# I've got bluebirds!



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Yes, I did get outside. I opened the window and door flaps on the greenhouse. It was when I was done that I noticed them, 2 females first, then a male. They were in the tree over the rabbit shed. There is a bluebird house on a post at the back of my house. I put it there last summer because the wrens were filling it with sticks when it was drying after being painted. The wrens never used it and I kept thinking the house should be moved because it is in a bad (for me) location. Hubby and I had plans to do work along that side of the house and the bird house was slated for relocation. So of course the birds are looking it over! They have been in and out of it all week. Oh well. We'll just have to work around them.


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## altair (Jul 23, 2011)

We do too! I put houses up last year and we got at least one pair. Either the same pair is back in the same box or it's a different set of renters. I love to watch them.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

I haven't seen bluebirds yet, but they're coming, I'm sure.

I also love the little indigo buntings... 

Waiting most of all for the redwings.


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## 67drake (May 6, 2020)

All I know is we have lots o birds. I don’t know half their names, but no Bluebirds or Hummingbirds yet.
We have 1900 acres of natural prairie and have the Wisconsin river in our backyard. So many varieties come through on their way north. This time of year we have to fill our tall feeder daily, I can’t believe how much they eat. I have 3 different varieties of suet cakes out, those last about 5 days or so. The thistle seed feeder gets picked at a lot, but only need to fill once a month or so.
Yesterday I walked into the back yard and noticed that one of our plastic sledding toboggans, that had a couple of inches of rainwater in it was being used as the community pool! I bet there were 15 birds in that thing. . My wife said she thinks she’ll leave it out a while longer instead of putting it away, seeing as how much the birds are enjoying it.
Funny thing is, I never paid attention to the birds, or fed them till I moved to this rural town. Now I enjoy just sitting and watching the varieties that show up. My kids think I’m just turning into a crazy old man.


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## Hard Aground (Oct 4, 2020)

Watching a whole heap of birds right now, they seem to congregate round the birdbaths & feeders at this time of day. Must be 50 birds in my yard, easy... the quail blocks & other feeders bring 'em in, and the birdbaths too. Sometimes I'll see 7 or 8 small birds ringing a birdbath, like they're having a convo or something. The 4 hummer feeders I put out the other day are also bringing in birds, and the local dove population already knows my address, lol. I'm just now noticing many more colorful songbirds in the area, they must have migrated north. I have to be careful with placement of feeders, quail blocks & birdbaths, otherwise that pesky Tiger will kill birds left & right. He's a real hunter and he has good camo so he blends into the background. I put everything where he has to get into the open before he can make a run at the birds. Crackhead is content to simply watch the birds, he hardly ever switches into hunting mode; his black fur stands out in the daytime, so the birds see him long before he even gets close.


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## Hard Aground (Oct 4, 2020)

I went out to enjoy the cool evening and water the saplings... the lingering breeze gave me an idea, and I went ahead, grabbed my shovel, and pulled two small stumps which I've been meaning to pull, since they were eyesores. Got to watch all the birds, and even my two cats joined me... that Tiger has taken to posting himself under the hummingbird feeders, in the hopes of snagging one of the little guys, but those birds are too wary of him. Tiger is lightning fast and he can leap to amazing heights, in Benson I saw him leap from a squat on the ground 6' straight up into the air to bag a hapless bird at a feeder, but he's not quite fast enough to bag a hummingbird, lol. But as long as he's focused upon the hummers, he won't be going after the songbirds at the other feeders. So apart from an occasional question or comment, I let him lurk near the hummer feeders, it's the lesser of two evils, lol.


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

We've got a pair of bluebirds hanging around the one box I can see easily from the house. They haven't started nest building yet. They usually get chased away by the house sparrows....Redwing blackbirds have been back for two weeks, and the first robins showed up this week...Juncos haven't left yet.....Our perennial pair of Sandhill cranes have been back for about three weeks. They make a daily 6AM reconnessaince sortie, honking their primordial call as they take off....We expect the Baltimire Orioles to return as usual May 1st. Time to dig out the jelly feeders...We had a pair of barn swallows bulld their nest and raise their young under the porch roof last summer. Wondering if they'll return to this nest this year?


