HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH, now you know what I go through every winter. a few weeks ago there were about 20 blues in my yard. They were going in and out of the boxes and fighting. I only have one pair that has been in the yard for the last week.

We just had a hail storm!!!!!!!

Lisa, don't panic. Feed them Malinda's peanut butter suet. I never feed worms in the winter. I shred frozen suet and put it in a jail feeder for the blues. They seem to make it fine. I remember last year a female blue came to the feeder with ice on her wing....I DID panic. She could not fly very well, but she picked the ice off and was able to fit in the jail feeder.

It is too early to see how many blues will stick around, but last year I had 10 hanging around and I think there were more, but the most that came to eat suet was 10.

Also.....the juncos are here :( I love the guys....BUT you know what that means.

Karen

YUP......the Juncos bring the S WORD! :O maybe you only have your pair right now because mine havent left for your house yet :). I will be sending them soon I hope! You have more time to worry than I do ! LOL ;)

As of yesterday mine (at least 5 of them!) were still here too!! They are crazy staying this late, we are supposed to get an inch of snow tonight. For over a week now we have been below freezing every night. I did see one with a worm/caterpillar yesterday though so those bugs must take a long time to be gone for good. Mine Blues are eating only dried mealworms now, still won't eat the suet nuggets that are in a dish with the dried mealworms.

OH and the Juncos have been here for at least 2 weeks already!!

Donna

Please do tell what it means when the Juncos arrive, I have spotted some in my yard recently too and also the white throated sparrows. Do they also bring Starlings or HOSP with them, is this what your talking about?

Linda

Linda, usually when the juncos and white throated sparrows show up......the snow is not far behind.

I would rather have snow than hosp. and starlings.

I have seen a few juncos in southern Ohio - very early but it has been very cold. Just to mention, I feed the nuggets but my blues will only eat them if I break them up into little pieces, almost like a powder. Took a winter to figure that out but now they eat it regularly. HTH!

Linda, usually when the juncos and white throated sparrows show up......the snow is not far behind

EEK, but yes, I agree, I too would much rather see snow then HOSP or Starlings. I have yet to see a Starling in my back yard, however, I have had quite a few HOSP vist over the last few months.

Thanks for the clarification on the "S" word.

Linda

I don't provide nestboxes for Bluebirds, because my lot is too heavily wooded for their nesting habitat. But I have been feeding a home-made suet/peanut butter mixture in a Suet Log year round for the past 2 years. The Bluebirds eat the suet mixture all winter long! They come multiple times a day during the winter.

I don't see them at the feeders all summer, and then presto, when the Juncos and White throat sparrows show up, there they are. I assume this is because the weather has gotten too cold for there to be much insect activity, and insects are their preferred food source.

I asked the lady at WBU about this - she said some of the Bluebirds will take a chance at overwintering in harsh climates because they want first dibs on the best nesting sites come Spring. She also said some of her customers would be very jealous that I see Bluebirds on the suet log everyday. Well, just make them a delicious suet peanut butter mixture, put it in a suet log, or crumble in a tray feeder, and they will love it! I like to think I am helping them in a small way to make it through the winter.

Here's a pic of the hardy little flock that overwintered last year. This picture was taken in January. BTW, I live in Massachusettes, zone 5/6!

{{gwi:1096589}}

You all are lucky to have BB's in your yards. I don't think you should worry too much about them overwintering... They still have their common sense and instincts. By the way, where do you all live?

