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Bluebird feeding - Philosophy (Part 1)In addition to Messages that have appeared in the Bluebird Mailing Lists on this topic, the following are on the Audubon Society of Omaha website:
Subj: Ref: The Importance of Calcium in bird's diets Subj: Re: The Importance of Calcium in bird's diets ... Subj: Question about feeding bb in winter Thanks in advance for all your ideas. H Subj: Feeding Bluebirds Subj: Feeding vs not feeding Subj: Meal worms Subj: Re: feeding bluebirds. Esther Leck, Woolwich, ME; 65 and sunny today. Big storm coming tomorrow; should slow down the migrating birds.
Subj: Re: Feeding bluebirds Subj: Joe Huber's mealworm article Subj: winter bb feeding
Hi, Joanne. A belated response to your e-mail to Bluebird-L. Many will say, "Don't feed." However, my experience feeding mealworms has been a very positive one. This is only my 2nd summer with bluebirds and my first with mealworms. I ordered 1000 (plus 1000 extra free) from Rainbow for $10.45 (1-800-777-9676). I nailed empty tuna fish tins to the top of a stake which I hammered into the ground about 5 ft. from the nestbox. In the beginning I put out only 10 worms twice a day in each of 8 feeders. Now, I'm down to 2 feeders, and I'm putting out 15-20 twice a day in each. That is a VERY small percentage of what the birds eat each day, so I feel this does not hurt their hunting instincts. I agree with those who say that we feed the birds for our OWN enjoyment. Feeding even this small amount allows us to see more of the birds and to watch them up close. I always whistle when I approach the feeder, and they come right away. Sometimes, they're waiting for me. Some on this listserve have related experiences of the birds eventually eating from their hand. Although it sounds like a neat experience, I will probably not go that far. I've been collecting lots of ideas on the subject of mealworms (their care and propagation), so if you want more info., let me know. The first and best resource is the fact sheet from the North American Bluebird Society, found on the Bluebird-L Reference Guide. Happy bluebirding!
Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 15:24:06 -0500 Hello all, I was amazed to see how early many had Bluebird eggs this spring. I didn't keep records of these first egg reports but it seemed to me that several of the earliest reports of eggs were from those who were feeding mealworms. When I was a boy my father raised tropical fish. I remember him saying that adding live food (such as daphnia, mosquitoes larvae, red worms, brine shrimp etc.) to the diet of many species of fish seemed to trigger the egg laying process. I was wondering if mealworm feeding may have the same effect on Bluebirds. The Bluebirds' food supply seems to be lowest in late winter and early spring. Many of the persisting berries and fruits have been depleted and cold snaps make it difficult for them to find insects as well. Before egg laying begins, it seems the Bluebird would first restore its strength. The Bluebirds who are being fed mealworms, however, have a steady supply of the food it relies upon almost entirely during the breeding season, live insects. Has anyone else considered the possibility feeding mealworms might result in earlier egg laying? Gary Springer, PS I realize earlier egg laying was observed in many areas even where mealworm feeding was not practiced. Maybe the warm weather increased the natural supply of insects as well. But it still seemed to me that a good many of the earliest reports of eggs were from those feeding mealworms. Writing from the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Northeast Georgia,
further north than most of South Carolina and a bit of North Carolina www.realbirdhomes.com
Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 17:14:15 -0500 Hello Gary & All: In the interest of brevity I am not using your original Message stating your interest in the connection w/possible feeding of meal worms & early egg laying and will respond with my opinion at this time. When the first egg for Mrs. Earlybird was laid 2/19 w/4 additional eggs laid I made it clear that the 10 wintering-over birds on my trail were fed mealworms beginning mid-December. Since those eggs did not hatch said eggs will be examined by a local vet to learn the reason. Also, another box has produced four hatchlings, egg laying began 3/5, brooding the normal 14 days. Here we will have the opportunity to compare close monitoring, fertility & production. In my opinion as stated in earlier reports egg laying can indeed be stimulated by feeding mealworms to wintering-over Eastern Bluebirds. Here is the proof right under our noses. The bird has not had to migrate, deal with stress in food-searching and is protected by communal roosting. The report I hope to receive from the Vet who examines the unhatched eggs should answer even more questions. Betty Nichols, Middletown, MD
Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 19:49:20 -0500 Hi Gary and all. I have no doubt in my mind that feeding mealworms is the reason for early egg laying by BBs and other animals. Long ago I used to breed tropical fish, your Dad's observations are right on the nose! In the case of the BBs, the eggs which were laid too early the weather did not cooperate. Also, we do not know if the eggs were fertilized! It is possible Mr. BB was too cold to cooperate!!! Fawzi Emad, Laytonsville, Maryland
Date: Sat, 25 Mar 2000 21:44:40 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA We all might be surprised to find out that perhpas it isn't just mealies that brings early nesting. Mel and Mary Ellen Bolt feed currants - "all you can eat" style to their EABL and they have early nestings. I thought it was the protein in either the suet mixes or mealies that allowed for the early nestings, but here is one example of only fruit being fed which still brings on early nesting. Anyone else seen this??? With this, I am considering switching over - easier and cheaper - especially if it brings the same results. H
Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 07:55:11 -0500 Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas cool 58*F heading for a sunny day and 80* For those new to bluebirding, feeding meal worms is like most have said something you do for your own enjoyment. There is no need to spend a "fortune" on mealworms if you don't want to! Bluebirds are VERY good providers and even in "hard" times a single parent has been able to raise large broods alone without a mate. Although they beg for food every 15 minutes or so they WILL NOT starve over night and this is often 12 hours or more. These birds can go all day without food and this will effect their fledge dates but will seldom kill them! My bluebirds LOVE my mower! During the summer I or my son Shawn will take it
out and mow some almost everyday! This attracts many birds to the strip Although bluebirds are not big fruit eaters planting a couple of blueberry, blackberry, raspberries, figs ETC will attract and feed many other birds and you just might get a single fruit or two if YOU are the "early bird" in your own garden! What ever you do simply enjoy the birds and the wonder of nature! KK
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 15:45:54 -0400 To: The Constituency, Look at it this way. I LOVE lobster. I could easily put away three 1 1/2-pounders at one sitting, and I'm one of those guys that eats everything but the shell. However, if my wife, in order to show her affection for her model husband, began serving me one lobster with every meal, and kept it up for a week or two, I really believe that I'd finally get sick of seeing them, and long for some ribs, or some corned beef and cabbage. So it is, perhaps, with the Bluebirds. Most of us have seen them stuff themselves and their bairns (and bairnesses) with mealworms, and then finally tire of the d----- things and go off looking for something else, maybe a grasshopper, or a cricket. I'm amazed, frankly, that they come back for more as quickly and as readily as they do. Maybe they do it just because they see me sitting there with my Nikon, and they want to humor me. Bruce Burdett, NH Bluebird Conspiracy, Sunapee NH
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 07:28:49 EDT I don't think the bb's actually tire of eating mealies, I give them more credit than that. I firmly believe they will use the food source as long as it helps them out, ie., feeding babies, but soon get back to business. i have watched them for years while they eat their mealies. after a period of time of feeding fledglings right on the feeder, they will soon chase off the youngsters and force them to find their own food. they are wiser than we know. Phil Berry Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 04:51:13 PDT Julie Zickefoose covers the results of over-feeding mealworms very well in the latest issue of Birdwatcher's Digest [Volume 22, Number 6July/August 2000]. See "Mr. Troyer's Story" which is the cover story of that issue. You can't mis-identify the issue what with the EABLs perched on a sunflower. Dean Sheldon, Huron County, OH ... Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 08:18:09 EDT Sherry Hunter, I echo, very good article in this magazine. It can also be read at the following web site: www.birdwatchersdigest.com "Mr. Troyer's Story" by Julie Zickefoose Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2000 11:28:54 -0700 ----- Original Message ----- Neat! Isn't it? We all watched as the pair took 6 days to build their nest, and another 5 Well, there are two schools of thought regarding this: Monitoring frequency can be affected by a number of things. For one, if you watch the adults coming and going, and jump in to do a quick monitoring while they're gone, it's likely that they'll never even know you've been there. So frequent monitoring can be a non-issue. If you do it with great deal of fanfare, people standing around, and take a long time doing things; then just the opposite will be true. Only *you* can determine what's appropriate for your birds. Penny and I work closely with several of the rangers at our county parks. We
make sure that at least one box is always available for them to use for their
junior ranger program. Even with a dozen eager kids hanging around, the ranger's
have managed to open the box, permitted each child to view or touch (depends on
the age of the child and the fledgling), and have returned the box to the care
of the adults without any evidence of stress on the birds. Obviously we can't
run some kind of test on the birds to know that. But watching their continued
activities would indicate that it was a I have never fed bluebirds before, but was considering mealeworms. I Yes. And I don't recommend it. I say this not to deprive you of the satisfaction, but rather that they don't need it. If the parents are actively and successfully feeding their young, then putting food within sight of the nest box serves primarily to attract other "eaters"--most of which are predatory to some degree. After all, that's what insectivors are... This might not apply if there was an extended cold snap, hot spell, or one of the parents became a no-show. Temperature swings can affect the availability of the insects needed to feed the young. In those kinds of cases, a little assistance may well be appropriate. But do that as a last resort, not the first course of action... OTOH; strictly speaking, if the parents chose a poor location, timed the weather poorly, selected a poor mate, or any of a host of other possible misfortunes; then it might well be kinder in the long run to permit "nature" to select that line for termination. That is after all what happens each and every day to every living thing--as it has for millienia... Only man has seen fit to promulgate the ignorant, indolent, stupid, incapable, and unwell into our common bloodline. It's too early to tell where this will take us. But the early returns seem to indicate that it's not going well... Finally, I'm often dismayed at the folks that post here that somehow think
that they can benefit their birds by putting food into their nest boxes. Only
man takes food into his home. Other than bringing food to immobile young, no
animal stores food in their "home" (let's not get into the feeding a
overwintering habits of various rodents and other critters--that's another issue
entirely). Food put into a box is inevitably lost as it falls into the nest
structure. The young don't look down for dinner, they look up. Other than out of
happenstance, the adults can't, don't, and won't look for food in You mentioned that you wanted to feed them mealies, right? Meal worms are fine for adults, and certainly better than straw for starving youngsters. But I've spent considerable time observing WEBL's and other birds from within inches of their nest boxes. The kind of food they bring is invaritably very soft and very easily fed to young. A meal worm is far too hard and active for a very young bird. While the birds do bang them on things to "soften them up", they're still quite a departure from their "normal" diet. Unless you think they're starving, I would recommend that you leave them to eat what they can forage... Still and all, please don't take this note as a rebuke of what you wanted to
do. It's just a distillation of my observation and experiences. You are of
