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The nest box I referred to previously made it through our cold snap and the little guys fledged a couple days ago. This is my first fledglings in boxes I monitor. No sign of bluebirds or fledglings during my last two visits. I hope they return for a second brood before those little stinkers (wrens) fill the box with sticks!
I now have four nest boxes with varying ages of eggs/hatchlings. Someone mentioned a few days ago about a noticable increase in tree swallows. That’s also the case here. I even have paired boxes about ten yards apart with two pairs of TS nesting. I love the TS but Bluebirds are my preference. Though I don’t get to decide.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Nice. My first brood fledged a couple days ago. They haven’t started nest building yet. No sign of them and the fledglings. Hoping they come back.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
That’s settled then. That’s the first I’ve heard of someone feeding suet, so I stand corrected. No expert here. I’m fairly new to the bluebird landlord world.
As far as feeding the dried mealworms… they know better than us if it’s a good source of energy for them and their hatchlings. I tried live mealworms my first year of providing nest boxes for them. The bluebirds loved them and I tried raising the worms but it didn’t go well. For the last three seasons I haven’t provided any supplemental food for them. I get why people provide mealworms. It’s great fun watching them collect them and bring them to their nest boxes. My nest boxes are all remotely located so I don’t have the opportunity to spend much time observing.
Anywho, it’s great you are providing the much needed nest box. There are far to few natural nesting cavities out there.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
I would say let the bluebirds decide. Suet may or may not be a good choice during breeding season. I am not an expert by any means so go with information you find.
I just tend to not worry about what they feed on since they know better than me. Mealworms are a common feed for bluebirds, though I wouldn’t worry about them avoiding dried mealworms during breeding season. Natural, live bugs are preferred as the little guy’s only source of hydration prior to fledging may be from bugs mom and dad bring them.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
On my last two visits to the box with five eggs I’m happy to report a pair has been hanging close to that box on both occasions so I’m hopeful the eggs are viable. 30 degrees last night here. Going to say this quietly for people that hate bugs but I hope they start appearing soon. That pair apparently have found enough food to fuel laying five eggs so I just can’t see the bugs.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
My nest boxes have never had house sparrow problems. They are definitely in the adjacent town but not in my rural area. So no experience with them.
I have read some reports of the use of fishing lines and they seem to work after nesting and laying has started. I can’t say if that technique will work before a pair adopt your nest box. This is a great question and I’m going to follow the replies with interest.
Look into mylar ribbons as well. Some success has been reported.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Tammy your bluebird story sounds similar, at least this season. I was too aggressive the first three years and started to stress out about spending four mornings a week monitoring. Other than a few nest boxes around my property I’ve reduced to two trails (21 boxes total) that I can monitor in a day. I typically just monitor one trail each morning though.
No bluebird activity on my property boxes so far. A Chickadee pair is building a nest in one of five boxes which my wifey can see from her chair in the living room. I haven’t heard any Lil Stinkers in the neighborhood yet. Wifey reminds me they are Mother Nature’s Lil Stinkers and to leave them be!
Today is supposed to be in the mid 60s so I saw a lot of activity on one trail today. Cold spell has hopefully ended but I see some freezing night temps in the next few days. Tree Swallows have arrived in numbers the last few days and I’m happy to see my pairing of boxes is working out. Even the little stinkin Wrens are not filling boxes with sticks on a daily basis though I think that will change : (
One TRES box had a pair actively defending a box from another TRES invader this morning. They were just swooping through the sky with no real aggressive behavior. I love watching them and they seem to tolerate the bluebird pairs in the box nearby. I think there are eleven bluebird eggs so far. A little worried about the first nest box with five. Hopefully they are still viable after our cold weather. I’ll keep an eye on it. When is it safe to assume they are unviable? I won’t do anything with them until I am sure they have been abandoned. Mom and dad are staying close so I think they will be OK.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Very cool David! As soon as ya think you have bluebirds figured out they surprise you.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
I hope that little bugger is warming up under its siblings. Good to see them all asking for lunch!
My first PVC box I installed Sunday had nest materials in it on Monday, what appeared to be a full nest Tuesday and today two blue eggs. I still haven’t seen or heard any blues but they are out there.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Whoa, that’s awesome. That little guy is hungry! Congrats David.
I’ve been putting out nest boxes for a couple days now. Haven’t heard any BB song yet. It won’t be long until they arrive. Last years earliest nest was April 20th, but still have a few patches of snow in the woods. Tomorrow will be only our second day of 70 degrees this spring (hopefully). I have to get busy!
Edit… Oh, make that 70 on Tuesday. Only in the high 40s Monday.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
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.
That is wonderful. I too have had the pleasure of seeing bluebirds at my birdbath and hearing them in the woods around my home and on local trails. In years past I thought they fledged, learned to hunt and then left the area. Maybe I wasn’t very observant.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Thanks for the post AIH. Very interesting.
I had wasp problems my first year (2023) on my BB trails. Mostly in the first month while waiting for BB arrival. I removed all of them; ping pong ball sized nests or smaller when monitoring the trails weekly. Much easier to deal with one or two of them and when the nest doesn’t have any eggs/larvae. They’re not as aggressive at that stage.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
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My conclusion at this point is that the adults will mostly if not exclusively feed live food to the young. But I wouldn’t count on it.
Very good example. I read warnings and pass them on just because that’s what us BB landlords try to do to help others. The BB moms and dads have it figured out. Whether its instinct or learned behavior, I don’t know, but they are making smart decisions.
As an expert at the Michigan Bluebird Assoc. festival in Ann Arbor mentioned… “As soon as you think you have them figured out Bluebirds throw you a curve”. I’ve found that to be a factual statement!
Tim
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Well I have dried meal worms live meal worms suet bird bath everything so I’m hopeful
Just be careful with dried mealworms during breeding season. I’ve read that the only hydration that hatchlings get is from their food brought to them by mom and dad. After you start to see eggs I would switch to live mealworms or at the very least save the dried for late and early season use. Of course the BB moms and dads know best so maybe they would not feed their babies dried food anyway.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
