My first bluebird!!!!!

16 years ago

Well, yesterday's weather was horrendous, but the bird watching was fantastic!!!!! My biggest thrill of the day was when I glanced out the window and saw a bluebird sitting 3 feet away from me. This is the first time I've had a bluebird visit my yard!!! I was so excited, I grabbed my camera and took a picture...the pic is kind of lousy, but I didn't have time to adjust the settings...all I could think of was getting some kind of picture!

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Comments (11)

chickadeemelrose
16 years ago
CONGRATULATIONS!! I know you have worked hard to make your yard a welcoming place for the birds - and now what a great surprise!!

I have yet to see a bluebird - anywhere - but now I have hope! And your photo is great - no doubt about what bird that is! I know when you run and grab the camera it isn't easy, but your pic is great.

Here's to more bluebirds!!! :)
jiggreen
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks! I hope to see more bluebirds, seeing that one was such a treat!! It came back a couple of times during the day yesterday..but it seemed a bit shy and the darned starlings were out in full force, and it didn't hang around long. I've been squeamish about the idea of live mealworms, but now that I know there are bluebirds around, I'm going to just suck it up and deal with the yuckiness of raising my own mealworms. They are such beautiful birds! I certainly did not expect to see one for the first time in the middle of a blizzard, it must have been drawn to my yard by the commotion of all of the other birds.

The best part about birdwatching is the surprises..it's like a treasure hunt!

Good luck on attracting bluebirds! It is worth the wait!
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kendra2003
16 years ago
I know the feeling of that thrill, it is wonderful isn't it? And like you, I just snap a picture quickly before the moment is lost. I just want to be able to prove I actually saw that particular kind of bird. Big Congrats on seeing your first Eastern Bluebird right there in your yard!!
janie_may
16 years ago
Congratulations, what a glorious sight!
terrene
16 years ago
How exciting! There is a reason they call them the "Bluebird of happiness". Such beautiful and friendly birds.

To entice him to stay, are you feeding something they really like? Mealworms and suet mixtures are their favs. This is the 4th winter I've had Bluebirds coming to eat my home-made suet mixture.
jiggreen
Original Author
16 years ago
I have store-bought suet, which he seemed interested in, but the darned starlings scared him off. I've shoveled paths through the backyard (through 4-5 foot drifts!!) and am now able to reach the feeding stations and put out more suet. I also would like to set out some mealworms, but I only have dried ones and I don't think he'll be thrilled. Other than mail order, I don't know where to buy live mealworms..do any of the chain stores (TSC, Petsmart, Wild Birds Unlimited) sell live mealworms?
kendra2003
16 years ago
You can usually get mealworms or waxworms at places like Petsmart. They cost more than mail order there, but if you're only trying to keep a single Bluebird fed and enticed to stay, it shouldn't be too prohibitive.
jiggreen
Original Author
16 years ago
I drove almost 2 hours today to go to a Wild Birds Unlimited store (no distance is too far when it comes to my birds!!) and I bought live mealworms (and bunches of other stuff..lol!) They are in a container with what looks like maybe oats or something ....now what do I do? Do I have to pick the worms out individually or can I just dump some out..and how many should I put out for one lonely bluebird? I am going to use my Droll Yankees covered-dome tray feeder, which also has a cage around it (cage purchased today at Wild Birds Unlimited..it seemed like a great thing!) Would that be a suitable mealworm setup? Also...if the bluebird doesn't come around...will other birds eat the mealworms? And how long would the mealworms stay alive and wiggly in below freezing temperatures?
kendra2003
16 years ago
I'll try to answer that as best as I can. You can just pick out however many you need. I have a flock of ten, so I put out about 50 mealworms at a time. So maybe try putting out 5-10? If the weather is cold and the mealworms freeze, the Blues are very tolerant of that. I think they expect to find frozen food in freezing temperatures. Your feeder sounds perfect. With that feeder, the big birds like Jays should not be a problem. Some of the other birds will eat the mealworms, but they tend to take one or two (Tufted-Titmice and Carolina Wrens use my feeder too). If another bird finds the mealworms first, it may be a good thing because the Bluebird might follow them in. After all your hard work and time, I'm really hoping that Bluebird comes back and discovers your feeder!
terrene
16 years ago
Good luck, I hope Mr. Blue finds the mealworms!
scubasteve37
16 years ago
I absolutely love bluebirds!! Ive seen them about a mile away from my house but was SHOCKED to come home from work one day and see about 10 of them at my birdbath!! I went out and got meal worms and the were here and then gone for awhile. I was about to give up and then a few showed up and was eating my nutty butter suet. I noticed they were having a hard time with the suet so I took my cheese grater and grinded up a nutty butter suet cake. I put it out in a shallow pan and now I have "My" bluebirds every day!! I have a small yard but I am still going to put up a couple of bluebird houses to try to coax a pair to nest in my yard!! I will post some pics