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Bluebird feeding - seasons (Part 2)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:
Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2001 08:39:27 -0800 (PST) Hello friends, Secondly, a quick comment about my observations about feeding habits of the
EABL. Since nesting season was completed, the Blues have never returned for a second feeding in the same day. I'm not sure what my point is. Maybe that there are no written rules and even if there were, birds can't read. I have been extremely fortunate with Blues. If success with cavity nesters is
a function of supply and demand for nesting sites, I have been blessed with high
demand. Date: Sat, 5 Jan 2002 11:57:11 -0800 (PST) Hello friends, The weather has sure turned cold. Single digits at night and low 20's during the day. I feed mealworms to the EABL in two totally different areas. In fact, many of you know that I now provide mealworms to Blues daily in two different states. My biggest concern with winter feeding the Blues is keeping the birds from migrating if migration is what they normally do. In Illinois, an area of wide open farmland, the mealworms have gone untouched for 3 days now. Through the end of December, 7 EABL's had shown up once per day....everyday. Meanwhile 150 miles away in Indiana, an area heavy with woods and forest, the number of EABL's at the feeders has fallen by about 50% (from 20-24 to consistantly 7-12). It seems that winter feeding does not keep the Blues from their migration to find sufficient food supplies. Bob Sitarski Jackson County, Indiana & Clay County Illinois From: "Lee & Jim Johnson" mybuffy1"at"mindspring.com I agree; feeding mealworms has certainly not kept my male and female around this year, versus migrating, or leaving for some other rich-in-food environment. With the time change, they always came for their morning feeding of mealworms later and later each day, based on the sun. When they came for their late afternoon feeding, (which used to be at 4:00p.m.), and because of the time changed to 3:00 p.m., the worms weren't there--I was still at work. At that point, they started coming less and less. My last sighting of the male was on December 8. I had been putting mealworms in the feeder box several days before that, only to notice they hadn't been touched for days before their disappearance. It wasn't too long after that, our temps. dropped to 9 degrees in the mornings and didn't get out of the 20's during the day, for about a week or so. This is not to say they won't be back within a few weeks. I'm not sure they have migrated this late; I suspect they have just gone to a more-abundant food source. I used to worry and fret about them, but have come to learn they are very, very, smart and no matter what we do to try to get them to stay; if everything is not suitable to them, they leave for what they need and want. Although I miss them, I still look at the feeder everytime I go past my backdoor. I know it won't be long, possibly only a month, before I see them with their unmistakable beauty and charm that only they possess! Lee in Missouri! ----- Original Message ----- ... From: "carol fitzpatrick" gdfitzmich"at"msn.com Susan, From: "carol fitzpatrick" gdfitzmich"at"msn.com Susan, If you want to simplify winter feeding, I know that bluebirds will eat currants and sunflower chips alone without all of the other stuff I mix with them. And yes they do eat suet also but you will have to get a bluebird feeder or the starlings will decimate it in seconds. Carol Fitz From: "Karen Harder" karenh"at"praxisworks.org Bea, if you ever get any private answers to your question about Roasted Mealworms, I hope you'll let all of us on the List see the answers. I'm also very curious about them and suspect others might be, as well. Thanks. Karen Harder--Cape Porpoise, Maine ----- Original Message ----- Has anyone used ROASTED MEALWORMS for the bluebirds???? From: "suziq" lghughes"at"
joink.com
Nature Hi, and a very happy holiday to you all!!!! I flash froze a tray of mealies, and will let you know in the spring how the Bluebirds like them , I never heard of roasted ones--if any one else is experimenting with freezing them, let us know. Loren Hughes--Pres. ECIBS From: "Stan, Apple Valley/St. Paul, MN [44.444N & 93.101W]"
stan1bb"at"frontiernet.net Hello EveryBIRDie! Our local Wild Birds Unlimited not only has mealworms, but also roasted mealworms. As for having mealworms available for emergencies, "scope out" your local area in advance of needing them. And, if ordering mealworms, "overnight" shipping would be available, for a "price!" Happy birding! Stan Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 20:47:32 -0600 I just privately answered Bea. The ones I get are, I think, dehydrated waxworms. I get them from garden supply and think there is 1500 in a bag. Norma Zier Karen Harder wrote: Bea, if you ever get any private answers to your question about ... From: Lynn Ward lWard"at"pmai.org Karen, Every year I keep mealworms indefinitely in the refrigerator. Late in the summer, I am usually left with too many to throw out. From about August through December, they're kept in a Tupperware-type container in yellow corn meal. (Holes are drilled in the lid for ventilation.) I then take them out once a week for about a day and throw in apple or potato slices or lettuce and let them feed. In early January (or depending on the weather), the bluebirds come back to their outside feeder - I think by then, food sources such as berries, etc. out in the wooded areas become a bit depleted. I then start mealworm feeding again. I have found this an easy way to always have mealworms on hand without them developing into beetles. I tried raising them, but it was too much hassle. This method also helps during the nesting season when you purchase large quantities of mealworms. I fill a smaller container once a week for feeding and the rest are