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observations

14 years ago

We moved to the mountains of North Carolina in autumn. The bluebirds have been here all along.

I bought sunflower chips to feed them and they have not disappointed me in being at the feeder.

The heated birdbath was also a hit.

I heard that empty bluebird boxes can attract them in winter on cold nights. The new birdhouse I bought was empty. I opened it up the other day and found lots of small bird droppings inside so something was there.

The most interesting observation was a male bluebird in my flower pots. I have grown Narcissus species and Allium perdulce in these small pots on my deck. As many rock gardeners do, I topped the pots with Gran-I- grit, something picked up from a feed store and used for poultry. I purchased the grower size which is not as fine as the starter( almost like sand) The bird has visited the pots each day and is removing some grit each time.

I also noticed a Cyclamen tuber uprooted so guess he was digging around in other flower pots.

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Comments (4)

gibby01
14 years ago
Lucky you. i sure hope mine come back this year. lst year was a first to me, and I sure enjoyed their company.
bluebars
14 years ago
carol23,
Bluebirds won't usually leave droppings in a nestbox. We have a downy woodpecker who uses our nestbox to roost in the wintertime, and he leaves a few little dry droppings. But another bird that does that is the house sparrow. The sometimes do this to claim territory. Just so you are aware.
Did you know that you have a very active bluebird society in NC? Check out their website:
North Carolina Bluebird Society
BlueBars
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carol23_gw
Original Author
14 years ago
Fortunately I have not seen HOSPS on my property.

Perhaps it was a chickadee inside the box. I'll have to look again after the cold weather has come through this weekend.

Thanks for the information.

The bluebirds are into my seed pots daily for the grit.
Pictures are not great, but a cardinal and at least three bluebirds were digging around in my wood chips ( white pine). I like the garden full of birds so there is a lot of leaf litter, wood chips, etc, plus many native plantings.
dolphin_79605
8 years ago
Doing a search for sources of Allium perdulce today and ran across your posting. By chance would you have enough to share some? Thanks for your post! Mick

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