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I love Barn Swallows. They are probably my favorite bird. I used to set in the feed mangers in the barn and try to be really still so I could watch them feed their babies.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

The Carolina wrens are using one of my seedling areas as their nursery.

















Their nest is in the stack of planting boxes all the way at the top on the left. The best I can do is pull out the pots on the lower shelves.


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

Danaus29 said:


> I love Barn Swallows. They are probably my favorite bird. I used to set in the feed mangers in the barn and try to be really still so I could watch them feed their babies.


I get a kick out of watching a group of them flying endlessly in a 50 ft circle, climbing and diving. They remind me of kids having fun running a motocross circuit.

Ours built their nest right above one of the bedroom French doors. I sit not ten feet from them and they fly about doing their chores as if I weren't there. They raise their young in a community fashion-- several adults (maybe the previous yr's brood?) bringing food and standing watch.

Speaking of nests in odd places...I know of at least three separate instances where people have decorative wreaths hanging on their front doors and Mourning Doves have built nests on them. (!?)


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## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

I have about 6 bluebird houses up and tree swallows will occupy some. The swallows are amazing to watch flying when I cut the grass.


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## altair (Jul 23, 2011)

I'm not a photo whiz but here's a pic of our pair I just took this morning in one of our apple trees


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

I've put out three bluebird houses each of the past 4 or 5 yrs. The bluebirds investigate, hang around, try to inhabit them, then the @#$% House Sparrows always push them out (or kill them!)

This year, I didn't screw the front edge of the roof down all the way, leaving a <1/4th inch gap open...The bluebirds have moved in and the sparrows are leaving them alone. Apparently the sparrows don't like the accomodations with the gap.

According to this site Wisconsin Bluebirds houses should be spaced by at least 100 yards (the birds are territorial) and safe perches like bushes or small trees should be accessable for the fledglings about 10-30 ft in front of the box. Face the box S -SE. Avoid animal pastures.


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## altair (Jul 23, 2011)

The crappy house sparrows seem to be leaving mine alone as I've tried to place the box away from buildings. But I noticed tree swallows were trying to move in yesterday. I think the bluebirds hopefully held their own.


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## altair (Jul 23, 2011)

Did they settle, Danaus?


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

altair said:


> Did they settle, Danaus?


No. I don't know if our use of the backyard scared them off or if the European sparrows did it. If it ever stops raining I plan on moving the house to the back of the property and bringing the Carolina wren house closer. The little wrens weren't as skittish about human activity.


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

I notice that the bluebird sorties to/from the nest house are frequent during sunny weather, but almost absent during cloudy/rainy weather.We haven't seen the sun for four days now. Today is supposed to be clear, so we'll have another data point to judge my theory.


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## altair (Jul 23, 2011)

I hope they still stuck around somewhere  

I saw tree swallows dogfighting with our bluebirds a couple weekends ago and was worried they'd be chased off. But the bluebirds are still around, and I saw one go into the house yesterday.

There have been starlings feeding on the ground nearby so I'm keeping my eyeballs open but I haven't seen them interested in the houses.

I came to realize I need more houses!


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I have 4 wren houses, 2 bluebird and the Carolina wren box which is not like a regular wren box. One of the bluebird houses is regularly taken by house sparrows (relax, they don't last very long). One of the wren houses used to be inhabited by Chickadees but I think the House wrens got to it first this year. 

And even then, the Carolinas had to nest in my planting shelf in the front yard.


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## 67drake (May 6, 2020)

I just got back from the hardware store. I got some coupons in the mail for a discount on suet cakes, and they had birdseed on sale. These little buggers are eating an amazing amount right now. Based on past experience, the suet cakes get passed over once the warmer weather gets here. Then the hummingbird feeders need attention.