kept stored in the refrigerator. Just a suggestion! Lynn Ward -----Original Message----- ... From: "Karen Harder" karenh"at"praxisworks.org Thanks to all of you who sent helpful suggestions and shared how you manage your mealies, grub, dehydrated waxworms, and other Bluebird goodies. Nice fat, wiggly mealworms are of course first choice, and if I can find enough space in the fridge, that's what I'll get. For the sake of that space and my convenience, I was just hoping to find an almost-as-good second choice. What you've described here, Lynn, is exactly what I did last May-June, right down to the plastic shoe box with holes in the lid and the cornmeal and apple. I just was hoping to find a solution that wouldn't require getting a bigger refrigerator! Maybe I shouldn't try to be economical next time -- last time I got 5,000 mealworms because it was such a much better deal that way, and because I hoped the Blues would stay around all summer, which they didn't. Karen Harder--Cape Porpoise, Maine ----- Original Message ----- ... From: "Burt & Ruby Bates" burt"at"arkansas.net I have heard that you can feed Bluebirds dog food in the winter. My question is - what kind, canned, dry, etc? Ruby B. From: "Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown County, Indiana"
yumyumkatts"at"voyager.net What my dogs don't eat, which includes a mixture of both dry (3 different kinds) and wet dog food, I put out for whomever wants to help themselves. I have crows, bluejays, turkey vultures and other birds come and feast but I have never seen a bluebird feeding. Dottie, Hickory Hollow ----- Original Message ----- ... From: beabud"at"comcast.net Here in the East Connecticut my blues are still here. I feed them softened
sliced raisens and take peanut suet and cut in up into fine pieces and i just
got some roasted mealworms which i feel are useless/Its like their insides are
gone and all you have is the shell. Seems they love the raisens and suet. Still
testing the roasted mealworms, but if i was a bluebird. i think not. I will only
settle for the best... Bea in Bethel On Friday, December 13, 2002, at 07:17 PM, Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown What my dogs don't eat, which includes a mixture of both dry (3 ... Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 21:21:17 -0600 I do not have bluebirds at my feeders but a couple of years ago, during some cold snowy weather there were 4 that came to a feeder and ate sunflower chips. I put some mealworms out but the ignored them and stayed with the chips. Norma Zier From: "Mr Tony" mrtony8"at"mchsi.com What my dogs don't eat, which includes a mixture of both dry (3 different
kinds) and wet dog food, I put out for whomever wants to help what a great recipe. I used to do this, and fed foxes, 'coons, armadillos,
dogs, cats, and just about anything that walks or crawls. Neighbors finally
said NO to me. Rats eat too. Phil Berry ... From: "Paula"
On Monday, there were 4. On Tuesday, there were 6. Wednesday, there were 8. Wednesday morning, I had 6 BB's at front feeder and 2 in the back. I love it! As the leaves disappear from the trees, so too the territorial disputes of the bluebirds and they are flocking to the feeders. The really rewarding/interesting thing about watching the birds at the feeder is that the superiority of the bluebird due to his/her size is evident here - not the disadvantage we see when they are sitting ducks in the nest box. The sparrows dart in like a cat trying to steal a morsel from a dog's dish. The bluebirds, especially the males, chase them. I had a male with wings out and beak open giving those sparrows what for yesterday - made me laugh. Later in the winter (none so far), I will likely have problems with EUST at the feeder and they will threaten and thwart the bluebirds from eating due to their superior size as well. That is why my husband purchased a site for my BB gun last year. I had a stubborn EUST perched on top of the feeder, intent on keeping all other birds from eating. Alas (word chosen due to Shakespearean origin of said critter), he is no longer with us. Paula Z Powell (Central) Ohio From: "Larry A Broadbent"
rockets"at"mnsi.net Dear list members, I know a lot of you are active in providing bird feeders for your Bluebirds, and other birds through the Fall and Winter. I also know of the many on the list that think feeding birds is a real NO NO. And I respect your positions on this. There are pro's and con's on both side of this topic. I feed my birds on a regular basis. But I am very selective of the types of
seed and the feeders I put out for the birds... For those of you that don't
already have this book, I highly recommend it. A Cornell Bird Library Guide -
The FeederWatcher's Guide to Bird Feeding
http://birds.cornell.edu/feeder_guide.html From: Gary Springer, springer"at"alltel.net It has long been noticed that the Eastern Bluebirds' summer habitat is much different than its winter habitat. In summer the preferred habitat of this bird is one of thin or short vegetative ground cover in open areas with perches from which they can hunt insects. In winter the Eastern Bluebird is seldom found in this preferred summer habitat. They instead spend much of their winter in the forests. The reason most often given for this move to the forest is that the forest provides fruits and berries that persist into late winter which are not obtainable in open grassy areas. But, my recent observations of this bird lead me to believe there is more to this shift of habitat from open grassy areas to the forest. A major portion of the diet of the Eastern Bluebird is insects. And, the forest offers more insects during winter than do open areas with thin or short vegetative ground cover such as mowed grass. During winter, the blanket of leaves covering the forest floor protects insects by holding heat from the ground. And, the loose humus below the leaves provides a medium through which the insects can easily move in search of warmth. Finally, when the bright sun shines on the surface of the leaf covered forest floor, the temperature on top of the leaves rises rapidly causing insects to rise from under the blanket of leaves to the surface making available to the Eastern Bluebird its preferred diet, insects. Gary Springer From: Maynard R
