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How can I attract blue birds to my yard in the winter?

15 years ago

I had my first set of babies last summer and since the babies fledged, I have only seen them come around a few times. Is there anything that I can do in the winter that will attract them? They do stay here in the winter, I just saw a couple of them today!

Just curious!

Dawn

Featured Answer

kendra2003

15 years ago

Here is a picture I took the other day of the Blues at the feeder. You can see there are two glass bowls in there. I put mealworms in one of the bowls and crumbled, homemade suet in the other. The back of this feeder opens so I have easy access to filling the bowls and cleaning.

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Comments (12)

kendra2003
15 years ago
If you feed them well, particularly during very cold weather, they will come. Also a heated bird bath attracts them as well. My Blues love to bathe, even in the middle of winter. But more importantly, they will need access to clean, unfrozen water for drinking. I also feed them mealworms and suet (great recipes on sialis.org.) A lot of people set up a Bluebird feeder so the larger birds can't hog all the food. I have my feeder on a pole with a stovepipe guard so the squirrels and chimpmunks don't steal all the food. I hope this helps.
hammom
Original Author
15 years ago
Yes, very helpful thanks! I didn't know bluebirds would ever come to a feeder?? I will have to check into that and also the heated bird bath!! They have been coming around some lately and what I love...they bring the family! Soo neat! What kind of food do you put in the blue bird feeder? Thanks for the info...I am still learning!!!
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I feed the birds all year sort of. They start with cleaning off the sunflowers that they plant the previous fall and continue to clean off the grasses, berries, and corn that I sometimes grow just for them. Of course I have water out all the time for them and a heated dish in the winter. I feed the big birds cat food with bread or cereal in it. They get any left overs when I cook a turkey or ham. I make my own concoction of peanut butter, prunes, hulled sunflower seeds, rolled oats, millet, black oil sunflower and a few other things they like to pick at. I buy millet, black oil sunflower and striped sunflower by the sack and keep it in large bins in the hall along with peanuts,hulled sunflower seeds, oats and rabbit pellets. Once in a while I will give them a treat of meal worms from the petstore or cut up fruit. And sometimes I will get a seed bell or spray millet just to watch them. I also ground up dry catfood last year and put it in the feeder. The little birds get much needed fat and protein to keep warm that way. I have the usual black and white feather dusters, the blue jays, lots of chickadees (black capped and boreal), nuthatches (red and white breasted), woodpeckers, northern flickers, juncos, finches, sparrows, the odd grosbeaks, waxwings, and redpolls and I even had a kestral last spring. Not many crows unless it is a really warm winter. My computer is in the corner of the front bedroom where there are the old corner windows. I feed the birds from about 5 feeders and baskets hanging from the big white spruce about 2 feet from the corner of the house here. I feed the rabbits under the tree and the dish feeders on the fence from big heavy ceramic dishes. It is such a routine for me to feed the birds after I feed the dogs on winter mornings. My neighbours are used to the crazy lady in her fleece pjs out feeding the birds every morning and the dogs go out and wait by the fence for the maggies to drop food for them. Quite the scene to watch! The maggies are very comical and they literally talk to me. I can't stand to see anything go hungry or be cold and the little birds seem to like to feast under the protective branches of this 50 foot spruce. My neighbour across the street says she likes to sit with her coffee in the morning and watch the bunnies and birds eating. And that reminds me: Must find a bale of hay for the bunnies. Last year I fed a cat all winter but coudln't catch her. She left me mice most mornings under the kennel....... I hope we have a mild winter or at least get some snow. It is bitterly cold without a little insulation. Ginny