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

The bluebirds have proventhemselves to be fair-weather friends. They were back to frequent visits to the house again today. They've got a little nest started in there....I wonder where they hang out when it's raining?


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

*UPDATE*

I didn't want invasive European House sparrows in the birdhouse so I moved it to the post where the wren house was. I had hoped the wrens would use that house if I put it next to the shed. The wrens were building a nest inside my shed which was not going to work. Anyway, the wren house is still empty. The shelf birdhouse made for Robins, which is also close to the shed, is still empty. The bluebird house was set up in the woods and I didn't think anything except house wrens would be tempted to use it. 

Today I was pulling weeds and cutting back Virginia Creeper which is trying to take over my garden fence. I figured I would check the house but didn't think there would be anything using it. But there is a lovely little grass nest inside with several tiny little birds inside! I immediately moved out of the area since I knew I was keeping the parents away. I moved about 20 feet away and a bird landed on the house. I didn't recognize the bird so I came inside to get my binoculars. I went back out and sat on the wall around one of my raised beds and waited. It didn't take long before a bird came and landed on the house. It was a female bluebird! Woohoo! I knew they were around but figured I missed the nesting window by moving the house so late in the season.


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## altair (Jul 23, 2011)

Excellent news! We had Bobolinks a couple weeks ago but though I hear them across the road, I'm not sure where ours went. I hope any fledglings took off before we hayed.


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## doozie (May 21, 2005)

We ended up moving our bluebird box just as soon as it was empty, the bird was attacking its reflection in multiple house windows along with car windows. What a mess, but they are beautiful.


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

Only blue bird I have flew down my chimney. Is that anything like .... May the blue bird of happiness fly up your nose ?
Bird was unhurt


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

House wrens also compete with bluebirds for nesting sites and may force them out....I had bluebirds lay 4 eggs in one of my boxes earlier this spring, but after ~2 weeks, they were gone....House sparrows have now been hanging around the box, but no eggs as of yesterday.

We have another box occuppied by house wrens who are obviously bringing food back reglarly for the babies inside, a set of barn swallows nursing their new brood in the nest under the porch roof, and I always have to laugh this time of year as fledgling orioles roost near the jelly feeders, squat, rustle their wings held slightly akimbo and open their mouths, begging to be fed by Mama Oriole, who is smaller than they are...I suppose if nests had basements, those fledges would be living there playng video games all day while smoking weed..


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Update on my Bluebirds, it's not good news. I looked in that birdhouse yesterday and inside there was a soaking wet nest with the skeletal remains of 3, ready to fledge, little babies. I don't know if it was the storm we had around the 4th that got them or if it was the heat we had a few days before that. Either way, the poor babies didn't make it. 

I cleaned out the box and drilled some drain holes in the bottom. I wouldn't have thought it would be that wet inside. The entrance faces away from the normal rain and wind direction but apparently rain that gets in doesn't drain back out. I really need to take it down and clean it good. Maybe I'll get to it after hubby's appointment today.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

I thought we had bluebirds here in the Ozarks, but it turned out to be indigo buntings. 

They are so very lovely, but they aren't bluebirds...


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I haven't seen my Indigo buntings yet this summer. They used to feed on the elm flowers in the early spring but the elm trees have died. I moved the feeding tray where I put the finch seed mix and the weeds are hiding it now.


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## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

I see one (or two?) Indigos at the feeders every spring here over the course of a week, then they disappear until the next year...They either must just be passing thru or esle they live in the deep woods and don't come into the open very much once everything starts to bloom or come out of hibernation.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

doc- said:


> I see one (or two?) Indigos at the feeders every spring here over the course of a week, then they disappear until the next year...They either must just be passing thru or else they live in the deep woods and don't come into the open very much once everything starts to bloom or come out of hibernation.


Our area is deeply wooded, so perhaps that is why there are flocks of those beautiful birds. 

I don't know much about them, other than their name, and the absolute joy they bring to my heart. 

Ha. My favorite bird, on my least favorite bush.


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