Eastern Bluebirds

The bluebirds are slowly making a come back with many organizations and people helping them with putting up nest boxes and monitoring them. They used to be as common as the Robin prior to the 1900's. There was a major decline from 1920's - 1970's, because of their natural habitat was being destroyed, overuse of pesticides and another factor was and still is the "House Sparrow!" Bluebirds are a cavity nester. Long ago they used the rotted out fence posts, which have been replaced with metal posts. Many trees were destroyed, which they would nest in a cavity of a rotted tree like the woodpecker. Now with people involved many bluebird boxes are being mounted. They are members of the Thrush family, just like the Robin. Bluebirds eat an abundance of insects. The bluebird feeders are for placing mealworms in dishes inside because they would be consumed by the robins and other birds. The hole is the correct size for them to get through. I purchased the feeder from: (easternbluebirdrescuegroup.org)  made from cypress lumber $25 + shipping. They also sell bluebird houses for $10 + shipping. Wonderful company. The most important site pertaining to bluebirds is: (sialis.org) very informative, everything you will ever need to know about bluebirds.

This picture was taken at winter time, snowing. 

Mealworms are just like a treat. Bluebirds, Robins, Northern Mockingbirds, etc., just love the worms. But, for at least bluebirds, too many worms will deplete their calcium. I raise my own worms (another story) and try to give about 5-10 worms per bird in the morning and evening. They usually are waiting at both of those times.

I had to open the front of the feeder because the glass from frosted early in the morning and the birds might not have seen the worms.

A beautiful male bluebird.

House Sparrow

aka

The Enemy

Oh don't get me started with these birds! They are our (United States) native birds destroyer! Many people don't realize how terrible these birds are. The male pictured above will stop at nothing to take over a nest or a bird box. They will throw out the eggs, peck them, throw out the baby nestlings, even kill adult bluebirds if they get cornered in their box. Some horrific pictures and stories on the main bluebird site (sialis.org). The House Sparrow aka English Sparrow was brought from England to America in the mid 1800's, released first in N.Y. and then many more were brought over and released. Their thinking was to control insects. What a horrible mistake, they eat mostly seeds, which the farmers found out back then. Too late........they now are the most abundant songbird on the continent. They kill, kill, kill! A lesson on how you do not "fool with mother nature." In my own yard I have witnessed their killing sprees too often. When a pair came out of a pine near my door that had a nest of robins which were almost ready to fledge, and they pecked them to death, I then told my son to go buy me a good .22 with a powerful scope. Also bought a Blaine's Repeating Trap. These birds and the European Starling are birds that are not protected, they are invasive and not NATIVE BIRDS. Now for some reason, England and parts of Europe have a major decline in the House Sparrow, oh please come take them back!