course entitled to handle this issue any way you want. As always, YMMV! Date: Sun, 01 Oct 2000 02:08:04 EDT What I hope is that NEXT year everyone will finally learn that you DO NOT HAVE TO FEED THE BIRDS as a part of the whole bluebirdng process. Dean Sheldon, Huron County, OH Date: Sun, 01 Oct 2000 09:19:11 -0700 Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. While it is true you do not have to feed mealworms to bluebirds, it can be a useful monitoring tool and can make the difference in nestling survival. I have posted this information to the List in the past and will recap some of it below for those new to List. My trail consists of about 40 boxes and I depend on mealworms to give a quick assessment of the health of each site. Below is a partial list of advantages of feeding mealworms: - Creates an early-season friendship bond with the nesting pairs. For me, this is an important factor of monitoring a large trail since I now work full time. Each monitor has his/her own style. Some advise to quickly monitor the site and quickly leave. I prefer to do just the opposite. If time permits, I will spend time watching the pair and observing their habits. Extended time at the site allows you to assess conditions such as predators in the area, noise levels, human traffic surrounding the nestbox. - Lets you know if both parents are still around. If only one parent is showing up when I lay down mealworms, I try to bring extra mealworms. One parent trying to feed 6 chicks alone (and without extra mealworms) is similar to a pair trying to raise a dozen chicks--impossible. If you do nothing, you will watch a slow die-off of the nest with an average expected fledge of two or three chicks from a single-parent nest. - Lets you assess the hunger of chicks. I listen for the urgency of the peeping and the urgency doesn't subside after a few handfuls are laid down, I try to drive to the site and lay down mealworms before I head for work and again in the late afternoon . . . until all cheeping from the box subsides and the parents start eating a few mealworms themselves. - Even now I continue to bring mealworms with me when I visit the fall/winter sites. Some bluebirds will fly to the area when they see me coming with my lifter box and bright blue pole. It's nice to be able to lay down a handful of mealworms; and I believe this introduction will help alleviate stress to the new couples when I start monitoring their nestboxes during the upcoming season. It is true you don't have to feed mealworms to nesting birds. It is true you don't have to weatherproof your boxes. It is true you don't have to spend time at your sites. It is a matter of personal style of each trail monitor. What works for one monitor on their trail does not necessarily work for another and this List provides many-faceted alternatives. dean sheldon wrote: What I hope is that NEXT year everyone will finally learn that you DO NOT Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 12:38:09 EDT To: Linda Violett If the birds can't find food in your area you may not be doing them a favor encouraging them to nest there. Waht happens when you pass on? Tina Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000 10:45:04 -0600 COME ON NOW lets us just admit that the real reason to feed the bluebirds is for OUR enjoyment. They will survive with out our supplemental feeding. Bob Wilson Date: Mon, 02 Oct 2000 16:36:10 -0500 Merilyn Hunter, Hot Springs, Arkansas I agree with Bob Wilson that feeding mealworms to the Eastern Bluebirds and Carolina Wrens brings me enjoyment, but I also agree with Linda Violett that it can be a useful monitoring tool The birds that I monitor are in my backyard. From watching them in this environment for over 10 years, and from feeding them (1 time a day) for 5 years, I have learned a lot about their behavior. Knowing what to expect, especially after fledging, has allowed me to have some insight into the welfare of the young bluebirds. I have observed, time after time, that after fledging, parents carry mealworms to the surrounding trees for a week or two and then later the fledglings come with the parents to the mealworms. I can observe how many have survived from week to week. Eventually the "adolescent" bluebirds take off on their own, but the parents stick around with the current young. To make a long story short, I observed that this year there more unhatched eggs than in the past, but also that the survival rate of the fledglings was extremely poor. For example, after I witnessed 3 Eastern Bluebirds fledging on one day, 2 days later the parents were around, were eating mealworms, there was no feeding of fledglings, and there never was until the next brood hatched. Whether or not I can use this information in any kind of a beneficial way remains to be seen. Linda Violett wrote: Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. ... Date: Thu, 05 Oct 2000 22:25:57 -0400 Judy, I wonder if you or someone else could clarify your last post. At first you state, "Most scientists agree that birds are driven to migrate based on day length, rather than food source." Then you mention, "........Now, having said that, we can look at the Northern Cardinal whose range has been greatly extended because of back yard feeders. In IL., at the turn of the 20th