happen to be what’s on the menu over here. Live mealworms are best, but dried or roasted ones will also work. One of the problems is that many species really enjoy mealworms, and you can find your supply dwindling quickly if fed in an open tray-type or dish feeder. Live mealworms are available in bulk quantities should this become habit forming too. They’re simple to store…just place in in a container in your fridge. Air holes are needed, but the worms stay in a dormant state until warmed up by the sun or room temperatures.

A mealworm feeder that’s made especially for bluebirds is one that is enclosed, in fact they’re called Bluebird Feeders. Consisting of two, four, or sometimes six entrances, they have clear acrylic panels for closures, and they’re meant for bluebirds only. Some feeders have a dish in the center for the worms, while others have a recessed circle for them. The birds must fly into the feeder to retrieve the worms, and very few species will try this. But somehow, the natural instinct of bluebirds tells them to do so. It’s amazing to watch, especially when parent bring babies over at feeding time. At first the chicks don’t understand how to get inside, but they learn quickly. And once they learn how to get the food, they frequent the feeder often. This has got to be one of the best scenes of backyard birding!

Available in standard wooden models, mealworm feeders also come in recycled plastic versions. The advantage with recycled plastic is that the feeder will never crack, split, or rot like wood tends to do over the years. Also keeping plastics out of landfills is huge plus to the environment.

Now I wish the nasty starling who tried to shove himself through one of the entrances would’ve gotten stuck there!

Today the post was planned for bat houses, and this Colony bat house accommodates dozens of mature bats and their offspring. You can control mosquito populations around your yard  by inviting little brown bats to take up residence.

And that’s all for bat houses, because I was more excited about my bluebird fledglings today! For the first time ever, I was lucky enough to witness all four babies inside the mealworm feeder at once. What a rewarding moment, to finally see them enter the feeder themselves and learn to retrieve the worms. We had 2 successful broods this season, with three fledglings and then four.

First on the scene was a female baby, and since she was all by herself, it caught my attention. As I went to sit outside with the binoculars, she flew off, but I was able to spot her perching high above in the pine tree. Several minutes went by, and no signs of the family. First thought is always, I hope they’re okay?

I went inside to feed the critters, but kept watching out the kitchen window. A juvenile male appeared (from the first brood) and sat on top of the feeder. Then they all came, numbers one, two three and four! The older brother entered the feeder, and a few seconds later a baby male went right in. The other three flew from the nearby shepherds’ hook and sat on top for a few seconds. One by one, they hopped on in! Now there’s five birds inside the feeder, and I’m thinking: “how are they going to get out?” It was very crowded in there! Next came daddy, the adult male landed on he shepherds’ hook as if to say “good job!” Then one by one, just as they had entered, they flew out.

It was one of the best sightings this season, and I’m just so sorry that I couldn’t catch it on film, because it was all just so perfect!

Once abundant throughout the US, the North American Bluebird experienced a severe decline in population mostly due to competition for nest sites by non-native species, loss of habitat and pesticide use.  The House Sparrow and Starling are both fierce competitors for available nest sites, and are known to be very aggressive towards Bluebirds.

Thanks to efforts by Bluebird Societies and many people who have constructed bluebird trails with nest boxes, their numbers continue to increase.

Encourage bluebirds to nest in your yard by providing bluebird houses.  North American Bluebird Society (NABS) approved houses are best, to ensure successful broods.

Bluebirds prefer open, grassy areas where they can perch and easily hunt their main diet…insects.  Beneficial to your environment, they eat insects considered to be damaging to gardens, like cutworms.

Providing Bluebird Feeders with meal worms will also help attract them to your yard. For some reason…no other bird will enter a bluebird feeder!

Our 2 successful broods this season were attributed to feeding meal worms daily and providing several fresh water sources…the babies are adorable, we hope to see them next year too!

In my yard I have three bluebird houses, that were for the longest time, vacant.  They are pole mounted and all have squirrel baffles below the house for protection from predators.  The bluebirds use and enjoy the multiple birdbaths around the yard, but I think the reason they decided to finally take up residence is….the meal worms!

Back in early spring I put up a new bluebird feeder and tried a few types of food.  Nothing seemed to work, and I was really bummed at having spent good money on a recycled bluebird feeder, a new pole and yet another baffle. (The squirrels are just ridiculous in my yard-even though they have plent to eat too!)

Then I found a company where bulk mealworms could be purchased, so an order for 10,000 mealworms was placed with overnight delivery.  That’s all it took!  The bluebirds wait for me each morning to put their worms in the feeder, and the action starts.  It’s great to watch them, and the effort has paid off because there are nests in all three bluebird houses.

Is it any wonder that all my critters (inside and outside) eat better than me?

Recycled Bluebird Feeder

Seeing this seasons’ first bluebirds in my yard, it was the perfect reason to put up a new bluebird feeder.  This year I opted for one of the recycled models by Birds Choice.  It cost a few dollars more than a wooden feeder but the investment was well worth it!  This blue bird feeder not only has openings on either end, but two more additional openings on each side of the plexy panels.  A total of six openings…a unique feature for these types of feeders, it allows easier access and escape from from predators.

At first glance, and by the weight, I could tell the quality was of very high standards.  Then, the label stating that “this bluebird feeder kept 33 plastic containers out of landfills” just makes one think how easily they created a positive reaction for the environment.  I know this blue bird feeder will last a very long time, as Birds Choice guarantees their recycled products never to crack, split or fade.  Can’t wait to see the bluebirds start using it!

Oh yea, here’s my bluebird feeder, complete with a new baffle for extra protection.

The New Bluebird Feeder in My Yard