Tips on How to Attract an Eastern Bluebird #Video
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Description
In this video, I’m going to run through some tips to help attract Eastern Bluebirds to your backyard feeder.
One thing to understand is that they are mainly insect eaters, except for over winter when they eat more fruit from native trees.
Providing mealworms may work. A good thing to know is that they can spot an insect from 60 feet away, so if they are flying overhead or through your yard and see some movement from live mealworms in a feeder there is a better chance they’ll stop by to check it out. Once they know your yard as a food source they will likely come back.
Bluebirds will eat dried mealworms which are much easier to deal with but it may take some training to get them on board. A trick to try is by starting out with live mealworms, then after a few days of consistency, begin adding in some dried ones, upping the amount you mix in each day until it’s all you are providing.
When offering them mealworms, feeders such as platform and tray are good choices that bluebirds can use easily. If there are problems with larger birds a dome feeder may help. By allowing you to lower the dome, it can be adjusted in a way that prohibits larger birds but will leave enough space for Bluebirds.
One thing with mealworms is that they don’t have a lot of calcium, something that Eastern Bluebirds need while breeding and raising babies. An easy way to help since many people have this on hand is to provide crushed roasted eggshells. This will help nesting females replenish the lost calcium.
They will sometimes eat sunflower bits, it’s not a big favorite of theirs though so in order to keep their attention make sure mealworms are present too. Overfall and winter, as well as early Spring, another food they will sometimes eat is suet, which can be put out on a platform in broken-up pieces.
If you are not successfully attracting them with the foods mentioned, try adding a birdbath.
Water is essential to the survival of all birds, using it to clean their pretty feathers and to keep themselves hydrated, especially on the really warm days of summer. This can be an effective way to keep Bluebirds coming, that is if you are able to keep up on giving the birdbath a quick cleaning and replacing the dirty water with fresh each day.
Native trees and shrubs that produce berries or have the insects that they like will help to draw them in. Dogwood, Junipers, Sumac, and American elderberry are some that they like but there are many others, if you are going to plant it’s best to get familiar with what species they like and what ones are typical for your location.
Another way to attract them to your yard, mainly over Spring and Summer is to leave old trees if possible. Bluebirds are cavity nesters but they cannot dig out their own holes and instead rely on old woodpecker holes or natural tree cavities.
Fret not though if dead old trees are not a viable option for you. Nestboxes specially designed for Bluebirds are readily used by them. Bluebird Nest Boxes can be bought at a store, online, or even build yourself. There is a ton of information online from good sources such as the Bluebird society and Cornell lab nest watch, on how to properly build and maintain these nest boxes as well as much more education.
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