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I started putting seed out for the birds in the winter only. But they hung around expectantly in the spring, so I've continued feeding year-round, adding a couple bird baths. The entire area behind our tall, wooden fence has grown tall and wild - it's an unmaintained strip of "public utilities" land, and has become a natural habitat for birds (and other critters). So we have our backyard and gardens and the birds come and go from behind the fenced area. I bought an Audubon bird field book and enjoy looking up new visitors. There's always a new bird to id. Over the years I've added many suet feeders that attract all kinds of woodpeckers, nuthatches, and sapsuckers. All of the other "regulars" enjoy the suet occasionally, too, and all of them eat from the suet feeders year-round, not just in the winter. The biggest attraction, though, comes by way of everyone's favorite food that I now put out regularly on the deck rail - at least all the insect eaters: I buy inexpensive jars of dry-roasted, UNSALTED, peanuts. I run them through my food processor until they are crumbly. I have yet to see a bird that doesn't come and gobble them up, including the woodpeckers and especially the cardinals. We have hundreds of cardinals. The best part is in the spring, when the mother birds cram as much crumbled up peanuts as they can into their beaks and fly off to feed their babies, then come right back for more. This goes on all day and it makes me feel good that so many babies are being well fed. We've had several bluebird and mockingbird families come to our deck, as the young'uns grow and learn to fly. Later in summer, the visits pare way down, so I know they're on their own now as far as feeding themselves with insects or whatever they'd eat naturally. They don't come around much at all during the summer. It's really fun and interesting - I didn't start this expecting to be a "birder", but I guess that's what's happened. During the early winter, we have many birds stop by that aren't usually seen in NC, on their winter migrations to someplace warmer. Sorry for the long post!
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As someone said much earlier in this post, insect-eating birds don't go for birdseed, except for the chickadees. For insect-eating birds, you want a birdbath, and suet. Many more birds will use the birdbath than either suet or birdseed. You will want a shallow birdbath with a rough inner surface, your classic concrete birdbath. Birds won't go in water that's more than a couple inches deep, and they want a rough surface so they don't slip. These are not the easiest to maintain - I've seen birdbaths on the market that are deep and smooth and people think they're better because they won't have to fill them so often, and they'll be easier to clean, but the birds won't touch them. I get birds at my birdbath year round, even when it's been raining for weeks. Robins, jays, towhees, finches, sparrows, warblers, chickadees, bushtits, juncos, you name it. Place it a few feet from shrubbery or a tree, so they can see any cats coming and dive for cover. I love watching them, especially in late summer when the new fledgling birds are learning how to use the birdbath. For suet feeding I have what's called a 'crow cage' from Wild Birds Unlimited. It only allows smaller birds to get to the suet. Means the towhees and woodpeckers can't get it either, but it's necessary to keep the crows and starlings off. I have the suet cage itself suspended about an inch from the bottom of the cage so the flickers can hang from the bottom and reach the suet. The starlings can just barely do that too, but it's hard enough for them that they rarely do so. Ask to see their suet cage setups that keep the starlings off, and you'll see what I mean. I also take down the suet when the starlings are nesting, usually April, and don't put it back up again until they're done in summer. To minimize seed waste I buy straight black oil sunflower seed. It's more expensive than the mixes, but the birds toss out much of what's in the mixes.
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bluebars
15 years ago
Shelter and Housing - Bluebirds that are year-round residents will always be seeking shelter for roosting and for bad weather. Our bluebirds sleep in there sometimes. When warm weather comes around, they will remember these for nesting. They will defend these sites from other competitors, making a claim even during the winter. The sooner houses are available, the better chance the bluebirds have to claim them and hold that claim.
Clean water for drinking and bathing - especially when other sources are frozen.
Food - natural foods such as berries, plantings that provide shelter and safe cover to hide from predators.
Feeders can be offered in a covered feeder - mealworms (will die if frozen, but birds might still eat them), peanuts, sunflower chips, or raisins. Remember that other birds will discover these food sources too (Chickadee, Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Nuthatch). In my opinion that's OK unless they are HOSP or EUST; then I quit offering food for a while. Never offer seed mixes especially millet, as bluebirds cannot digest these and it attracts the HOSP and EUST. There are feeders with holes that will allow only smaller birds to enter (a good investment for any time of year), and bluebirds will learn from the other birds how to get in.
BlueBars
lou_m
15 years ago
kendra2 i was surprised to see that you are in MA and in zone 5 and have year round BB's. I am in SW Vermont in zone 4 (or 4B depending on where you look) and have been seeing BB's later and later each year and wondering what is going on as i thought they went south for winter.

