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attracting & keeping bluebirds around

5 years ago

I've been trying for several years to attract bluebirds. correct houses & feeders & mealworms. a few would pass thru but did not stay. for 2 years a mountain bluebird shows now & again. he is way off course. so-3 weeks ago several male & females ( 6-8 ) have been hanging around the feeders & houses. starlings started raiding the mealworms so I built some feeders with 1 1/2" entrances. then 2 days ago they vanished. i'm hoping they come back as I just ordered about 400 metric tons mealworms online. any hints on other attractants?

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Comments (3)

catherinet
5 years ago
Hi rober49. I'm no expert, but first you should make sure your houses are in good places. Supposedly they're best situated away from bushes, etc., that sparrows like to sit in. If you do get bluebirds and don't want the babies to get eaten, you should have the houses on poles the right height and I suggest a squirrel baffle on the poles. Still then though other birds can kill the babies. Do you clean your houses out every year?

I'm fortunate to have 35 acres of woods and field. I think the bluebirds like to live in the trees. It's fairly inconsistent when we have them around though. They are very gentle birds and I think they are easily driven away by more hostile birds. Good luck to you!
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rober49
Original Author
5 years ago
they are back. my houses & feeders are properly placed & I've made to remove any sparrow nest. I also now have a sparrow trap in play. there also Asian sparrows in this area but they are not a problem. the british imports ( sparrows & starlings are rats with wings. I was on a construction site one morning & watched a huge flock of starlings on a flyover. it took 50 minutes for them to pass.
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mr1010
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I have bluebirds that live on/around my farm. They perch on the wood fences to hunt flying insects. But they love the overflowing horse trough when I run the hose for water. So make sure you have a fresh supply of water for them.

They used to nest in a fake 2ft. tall OWL attached to top of small barn. They pecked holes in the owl and stuffed it full of grass to make their nest. Their entry hole faced

SW. The owl was blown down during a storm so I need to replace it somehow.
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