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Hello,
Back in march I had a meal worm feeder up and had a few visitors. Then nothing. I have purchased a new BBB1 blue feeder here and using live meal worms I got from UNCLE JIMS. I have peanut butter suite up and I have a bird bath up as well. I’m using a blue tooth speaker with blue bird songs as well.
Any other suggestions would be appreciated
ThanksJohn
John, it’s possible the recorded bluebird songs are scaring other bluebirds away. Are you seeing any bluebirds in your yard? If so, try leaving the feeder open near the location where the birds are hunting for bugs. Let them discover the goodies inside. Once they get used to it, it may be possible to move the feeder to a more appropriate location in a series of steps, closing it up so the bigger birds can’t get in and steal the mealworms. That’s how I always did it.
Central NY
TMB StudiosI don’t know if my view is contrary or not. Maybe it is. The TL;DR version is the first question is whether or not you have bluebirds in the area. Second question is, if you know you have bluebirds in your area, then is there something, the environment around the feeder, or the feeder itself, discouraging the bluebirds from using your feeder and taking the food.
Opinion details:
My view is you have to have bluebirds present to begin with. If they are around and you put out a food that they will eat, then they will come to your feeder. If they are not around, they won’t come to your feeder no matter what you put out or how you present it. Or, if you were just beginning and there are bluebirds around, it may take a few days for the bluebirds to discover your feeder. And then there are the feeders. Are there bluebirds around, even coming around your feeder, but they won’t take food from the feeder, not even food they like? What about the environment around the feeder? Is the feeder in the open where the bluebirds will feel secure? What about predatory birds and other predators, such as cats?
My experience: Concerning the feeders that the bluebirds must enter, I gave several different types a try and none worked. I did see bluebirds investigating with one of them, but they would not enter. I didn’t try the BBB1, however. Maybe if I had used live food then that might have coaxed the bluebirds to enter. At any rate, I didn’t have luck feeding the bluebirds until I used an open feeder and figured out what they would eat. Now I feed a hand-mixed combination of suet nuggets, dried mealworms, and dried black soldier fly larvae. I’ve also been including dried darkling beetles and also a leftover bag of commercial berries-and-bugs seed mix, but I’m going to stop when I’ve used up what I have of these. For what it is worth, the bluebirds definitely like the suet nuggets. When I watch through binoculars and see them eating, that is what they are taking most of the time.
Of course an open feeder is there for all comers. The bluebirds do hold their own among the mockingbirds and starlings with the foods I’m putting out, but I can see that if I was putting live foods in the feeder that a gang of starlings would materialize in an instant and clean it out in seconds.
Last thought. Are you familiar with the Merlin app by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology? If not, it has a feature to identify birds by Sound. I’ve turned it on and let it run for five minutes and more. What I’m thinking is you could use that to learn if there are bluebirds nearby even if you can’t see them. You might be amazed at all the birds you (and the app) hear but you don’t see. Try it at different times of day. Around sunrise may be the best time, but take note of the times of day when you hear birds at your location and give it a try then. Anyway, the idea is this is a way to determine if you have bluebirds nearby. If the app identifies bluebirds then you know there are bluebirds within earshot. If it doesn’t, then there may be bluebirds in the area, just out of range of your ears. I will say, the app in combination with my iPhone seems pretty good at picking up and identifying faint birdsongs.
Good luck. Please share if you figure it out.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
No not seeing any blues lately. I had heard that the calls attract blues!DANED IF YOU DO DAMMED IF YOU DON’T
Thanks
I have some pictures I took at feeder close too my place last March but don’t know/see how to attach them. I know what the would like. I see and hear them all the time nearby areasIf it were me, I would keep putting out food. Maybe you don’t want to keep putting out the live food for the time being when you don’t have bluebirds coming to your feeder, but you could put out peanut butter suet. Or keep putting out the live food if that is something you can do. Perhaps bluebirds will see it and learn that is a source of food and keep coming back.
As far as pictures, you’ll need to upload the images to a hosting site first. Then you use the IMG tool when you are composing your post, and provide the URL to the image location at the hosting site. There is a recent thread here where @tamsea and a few others discuss this, and @tamsea mentions a good hosting site.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Ok along wit everything else I mentioned above I just ordered a blue bird house and a sparrow trap as well. I already have a 7/8 foot metal pole with an attached predictor baffle!!! Will be here tomorrow.
I think the bluebirds (if they are around) will investigate the new nest box even if they don’t use your feeder and may nest, too. I noticed that. Another observation has to do with the fact that I stop putting out dried food on hatch day and until the young fledge. I watch the bluebirds through binoculars and see the wide variety of wild food they bring to the young. They have no trouble feeding the young when there are sources of critters to feed them.
Maybe you know, don’t be disappointed if you don’t have nesting bluebirds this season. That was my experience and I gather it is common to not have a nest the first season you set up the box. But that isn’t a hard and fast rule and it isn’t too late.
Do you have a lot of house sparrows in you location? I have house sparrows around, but they haven’t been a problem. One thing I figured out the first season when I put up my nest box is to stop putting out food that attracts house sparrows. Just a tip FWIW.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Thanks for you comments. I’ve ordered a sparrow trap if needed. Also going to attach fishing line before I put box up! We shall see!
I think occasionally playing the bluebird song is not a bad thing. Just don’t do it too much. Do it after you put your box up.
Boy! You went from not wanting to put up a box to having a fully loaded nestbox with baffle and everything! That’s amazing. A nestbox will draw in bluebirds better than anything. It will be easier for the bluebirds to find your mealworms once they have found your box. So I would Store your mealworms in your fridge until you can get that up.Tammy
Another thing you might want to buy is a Van Ert trap. In case House Sparrows try to take over. https://vanerttraps.com/shop (First one)
You can wait but if you need it you need it!!Tammy
Did you say you got a trap? What kind did you get? The repeating trap? If you did you’ll need to really brush up on your birds because house sparrow is the only “Bad” bird. The other native sparrows are not an issue and need to be protected.
Tammy
I got the Van Ert and yes I have house sparrows around. I no longer use and bird seed in any feeders. So far I haven’t seen any sparrows around the blue bird house. I did put the fishing line on it.
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