I am in west Michigan near enough to Lake Michigan that we get the lake effect snow, I think we got around 263 inches last year. I think they have gone now that the snow has started......we may not see the ground again till April

Hi, this is my first post on this forum. My sister lives in the Albany, NY, area and has seen at least 6 bluebirds in her yard recently. She says that at least 3 of her birdhouses seem to have nesting going on! They usually nest during the summer too. Is it possible these birds intend to stick around for the winter? If so, what can she do to make sure they have enough food?

vtandrea,
If the bluebirds are resident in winter, then they must be finding natural foods. Unless there are long periods of very severe weather when food and water is frozen over too long, they will find food or migrate a short distance if they have to. Here in Maryland, they usually stay all year.
Winter residents often visit nestboxes and claim territory when they find it suitable nest sites. They might also roost in the nestboxes during the night or use them for shelter during bad weather. During periods of mild weather that mimics spring, they sometimes will seem to be courting or nesting, but they don't get really serious about it until temperatures warm and days lengthen.
If your sister wants to provide them supplemental foods, and provide a safe nestbox setup, send her this link below for tons of info.
BlueBars

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sialis.org/index.html

terrene, what is your recipe for your suet log? Where did you get the log? Did you make it? I am wanting to provide some food for BBs but haven't found the best way to provide it. I am not wanting to get into mealworms since we have tons of natural insects in our area.
I am in North Texas...we have BBs all year long. Last season I had one of my boxes claimed by chickadees & then the BBs took it over before the chickadees laid their eggs. I have 3 boxes up in different areas of my yard because I also have titmice that use them. I am planning to put up 2 other houses in my neighbor's yards so I can have the boxes at least 100 yards apart.
I had only the one nest last year that I didn't have enough of a snake guard on it & before I realized it...4 of the five BB babies were eaten. I was so UPSET. It probably was the same rat snake that ate a nest of mockers in my front holly bush! I was SICK! This winter I am putting up 5 ft PVC slicked & tons of netting to prevent this from happening again!
I am planting elderberries for them as well as some other native berry plants for the winter. They start their first nesting here usually in January or February. We usually have 4-5 broods a season. I'm hoping to get more nesters once I have more boxes up in the proper locations. I also have a lot of trees in a dry creek bed & I have lots of woodpeckers & holes that some of the BBs probably use. We have both wooded areas & open fields in the area I live so there are a ton of BBs. I have never had them come to my birdbathes because of all the tanks for livestock in our area. We are in a suburb that still has lots of farming & ranching going on. Lots of cows, goats, & horses in our area. I also have housing up for martins but haven't been successful in attracting them yet. This will be my 7th season for trying. One year, I think I had a very aggressive male BB that used my martin housing & perches to hunt from! I blamed him that year for scaring any potential martins away.
I am hoping this spring will be both blue & purple!!! LOL
I gave up last summer & started focusing on butterfly gardening. So now I'm not only a "BIRD" nut but also a butterfly nut! I raised a dozen monarches & 6 Black swallowtails & have at least 5 crysalises left that will hopefully wait until spring to eclose! I lost one last week that's wings didn't open & it died. :o(
I have used sialis to get lots of info from! It is the best for BBs I have found!
Luck to all BB'ers!!! ;o)

Imabirdnut, I made the suet log out of Red pine wood that was laying around in the yard. I drilled holes for the suet, then smaller holes and glued in the perches (using a hot glue gun). I also drilled a hole straight up the bottom of the log, and slide that onto a pole, which has a squirrel/raccoon baffle. It's like a funny "tree" and the birds love it. Over time, the wood has gradually darkened from the oils, and the perches break and fall off. The birds don't mind, but I am planning to make a new log this winter.

I don't follow a precisely measured recipe, so this is approximate - I put 2 cups of rendered suet in a glass bowl. Melt that in the microwave. Then add 2 cups of peanut butter, which melts in the hot suet. Then I add about an equal part of dried ingredients- so roughly 4 cups - ww flour, corn meal, oat flour, pulverised eggshells, crushed nuts, sunflower hearts, etc. It's a little tricky getting the right texture, but the goal is something like Play-doh - it holds together in a ball, which I stuff in the holes, but it also breaks apart into crumbles, which I spread in a tray underneath the log.

If you don't want to make a log, you can also simply put crumbles out in a tray feeder. Some people make the mixture more fatty, and fill containers (like suet containers or cat food cans) and let it harden.

The birds will LOVE it no matter what you do, and the log gets steady traffic all year long, although the visitors change through the year. Bluebirds only visit in cold weather.