Sumner, m-r-sumner"at"juno.com Gary, you are right. That is the way it works. I have a lot of bluebirds in my woods and on sunny days they will come up to my house to eat suet. Maynard Sumner Flint, MI From: Lawrence Herbert, lherbert"at"4state.com A total of 136 Eastern Bluebirds were noted on two areas of the Joplin, MO., Christmas Bird Count, on Dec. 27, 2003. All of these birds were found on either open "EABL habitat" or woodland edge. I say that safely because we do not have any "forests" in our CBC circle. So, if anyone feels that EABL spend the winter in forests, then they may have to define "forests." Maybe they do elsewhere..... Just wondering. Good birding, Larry H. Joplin MO. Lawrence Herbert From: Haleya Priest, mablue"at"gis.net I watched bluebirds in my yard for a very very short time after our latest ice storm. I'd say we had 1/8-1/4" ice covering everything. Low and behold - I watched 2 berries being taken off our little MT Ash tree. One berry slipped out of the bluebird's mouth, but the second berry was gulped whole - ice and all. SO - I know ice storms can be deadly, but it was helpful for me to see that at least in THIS case, with this small amount of ice, they could still eat. Have others witnessed this??? :-) Haleya Priest Amherst MA From: Evelyn
Cooper, emcooper"at"bayou.com Did you put out mealworms? I feed raisins and crunchy peanut butter with oatmeal and they were coming and going to the feeder all day. I noticed my bluebirds around the birdbath, and I think they were telling me I needed to put some water in it, so I did. On sunny days, it really evaporates. Let's do all we can to help the ones that have stayed with us. The wind chill factor was 14* this a.m. here. That is pretty cold to us, especially since it was 80* a few days ago. (Had the air conditioner on) Evelyn Cooper Delhi, LA. Louisiana Bayou Bluebird Society www.labayoubluebirdsociety.org Member NABS From: Judy Carver, njcarver"at"siu.edu About 3 years ago we had a bad ice storm...absolutely everything was coated with ice. At that time no bbs had ever nested in my yard, although I had been trying to attract them with a nestbox for some time. I would see a few flashes of blue in April or May, and that was it for the year. During the ice storm, we suddenly had a yard full of bluebirds and robins. They were eating something in the woods along the border of our yard, which was full of Japanese Honeysuckle at that time (does this have a fruit that bbs will eat?). Whatever they were eating must have had a pretty thick layer of ice on it, because everything did. The robins were even coming up onto our porch to eat the berries off of holly branches that were sent to us at Christmastime from relatives. Some of the holly was in a paper bag, and the birds were even climbing into the bag to get the berries. Judy Carver Carbondale, Il. From: "Anne-Marie Palermino" Mountain Ash, bittersweet and American Holy that I planted are still too young to bear berries. I feed my EABL's and other cavity nesters my >version of bluebird banquet and when I come at night, everything is gone. My patrons have been busy. I found that EABL's love zante currents. At first they did not know what it was but it it did not take them long. I don't have too many starlings yet. I just keep my fingers crossed. Last year, I did not feed the EABL's in winter but they survived a bitterly cold one. I assume they survived on the wild bittersweet that is not too far from where I live. Anne-Marie, Lincoln, RI From: Haleya Priest, mablue"at"gis.net I have the dwarf variety of Mt Ash. It started producing in the 2nd or 3rd year we planted it. However, I think these are very susceptible to disease as a few down the road recently died. :-) Haleya Priest Amherst MA ... From: Haleya Priest Yes, I just saw one [robin] yesterday. Apparently - as the bluebirds - the winters have been more mild over the last decade or so and so our feathered friends are sticking around more. We'll see what happens with the impact of global warming over the next several years. I think many of our feathered friends are confused by the weather. I notice some of my blues nest at their normal times and some nest later. Either way can spell trouble with the unpredictable weather! :-) Haleya Priest Amherst MA rom: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net] On our trails it is very unusual to see signs of berries being fed to nestlings. We also have blackberries, blueberries and mulberries ripe now but I see no signs of any blue stains in any of the nestboxes this year. This sounds to me like the adults failed as parents and have switched to the fast food berries and lack of protein found in insects has led to this last baby bird being VERY far behind in physical development! If these adults don't know enough to feed their young the proper diet then they may lack the skills to keep fledglings safe or will pass on these inferior skills to their young. Survival of a species depends on the majority of the individuals passing on everything their young need to know in a very short time! Giving youngsters the wrong diet that will create physical problems later in life is more of a problem in the Human species than in bluebirds. It is a shame that this nestbox was not monitored with a camera during this entire nesting to see what and how much the young birds were fed! Even if this young bird fledges or is helped out of the nestbox I doubt that it's muscle, bone or nerves are well enough formed to let it survive in a world filled with predators!KK |
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