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Very interesting – I have been making & serving the regular peanut butter suet for 12 years now – they love it and I have not noticed any problem. BUT that doesn’t mean there haven’t been any – just that I have not noticed any. I will ponder on this for the next winter season, as it will be time to order mealworms very soon! I have been having 6 & sometimes 7 bluebirds at my cage suet feeder. I’m sure these are my regular pair and 4-5 from the last nesting, as they hung around a VERY long time, left, and are now back.
Yes, Gin, it is like hitting your head against a brick wall – but we cannot just let things that are wrong slide, especially when our precious birds are concerned. Just like human concerns, if no one speaks out when something is wrong, it cannot be fixed. Right? (P.S. Regarding my last statement, I do believe when we address these matters, they need to be done respectfully, not hatefully)
Never had any experience with this, Tammy – although I can’t think a little sugar would hurt. Is this used for baby chickens or what – I’m confused!
Judy, glad you got to see your bluebirds! I have had my usual pair all winter and the past week I have had about 5 or 6, I’m sure some juveniles from last nest. I put suet out twice a day in each of 2 cage feeders, and all the birds (BBs, white crowned sparrows, juncos, and of course HOSP) come and devour the suet in a few minutes. Plus we have a black-oiled sunflower feeder in the back yard, which draw lots of cardinals and others. Yes, the weather here in Mid-Missouri has been very weird, also. we have had one really cold spell but mostly very mild, but breezy, days. Spring will be here soon!
Well, there are still bluebirds here in Mid-Missouri, also. They have finally accepted my peanut butter suet after about a week – they finally got it – NO MORE WORMS! Now all the family is still around (about 7-8 in all) and so are those miserable HOSP! But my blues are actually defending their meal bowl and chasing off the HOSP. I do have a cage feeder to exclude those larger eaters (Cardinals & Blue Jays, etc), but those smaller birds all can get in. I may try a ground repeat trap for those HOSP, but that is really hard to do, as I catch almost everything except HOSP.
Connie, black bears! Wow, I would definitely not do anything to encourage them to come into my yard either! Learn something new every day. I just switch to suet to give my pocketbook a break during the winter. And the ingredients are really good for the birds (fat for keeping warm, peanut butter for protein, little dab of sugar for energy, etc. Glad you are seeing your blues still.
Dana, today was the first day I fed my peanut butter suet to the 8 or 9 blues now around. And they all did balk pretty heavy, except papa blue and he did eat some, trying to get the others to join him. But there will be no more worms this season, so they better well get used to it!! (Just like our children – always want more and better (ha, ha). Have a good winter – spring will be here before we know it, hopefully.
Yup, peanut butter suet is what I make and feed to my blues beginning around mid-October. They balk at first but it usually only takes them about one day to realize “no more worms” and they love that stuff! (Sure lot easier on the pocketbook, too) They do stay here all winter, along with the winter birds, like juncos & white-crowned sparrows)
Thanks, Judy – I will try to locate that video. I am really interested if anyone else has had this experience. I live in a rural subdivision and have these baffles up. Have not had any problem with snakes SO FAR on the nests, but with all the rain we have had this year we have noticed some small grass & garter snakes in the yard a few times. My poor brother was just devastated to witness this snake incident, or should I say incidents!
Gin, all 3 of my boxes had 5 eggs laid but only ended up with 12 fledging. I am blaming the trouble with too small of a box, with 5 eggs – I only had 1 box actually hatch 5 eggs, but one baby died in the box prior to fledging – still believe it is the smaller floor of my Gilwood boxes. We are going to experiment and make one with a little larger floor this winter. Next season will be here before we know it.
P.S. I am finally going to get some mealworms shipped next week – been too hot and they would not ship them. I have between 6-7 blues coming to the bowl regularly, PLUS the last 4 fledged 5 days ago and will be coming back very soon. Even being very frugal with the worms, that many can really put them away. My bowl is empty in less than 5 minutes when they all come.Yes, I was beginning to worry, too, David. So glad he made it – that is really a long time difference, but like you said, he maybe was enjoying having that house all to himself!
Judy, my mealworm situation is VERY low. I have enough for maybe 3 or 4 days. The worm farm which I use said they may start shipping again tomorrow, but I’ll wait & see. I get them the very next day or 2nd day with just regular shipping, not next day extra postage or anything! That means a lot. I have cut down to one feeding a day with less than usual. No, my blues will not eat dried mealworms when they have been used to live ones. Just know this from many, many others reporting this. We have had plenty of rain and there are lots of bugs, willy worms & other insects out there, so they do have food. All of my previous fledgings have stayed around (parents have not kicked them out yet), so it is taking lots & lots of worms. But I did see them feed the last babies in the nest, so they may be taking some to the newly fledged ones, which would be great! My blues do stay around all winter – I begin feeding them homemade peanut butter suet beginning late October. And yes, they do pout when there are no worms for a day or so!
Bird Parents – don’t you know when it is ready to tell those young ones that it is time they were out on their own! READ THE RULE BOOKS!David, that one is still there? – boy is he stubborn, or else just a runt. I was thrilled to get mine out of the last nest because of the heat we have had last few days, index into low 100’s. But supposed to cool down the next few days. Can’t get any worms shipped either, at least those close to me. Maybe next week.
