In 2012, the bluebirds were displaced of their feeding ground by phoebes. The phoebes are of similar size but much more efficient 'on the wing' bug catchers because they have an ability to hover briefly and change direction mid-air. Not as vocal as bluebirds that have soft conversant tones. Phoebes here are gray with cream breast/bellies. One pair did two full nesting with broods of 4 and 3 from a messy nest on a nook of the porch roof (a well covered but very narrow ledge). The chicks seemed to fledge faster than bluebird chicks and the chicks stayed together and called to attract the parents. Of that second brood, only one fell out to doom on the brick steps below and it was probably only a few days to a week old. (now I have to go with the hose sprayer and get the nest cleaned out) Phoebes are interesting to watch but the bluebirds will be back in fall/winter/early spring.

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?

I ordered wax worms from Reptile.com a few years ago when I had a single momma blue feeding 5 nestlings. They LOVED them! I ordered two containers at a time (ordered that twice) and lost very few but they don't last long, for sure. I doubt you can buy them through any of the on-line suppliers now because of the meal worm shortage but I've also picked them up at PetSmart and Petco a time or two. Theirs won't be a nice as the big on-line suppliers but maybe you can find a few good ones.

Yes. Bluebirds love mealworms! But the important thing to remember is that you only have to put out a very small amount every day. I usually put out 5 or 6 mealworms in the morning and 5 or 6 mealworms in the late afternoon. Bluebirds catch on very fast and they will soon figure out your general schedule. When I walk out to where I put the mealworms, the bluebirds often flutter around in the trees above or they'll perch very close to me (they know its "meal time" ("mealworm time"). If you're quick with your camera, this can be a good time to get some pictures. Below is one of mine. I even have a short video of a bluebird in a snowstorm waiting for mealtime. You can view it at BluebirdsPlus