When I was younger, I thought that watching birds was only for nerdy old people. I pictured two old people with khaki shorts, black socks, safari hats, and binoculars. I guess I’ve watched too many movies. But watching birds in your very own backyard is delightful to people of all ages.
Attracting bluebirds may take a little planning, but it is easy to see why people love these beautiful birds with their deep blue and orange colors and lovely songs. Eastern bluebirds, western bluebirds, and mountain bluebirds are very popular backyard visitors.
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Here Are 6 Proven Tips For How To Attract Bluebirds To Your Yard
1. Have an Open Space
Bluebirds prefer wide open areas with low grass. However, I live in a suburb with a fenced yard and trees. So do not worry if your yard is not a wide-open space; a semi-open space sometimes works. Our yard is big enough that there is open space in between trees. They also need places where they can perch and hunt insects. I’ve seen bluebirds light on our fence then swoop down for dinner. They must have incredible eyesight!
2. Plant native trees and bushes in your yard.
In the winter bluebirds like berries and fruit when the bugs are not around as much. It is important to plant things that are native to North America, because these are the only kind of plants that will attract the type of insects bluebirds eat. They eat insects native to North America. Our birdhouse is right in front of two holly trees, and the bluebirds love holly and berries. We also have a cherry tree the birds like to hang out in.
If you have a dead tree or branch in your yard that you can safely leave standing, blue birds like to nest in the open cavities in the wood. You can even find nesting sites in vacant holes made by woodpeckers.
3. Pick the Right BlueBird House
Make sure you buy the right kind of birdhouse to attract bluebirds. It is important that it be made out of durable wood such as cedar. Nest boxes that are designed to be specifically for blue birds are the best. It will be called a blue bird box or house.
Bluebirds are cavity nesting birds, so the right kind of house is important. Bluebirds will only nest inside of a cavity or hole. We had so much fun this year watching Mama Bluebird go “house hunting” and discover our birdhouse as the perfect place to raise a family!
The entrance needs to have the correct entrance hole size to prevent larger birds such as starlings from using the box. For a round entrance hole, eastern bluebird boxes should be 1 ½ inches in diameter and 1 9/16 inches for mountain and western bluebirds. If you are going to put up two houses, make sure they are no closer than 125 yards from one another. This will ensure enough food for each brood.
We knew nothing about bird houses, so last year we just hung one of those cute craftsy looking bird houses on the fence. We got so excited when a bluebird started building a nest in it, but after a while we noticed that another bird had pecked all around the edges of the hole making it bigger. Then one day after a very windy storm I noticed it on the ground (hole facing down). I turned it right-side up and almost had a heart attack when a streak of blue furiously flew out and went right past my head!
I have since learned that a bird house should never be put on a fence post, because all sorts of critters and predators can get to the babies – not to mention it not being secure in storms. You will want to fasten the house to a pole. Having the entrance hole the proper size can keep away competing birds. Do not get a bird house with a perch on it. The bluebird does not need it, as you can see from my picture, and it will only make it easier for other pest birds to invade. You will also want to make sure the front or back opens easily so that you can routinely check on the nest and clean it out in between broods.
They usually make their nests out of dried grass and pine needles, and the eggs will be a beautiful pale blue. One problem you may run into is house sparrows. If you live somewhere that has a large population of house sparrows, you may find that they will compete for the bluebird house. House sparrows may look nice, but they are extremely aggressive. In fact, they have even been known to kill bluebirds!
Make sure the birdhouse is cleaned out and ready before nesting season (which begins in March or April where I live in Memphis). After the last brood of the year has hatched and you thoroughly clean out the birdhouse, you may want to leave it up for the winter. We leave ours up year round, and the birds will hide in the house during a cold rain sometimes.
You will also want to beware of cats roaming around your neighborhood. Each year cats kill millions of songbirds. Newly fledged nestlings like the babies in our yard are especially susceptible. Since we have dogs, they probably keep the cats at bay.
4. Make sure the birds have water.
Birds need water to drink and bathe in, so a bird bath is a must. Even better would be a small fountain, since blue birds are partial to moving water. Last year we had a fountain with moving water that the bluebirds seemed to really like, but Layla was a puppy and chewed the extension cord. Fortunately, she did not electrocute herself! So now it is merely a birdbath.
Make sure you clean out the water often. If you live in the South like I do mosquitoes will breed in just about any standing water they can find. We bought a floating mosquito repellant tablet that stays in our birdbath “fountain.” It is non-toxic for birds.
5. Have the right bird feeder.
Make sure you get a birdfeeder that squirrels can’t get to. I kept reading that bluebirds like dried mealworms, so I finally broke down and bought some. They look really disgusting, but I guess to a bird they are like a big bowl of mac ‘n cheese!
You can purchase live mealworms at feed and bait stores or even online, but the dried ones are gross enough to me (insert disgusted face here). They will eat the live ones without any prompting, but you may have to get them used to the dead dried ones. Maybe mix a few dried ones in with live ones at first until eventually they are eating all dried ones. Of course, they will still eat insects, snails, and worms from the ground too.
Some bluebird feeders look like a flat tray with rimmed edges to keep the worms in. But a really cool bird feeder that I like is one that is fastened onto the window with suction cups so that you can watch them from your window. Bird feeders are easy to find in stores and can easily be ordered online. The best feeder for my area is one the squirrels cannot get into, since we have a lot of trees and squirrels. The Squirrel Buster standard is the one we like.
6. Watch out for chemicals.
It is best to keep your yard chemical free. From spring to fall bluebirds and many other songbirds mainly eat insects off the ground, so pesticides and other lawn chemicals can make them sick. Chemicals are dangerous for the birds who feed this way.
took her first flight to the fence!
After two weeks of no activity I cleared the nest out of the birdhouse and cleaned it out good with a water and bleach mix then left the door open for it to air out and clear the bleach smell. Now she is back and is busy with her second brood. She has built a nest and laid four new eggs!
When you make the effort to attract blue birds to your yard they will come back year after year!
” Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow, why then, oh why can’t I”
The North American Bluebird Society is a great resource for further information about bluebirds. Do you have blue birds in your yard? I’d love to read your comments.
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