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November was much like the months before. It is earlier December now and the bluebirds are actually eating from the feeder and not looking then leaving. It was a small group this morning, going in the nest box, chasing each other, and eating from the feeder.
I noted before how the adults would ignore the feeder when feeding young, and bring back live food for the babies (but for that one exception in the third nesting when juveniles from an earlier fledge were helping feed the young and actually carried a suet nugget from the feeder back to the nest box). We have had a couple cold snaps now and I suppose the live prey is scarce, hence the taking food at the feeder.
The beautyberry and wisteria are losing their leaves. I don’t know why, but not even the mockingbirds ate the fruit on the beautyberry plants this time, and it all turned black on the plant. But maybe I’ll have some new plants from seed in the spring.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Thanks for the update. It is cool to be able to have bluebirds most of the year.
Let’s hear from the ‘nut community about their feeder visitors. And please give an approximate location.
-7 degrees here on the WI/MI border this morning. Feeders are visited by chickadees, nuthatches, juncos, goldfinches and downy, hairy, red bellied, red headed and pileated peckerwoods. In addition we have regular visits from cardinals which has been rare in past years. I’m hoping grosbeaks are not too far away.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
I’ve been feeding a DIY mix of suet nuggets and dried BSF larva, dried darkling beetles, and dried mealworms. I am deliberately trying not to attract house sparrows, hence no seeds, and no corn, but that unfortunately means I also don’t attract cardinals and the many finches and other sparrows we have in the area. When I was feeding a commercial bird food with lots of variety I attracted probably every song bird species in the area.
The birds that do come to the feeder now besides the occasional bluebirds are mockingbirds, starlings, and red-bellied woodpeckers, except I’m also seeing northern flicker for the first time. We still see the other birds if we happen to catch them perching within eyesight or at the birdbath, but suffice to say the feeder clientele is limited.
I’m not getting blue jays and I have wondered why. I figured they would definitely go for the suet nuggets, but so far they are not coming to the feeder. They are interesting though. They would come at the old feeder like a guided missile, scattering the other birds, and they would grab something and fly off, making all kinds of noise. Maybe they can be a nuisance, but I like them.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
The bluebirds were perched on the fence and on the arms of the feeder, as if waiting for me to give them their breakfast. But they didn’t come back to feeders after I filled them. They were hunting for their meal in my backyard and I disturbed them.
All of the suet nuggets and dried larvae were gone, but some or most of the dried darkling beetles remained. That is always the case. Seems the birds don’t care for them. Plus, for me, they get sticky and form a clump in the bottom of the feeder, so I don’t care for them, either. I think I’ll stop putting these in the mix.
It is a good thing the bluebirds don’t depend on my feeder. I want them to have food when they need it, but it is better they hunt for their food, and I’m happy my backyard is one of their hunting grounds.
Did I mention the box turtle? They come around every once in a while, not permanent fixtures, but there are some number of them wild in the area. This one must have become habituated to people. It didn’t withdraw into its shell when I got near, and it turned to watch me as I circled around it taking pictures for the county box turtle research project. If I moved away, it moved towards me, and it rushed to me, rushed for a turtle, as I was placing a small piece of fruit on the ground.
The turtle hung around and I watched it hunting. It moved into the Florida pusley that I allow to spread for the bees and butterflies to feed on. The turtle would stick its nose into the pusley and push, lifting its body off the ground like it was doing pushups with its neck. It did that for a little while and then traveled over to park itself under one of the beautyberry plants. I checked later and couldn’t find it in the backyard, so it seems to have fed, rested, and then moved on.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
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