BlueMania!Tell everyone- silly things you've done & $ spent

craftylady6

13 years ago

I've done some silly things for these birds.

Whistle like an idiot to call birds to feeder. I'm not very good!

strain my ears for those house wrens and listening over and over to sound files to just "get it"!

I stay outside or glued to the window watching them come and go.

I spent an entire day taking pics and watching the fledglings when work was screaming to be done.

Spent money and time to develop a mockingbird safe window feeder, still in the works, but working!

I tried a dozen things to keep the blue boy to stop pecking at the window so I can watch them feed.

I bought a hunting blind to take pictures, (by far my craziest deed so far!)

Make hubby constantely bring home supplies for various things

RUN outside when food is out!

Read most posts on here and read the sialis site.

Money spent just recently, no total, I don't want to know!!

bird houses $25

bird feeders $75 some worked, some didn't

Bird food $100+ and time to make some of my own

Blind $60 used on ebay, it's WAY cool!

non glare glass for the fighting, didn't work $15

sheer window curtain for fighting, so far working $10

In window feeder, way cool $60 (not sure if "Rocky" blue will tolerate the mirrored film on it!)

misc dishes for mealworms $10 =/-

Electric fence for base of bird house $85! (after seeing the racoon on my porch)!

Traps ground and in box $80

Awesome binoculars $60!!

that's all I can think of right now, but I plan to make or buy a roost for winter, very cool one on web, fits in window and can feed and water from INSIDE! $80!!

Sandra, blue crazy!

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Comments (9)

lisa11310
13 years ago
Oh honey , your just a beginner! LOL! We will have lots of stories for you! It's late and I will tell you some of mine as soon as I can. There are so many here. We should wite a book! Some of us have been around here a long time and the stories are great!
cannalily
13 years ago
As I am worse than a beginner I am staying 'mum' and just reading everything I can.

With the help of my grandson I put up another nesting box Thursday. Today I saw a bluebird come out of it.
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kendra2003
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Only a hundred dollars for food? :) This past winter, I was spending $60 a month for mealworms, in addition to the ones I grow myself to feed a flock of 10 Bluebirds. Plus grinding up organic "people" sunflower kernels to add to their suet mix. My basement room is full of boxes of growing out mealworms and beetles, plus the money I've spent on the reptile heaters to speed them up. That's just the tip of the iceberg, I'm sure.
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13 years ago
I plan my work schedule and vacations around fledging time. I have even NOT attended family gatherings. My family knows when the babies are due to leave I will NOT leave until they have all left and made it to the trees. I don't even go to church and Pastor knows why. I put out 900 wax worms and 2000 meal worms in the frezing weather last week (of course a lot more than just Blues have babies). I have taped and untaped boxes according to the weather and have had to assist in more than 1 baby that would not have made it had I not interviened. I have been known to flap my arms and whistle and point to babies on the ground when I dont think the parents see where the baby went when it left the box. I trap HOSPs put up Wren guards, grease my poles and put soap on the top of the inside of my boxes. I have wrapped them in bubble wrap or cling wrap, put ice packs on top of boxes with umbrellas in the heat. I run off Chipmunks and other critters when the Blue,Dees, whatever are agitated with them. I leave my door open a crack in freezing weather so I can hear what is going on out there at all times. I have a nest box with a video camera and 4 other boxes.I have re usable "raindrop" window covering for my MR. Blue that likes to fight himself in the window. Should I continue????? This is normal behavior for many of us here! LOL!
craftylady6
Original Author
13 years ago
today I saw the beginings of a nest, WHOOHOO! not even a week after fledging! I went out and picked up some pine needles and hand cut grass so they can dry out. It's all wet here now!
cannalily
13 years ago
My hat is off to you Craftylady.

I am well into my 60's and have always lived in a rural area. I am blessed to live on a family farm. My grandchildren are the 6th generation to live on this land. I have not spent a fortune on food or supplies but God's creatures are at home and welcome here.
gibby01
13 years ago
If you had told me a year ago that I would be raising worms, I would have told you that you are crazy! well here I am, My kids think I've lost it and my husband says he'd have never thunk... If I don't get birds this year, that will be the end of that! Not expensive, but sure is time consuming.
cannalily
13 years ago
Gibby I sure hope you are a success at raising worms. I have not tried that one yet.

I am a novice and not a puriest.
mulchmamma
13 years ago
I cried when I saw my blues this year, really, cried. Been having major health issues and seeing those birds made me realize that everything would be OK. Sappy, huh?

Anyway, my husband has the good wit not to ask me how much I spend on the birds. I go to a local butcher, buy suet and add nuts, seeds, berries in large stock pots to render into suet cakes. Build winter roosting boxes to allow more comfortable overwintering. Winters are bad enough for humans, imagine how hard it is on the birds? Built a blind out of cardboard boxes on my breezeway and sat for hours during raging snow storms to shoot starlings, try to keep warm and keep damage to the house at a minimum from my pellet rifle. I talk to the birds as I monitor the boxes and use that special voice to call the blues as I deliver their mealworms (the blues come when I call them, better than my pugs do).

Dig out my non-native plants/shrubs to replace with natives to provide better habitat, let the pokeweed take over, let the birds have ALL the cherries and blueberries (buy mine in the store), sit in the rain with my binocs and sometimes hide under my pine to observe. Windows stay dirty to keep the birds from striking them (good excuse). Never in a million years, did I imagine I would turn out this weird, but it's OK.

BlueMania!Tell everyone- silly things you've done & $ spent

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BlueMania!Tell everyone- silly things you've done & $ spent

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