century, it was very rare to see a Cardinal in the northern climes during the winter." I am curious. Is this thought that back yard feeders created the extended range of the Northern Cardinal (NOCA) based on scientific research? Is it common to see a NOCA now in the winter because the weather patterns have changed in favor of milder winters thus somehow inhibiting their need to migrate, rather than the fact that we've put up many, many feeders? Thanks for clarifying. H Date: Fri, 6 Oct 2000 08:34:46 -0700 Valid question and challenge- and I love a challenge! Several years ago, a friend loaned me a journal written in the 1890s and 1900s by a woman who lived on the North Shore of Lake Michigan just north of Chicago (read:wealthy!) She was suffering from what she described as a "wasting disease" and spent her days lying on a chaise, looking at her gardens and recording the changes in the season. In an ezzzy from 1895, she wrote about the wonders of seeing a cardinal in January and what a marvel it was. This really piqued my curiosity and I started paying lots more attention to reading about this phenomenon. I have read about this a number of times but I do have two readily available quotes here: H. David Bohlen, who at the time was the Zoologist for the IL. State Museum, published a book called BIRDS OF ILLINOIS in 1989. This is a compilation of nesting and migration records for every species recorded in the state. In his record on the Cardinal, he states, "The cardinal is essential a bird of southern affinities that has extended its range northward in IL. since 1900. ... In 1934, the cardinal was considered a rare visitant in the Chicago area twenty five years ago but by then more common. Today it is found there in good numbers. The move northward was probably facilitated by bird feeders and urbanization." In BIRDER'S WORLD, December, 1996, there is an article called "Three Cheers! With vibrant song and plumage, the Northern Cardinal epitomizes backyard wildlife." The author, Jerome Jackson, professor of biological sciences at Mississippi State, says, "during the late 1800s and early 1900s, cardinals seemed to be steadily moving northward across eastern North America. Why? Some have suggested that the winter feeding of backyard birds, which became popular around the turn of the century, provided just the advantage that allowed cardinals to survive northern winters." He goes on to describe the urbanization of the area and the development of ideal cardinal habitat. I'm sure there are lots of factors involved but these seem to be the two I've seen most frequently. As I mentioned, we have seen phenomenal increases in Robins on Christmas Bird Counts here over the last five years. Most folks are attributing this to warmer winters but this should be the next big study on changing habits of migratory or semi-migratory birds. It would seem that feeding provides the opportunity for those inclined to stay but will not entice birds for whom it would be dangerous to do the same. Judy ----- Original Message ----- From: Haleya Priest mablue"at"gis.net ... Wed, 18 Oct 2000 08:11:17 -0700
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 18:08:26 EDT
Date: 19 Oct 2000 01:39:52 -0000 From: "Stan Merrill, St. Paul, MN" Subject: Re:[Bluebird] Feeding usty and EveryBIRDie! Count me among those feeding year-round, subject to birds appearing at the feeders. In Indiana, we fed year-round -- enjoyed watching the fledglings appear at the feeders. However, upon retiring to MinneSNOWta, during the cold winter months previously, haven't had any takers in the immediate area of our Townhome, though neighbors and friends in surrounding areas have winter birds, so not sure what the score is yet. Had some juncos which have now arrived. Presently, seeing black-capped chickadees, blue jays, house finches, and crows. Dusty: A brainstorm for feeding mealworms to your Bluebirds, without the Mockingbirds taking control: Teach your bluebirds to use Wild Birds Unlimited (or whatever name is, of your local Wild bird store) "fly-through mealworm feeders." Looks just like a regular platform feeder, withOUT the landing platform, plastic front and back, with wooden ends (hole in each end) and a perch beneath each hold. To start, I was feeding mealworms to our chickadees in a three-inch flower pot saucer on table on our deck; then tried holding it, and they came to my hand. Getting them ready for winter, I placed the saucer of mealworms inside the feeder (with top raised), so they could fly down inside; and final step was to close the top, so they made their entrance through the end hole. Interestingly, this one chickadee flew in one hole, grabbed a mealworm (or