It is hard to tell from the posts what is happening because not everyone identifies where they are located and what zone they are in but it appears they will overwinter wherever they can.

It seems unimaginable that BB's would overwinter in my region because it can go to -20 here at night and be in single digits for days at a time. Typically there is a stretch of 2 or more weeks in winter that don't exceed the teens. These temps are mitigated only slightly till one travels at least 75 air miles to Albany and the lower Hudson valley.

Nevertheless, I have seen BB's later and later in the year on nice days until I eventually stopped seeing them in late November. This year I saw groups of BB's around the nest boxes on nice days several times in November and December. On Christmas eve I saw a pair perched near the house going into the snow to pick up something. This weekend is supposed to be in the high 40's and i kind of expect to see them again.

So my question is: are they overwintering here or making "day trips" to their nesting grounds and why on earth would they be doing that in such a difficult environment when they could be in Carolina eating fresh fruit and bugs?

Lou
kendra2003
15 years ago
Lou,
It is speculated that some Bluebirds risk starvation in winter in order to be the first to claim nesting cavities in the spring. The first time I saw Bluebirds in the winter, it was during a particularly frigid spell with temperatures well below zero, which lasted for weeks. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them, but I had been growing mealworms to feed to them when they came in the spring, so I quickly started feeding and watering them. I think some of them may have succumbed if I hadn't, because a few of them looked like they were starving to death. After that winter, they have visited me every winter. I guess knowing a source of food and unfrozen water is available lures them here. My yard is such a minuscule part of their territory, so they are certainly around elsewhere as well.
lou_m
15 years ago
Kendra2 I am amazed that you have seen them in below 0 weather. So far i have only seen them on nice days and assume they overwinter in some sheltered location somewhat nearby.

I do not grow mealworms but do grow red wrigglers and have access to them whenever i want. Do you think the BB's would eat them if I put them out even though they would freeze solid in a short while? If they would eat them should they be chopped up? If you don't know red wrigglers they are smaller than earthworms and commonly used to degrade and digest compost turning it into worm castings.

Also, I have never seen BB's at the "meat" feeders i hang out. I put venison meat/fat in them and woodpeckers, titmouse, nuthatches and others seem to love it but the blues don't - nor do they eat the black oil seeds. Do you think they avoid my "meat" feeders because of the competition, the cuisine, the lack of a special feeder like the one above, or what?

I am in the boonies and have to drive 30 miles to buy mealworms - which i am not likely to do - so any suggestion to help them out would be appreciated.

thanks...........Lou
lisa11310
15 years ago
Lou, make peanutbutter suit (recipies found on www.sialis.org) and mail order meal worms (also found on that website).
kendra2003
15 years ago
I agree with Lisa that making them suet from a recipe on the sialis site would be very attractive to them. That's where I got my recipe. I'm amazed any birds can survive in sub-zero weather with those tiny legs of theirs, but they do. I mail order my mealworms, and grow what I can too. I have no idea if they would like red wigglers, or if they'd be good for them. Here is an old photo from the first year they showed up. It was so cold the mealworms were freezing almost instantly. It makes it look like Mr. Bluebird is smoking a cigar.
lou_m
15 years ago
Great picture, Kendra. I am not equipped to set up a bath until it's warm again but i think next summer i'll prepare better and build a feeder/watering hole for them. I am going to start a new thread to find out if they like red wrigglers as i have them handy. I haven't been seeing them since winter really set in here after Christmas. Next year i will be better prepared.

You know the TRES have picked up on how the BB's get an early start on nesting and last year took over a box that had usually hosted BB's. The BB's came early and hey had already put some grass in it and "staked their claim". Then a TRES tenaciously sat on the box until it was his/hers. I was upset but didn't interfere and the BB's moved on to another box. But that's another subject.

Thanks........Lou
cindyinatl
15 years ago
This is the first winter that I have had a lot of success keeping bluebirds coming around during the winder. I think it must be a family from the past breeding season. But there are seven of them (one female and six males)who were coming to the feeder until this past week when a mockingbird started guarding the feeder and chasing all my birds away! Argh! I think they must have gathered together in my bluebird house during the unusually cold winter we've had in Atlanta. I know they were in there during the snow. Saw them all emerge to look for food.

Anyway, they love the seed I use in the feeder! All 7 of them will come to it at once. Quite a site. Its a mixture of hulled sunflower seeds, suet crumbs and a little millet. Its a mix I was getting and Wildbirds. When they closed, the owners set up a delivery service. It attracts the widest variety of birds I've ever gotten. Unfortunately, this year the mockingbird values it so much he is attacking any other birds that come near.
bandjzmom
15 years ago
Dawn, I am in NW GA, and I have had success with feeding the Blues. Last winter, I had them coming often to 4 different types of feeders for raisins and Bluebird Nuggets. Of course, mealworms are always a favorite. I also own a heated birdbath which they do come to. This winter though, I am not seeing them at my feeders. I'm not sure why that is. Here is a pic of my favorite Bluebird feeder.~~Angie
http://i642.photobucket.com/albums/uu141/GAnaturelover/IMG_1134.jpg

Here is a link that might be useful:

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