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How to bring 'em to my yard

rosynmontgomery

15 years ago

There is a pair of BB that nest in my next door neighbor's yard every year, so I know that they're around. Question is how to get them to come to my yard. I am BRAND NEW at the BBing thing so starting from scratch. I have a box mounted to my wood fence, the opening in facing south. It is mounted about 4 feet from the ground. It's been up for 2 years and nothing. Help.

Patti

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Comments (6)

donnalovesblue
15 years ago
Patti, I would remove the box from the fence as soon as possible. Bluebirds like open spaces. Please check out Sialis.org for the absolute best information regarding bluebirds...it's an awesome site and a must read for those interested in hosting the blues. Info includes where your box should be located, the recommended box size and how to properly mount it. (metal pole with predator guard)

It's possible that a new set up will encourage them to check out your place. Good luck!

Donna
bigmatt
15 years ago
Patti,
I 100% agree with Donna Sialis.org is the best info you will find anywhere.Be sure your box is a real bluebird box,what size is the opening?It should be 1-1/2" for a Eastern Bluebird(EABL)Get that box off the fence,get it onto a sturdy pole mount with a predator guard,5 feet high.How to do this and MUCH more can be found on Sialis .org.t The link below will get you started.

Matt
Baltimore MD

Here is a link that might be useful: Get started
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farmgirl01
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Well I am not sure about the fence thing, because we have 1 acre fenced in with a 10ft tall fence (for deer) and I have 4 boxes mounted on side of the poles. All are full of eggs every year.

Are you feeding wild bird seed in a feeder during the winter months? I have sound this to be the biggest draw for my bluebirds. We also get lots of red birds and even hummingbirds.
dzyg
15 years ago
farmgirl01, birdhouses should not be put on fences due to the fact that raccoons can and will climb up and get the eggs/babies or adult birds that happen to be in the box at the time. Unless you are monitoring your nestboxes throughout the nestbuilding/egg laying/hatching/fledging you could not be sure if all those eggs are making it to fledging. Plus on a one acre lot you would probably only get one or two pairs of bluebirds, if you are letting HOSP nest in any of the boxes you are setting up any other cavity nesters to be killed by them. Check out sialis.org is loaded full of great information on how to properly host bluebirds and other native cavity nesting birds.

Also Bluebirds don't eat birdseed, they eat insects/berries/suet, I have never been able to get them to eat suet but lots of others do, ours don't overwinter here though. A wildbird seed mix is the worst possible seed to feed your yardbirds as it attracts HOSP. When I found this site over three years ago I stopped feeding a birdseed mix and the numbers of HOSP that came to my feeders dropped dramatically. HOSP love millet and cracked corn, I feed none of this type anymore. I buy the individual bags of BOSS/Sunflower hearts/peanuts/Grey Striped Sunflower and sometimes Safflower and mix it together myself. Also have a nyjer feeder and seperate suet feeders.

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april_birdylover
15 years ago
dzyg- re: farmgirl101, agree and great pointers for farmgirl01.. sialis is the best website for having and maintaining bluebirds on one's property.. The only food I could get my bluebirds to eat is live mealworms and that took weeks of training them to even come to my mealworm feeder.
farmgirl01
15 years ago
thanks for the great info. I will have to check it out. your right i don't see every egg get hatched but i do keep a close eye on them. i see the eggs and i see the mom going in and out feeding the babies and then they are gone. we do have polutry fence around the perimeter of the live stock fence also, so this helps keep the coons and other such predators away. We also have woodducks, mandarins, shell ducks, mallards, geese, bantam chickens and goats in this perimeter and on the pond. we actually have about 2 acres in all fenced in. on the 7 acre farm. the goats also help keep varmite away.

we also have bluebird boxes on poles outside of this area.

when we moved here just over two years ago there were no bluebirds and now we have at least 7 pair that stay around all the time.

as far as the food, we acutally feed our birds chicken scratch mixed with wild bird seed. Plus they eat on all of the wood duck pellets and sweet feed for the goats and chick starter for the babies. maybe they don't eat out of the bird feeder i have in the back yard, but they do eat off the ground were we through all of the others food. come to think of it, your right i don't think i have ever seen the blue birds eating from the bird feeder. but i know they love this place and why i guess it maybe a combination of things.

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