two) and flew out the opposite hole; off to devour the mealworm(s); then back, to repeat the procedure. The other day, I bought a SECOND feeder, so I could feed them from our deck; second one, for a feeder out front, whereby we could watch them from our kitchen window. Now, is that "bird looney" or not! (Rhetorical question...no replies needed!!! Ha!) Happy birding! Stan, St. Paul, MN ****************************** On Wed, 18 Oct 2000 08:11:17 -0700 Dusty Bleher I know we discussed "off-season" feeding a while back, but I don't recall ever getting a good census of how many are feeding (as opposed to not feeding), and what their results are (BB's taking it, or not). I've been trying to feed the blues here, but the Northern Mockingbirds always clean up the mealies long before anybody else even knows they're there... Dusty Bleher San Jose, Ca. Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 22:19:48 EDT Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 22:24:24 EDT
I feed birds all year round; sunflower, thistle and suet. For some reason the
Downey's have not touched the suet this time??? Maybe as it gets colder. Also I
have 2 birdbaths and a small ornamental pond for water source. Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 00:09:05 -0400 I don't feed the blues, I offer mealworms. The blues decide if they want them
or not. The blues in my yard have been provided with mealworms for four (4)
years now. When I first offered mealworms, the blues readily adapted to the
feeder and are year-round regulars since. There are, of course, time periods
when these guys won't look at a mealworm - usually for about the month after the
last family of each year fledges (i.e. September or October) - when berries and
nature's bugs are at a peak level. The blues are here all winter - sometimes
roosting, sometimes just dining - and enjoy high protein meals everyday. They
are also regulars at the suet feeder (stocked with home-made peanut butter
'suet'). When each family fledges, the adults will continue to visit the feeder,
often flying worms to wherever the 'kids' are. But the adults will not introduce
the kids to the feeder until after the kids have been well trained in
identifying and catching nature's food. Then, look out! A rowdy bunch makes its
first visit to the feeder! 'Kids' will stand knee-deep in mealworms and still
beg to be fed. The adults look at the kids with totally incredulity . as if
saying: "Duh, look down, dippy!" The chatter of kids making their first visit to
the feeder is a marvel to which I am privy via a baby monitor in the feeder. Date: Thu, 19 Oct 2000 01:11:16 -0400 Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2000 15:02:48 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA If anyone needs any proof as to the difficult times bluebirds have getting food during an ice storm, my feeders are proof of the pudding. Usually my EABL come several times a day - about 1/2 hour to an 1- 1/2 hours between feedings. Today, with our ice storm, there hasn't been 10 minutes that has gone by without EABLs at the feeder. H :-) Bluebird feeding - Philosophy (Part 2) |
BEST OF BLUEBIRD_L CLASSIFIEDS HOME | Audubon Society of Omaha | The Bluebird Box | Bluebird FAQs | Search | Contact meAll material was originally posted on the Bluebird_L or Bluebird mailing list, and has been reposted here with slight modifications to make the posts more readable in an HTML format. In cases in which quoted material has been deleted to save space, this is indicated by an ellipsis (...)For more information about Bluebird_L, check out http://www.cit.corn.edu/cit-pubs/email/using-lists/index.htm. If you wish to contact the author of a post, you will need to edit the e-mail address, replacing "at" with the "at" symbol (above the number 2 on your keyboard). (This change was made to discourage spammers.)If you are the author of a posting and would like to see a particular post (or posts) removed from these web pages, please contact me with the web page address, title of post, and date and time of the post(s), and I will remove whatever material you like. If you have a different opinion from one posted here, you need not contact me, as often I will have a different opinion too. The intent is to try and provide both sides to the issues facing bluebirders, and to do so in an impartial and objective manner.If you have problems, encounter broken links (unless they are within an e-mail thread, as I do not maintain those links), or have suggestions on how the site can be improved to make it more useful, please contact the Best of Bluebird-L Classifieds webmaster.Website design by
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