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Hello Little Bluebirds

February 1st, 2011

Over the past week Mr Chiots and I have been spotting bluebirds coming to our heated bird bath every morning around 10, we’ve seen up to 5 of them at once. I never see blue birds in the garden during the summer, and have only seen one bird once a few years ago in late February. They’re quite lovely birds and I’m so happy to see them around.

I’m going to be doing some research as to what I can do to make my gardens more friendly to them. I’ve read that they love meal worms during the winter, and I may buy some of those for them, they’re kind of pricey though. I have noticed that they are eating rose hips from the wild rose bush in the lot below us. Planting some rosebushes that produce a nice crop of rose hips might also help attract them.

I have a bluebird house in one area of the garden, but I think it’s too close to the edge of the woods, I’ve never seen any birds nesting in it. I think I’ll try to move it to a more open location this spring, somewhere in the front garden since that’s where the bluebirds seem to be. I’ve read that trying a blue ribbon to it might help attract the bluebirds. The first year we lives here we had an oriole nesting by our garage door, I haven’t seen any since. I’d love to read up on attracting them to the garden as well.

Do you have bluebirds in your garden? Any other birds that are rare for your area?

24 Comments to “Hello Little Bluebirds”
  1. Sue on February 1, 2011 at 5:16 am

    What a lovely touch of color in the snow!

    Reply to Sue's comment

  2. Emily Jenkins on February 1, 2011 at 9:04 am

    We have both Baltimore and orchard orioles in spring. They come for our fruit tree blossoms and each year I put out cut oranges and hummingbird feeders for them. They have such sweet songs.
    Another that I look forward to are the rose-breasted grosbeaks that live nearby during the warm months. They are really bold birds and if I’m gardening by the feeders and they want to eat they come down and chatter at me, trying to drive me away. It works, too!
    Last year I caught a glimpse of a blue-grey knatcatcher sunning itself on the barn roof. I’d never seen anything like it, and it’s so tiny and has the sweetest call. I’m hoping it’ll come back this year but inomly saw it once and heard it 3 or 4 times.
    Can you tell I’m a birder? :)

    Reply to Emily Jenkins's comment

  3. gail dugas on February 1, 2011 at 9:09 am

    we are quite a bit north of you.(north of peterborough, ontario on the Canadian Shield) but we had bluebirds for several weeks last spring. they are beautiful. they like their houses on posts apparently.

    this winter we have about ten blue jays at our feeder, healthy and beautiful as well as amusing.. but i am worried because they are so predatory they will scare away the bluebirds.. or worse

    good idea about rosehips. will keep that in mind

    Reply to gail dugas's comment

  4. Kathi on February 1, 2011 at 9:31 am

    Thanks for the gorgeous pictures ,makes me want to get a heated bird bath!

    Reply to Kathi's comment

  5. Rhonda on February 1, 2011 at 9:47 am

    I live in the suburbs so I think it’s pretty unusual to get as many goldfinches as we do, but we get lots. I noticed they like to eat the seeds from my zinnias so I’ll be planting more of those this year! Plus zinnias are just so easy. You just sow the seeds and up they pop. :-)

    Reply to Rhonda's comment

  6. goatpod2 on February 1, 2011 at 9:58 am

    We have some bluebirds and last week we saw a lot of robins while snow was rapidly coming down too!

    Amy

    Reply to goatpod2's comment

  7. Daedre Craig on February 1, 2011 at 10:12 am

    What special visitors you have! I have never seen any bluebirds anywhere that I’ve ever lived (except a during a brief 2 month stay at a botanical gardens, where bluebirds flourished).

    I get really excited when I see hummingbirds, but they’re probably not as rare as bluebirds!

    Reply to Daedre Craig's comment

  8. alecia on February 1, 2011 at 10:28 am

    lovely shots of winter- bluebird certainly looks plump!!!

    not many here that I notice- see lots of woodpeckers year around and hummingbirds in the warmer months.

    Reply to alecia's comment

  9. Mary W on February 1, 2011 at 10:34 am

    We have bluebirds every year, usually just one or two, but several years ago there was a flock making its way through the neighborhood. It’s the only time I’ve seen that many at once. Same for a flock of cedar waxwings.
    We have a yellow bellied sapsucker that comes every year at this time and feeds on a sugar maple. I’m going to plant another because I think the birds are pretty cool.

    Reply to Mary W's comment

  10. deedee on February 1, 2011 at 10:41 am

    i haven’t seen any here, but i was in somerset, oh over the weekend & there were several there also…. so pretty!

    Reply to deedee's comment

  11. Nebraska Dave on February 1, 2011 at 11:01 am

    No birds here but then I don’t do anything that would be friendly toward the birds. I tried it for awhile but the battle with the squirrels became too taxing and I gave it up. Squirrels are the plague of bird feeders and are very difficult to keep out of them.

    Have a great winter bird day.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

  12. pam on February 1, 2011 at 11:11 am

    I only see bluebirds in the winter too!

    Reply to pam's comment

  13. risa b on February 1, 2011 at 11:12 am

    We get Western bluebirds, but they are rare for us, as the eastern ones are for you. There is another version called, I think, the Mountain Bluebird but we see those at higher elevations.

    At our feeder we see juncos, towhees, finches, chickadees, thrushes, cowbirds, wrens, and a variety of sparrows, some quite colorful. In the yard there are jays, meadowlarks, swallows, sapsuckers, woodpeckers, quail, banded pigeons, doves, and pheasant (non-native). Overhead there are a variety of hawks and owls, blackbirds, crows, ravens, buzzards, geese, ducks, and the occasional eagle. Seasonally we see robins and flocks of redwing blackbirds, goldfinches, and of course starlings. Three times, we have seen a blue heron. Once, an eagle.

    Reply to risa b's comment

  14. Lona on February 1, 2011 at 12:18 pm

    I just love Bluebirds. I have them in the summer but I never see them here in the winter. I keep heated water in the birdbaths and feed out but they do not stay. Too many stray cats here maybe? You are fortunate to have them this winter.

    Reply to Lona's comment

  15. Louise on February 1, 2011 at 1:05 pm

    you could start your own meal worm farm; it is very simple to do. I have started one myself just last week.

    Reply to Louise's comment

  16. Lee on February 1, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    I get lots of hummingbirds in the backyard so they must not be rare in this area but I love watching them.

    Reply to Lee's comment

  17. Grant on February 1, 2011 at 4:07 pm

    Try painting the bluebird houses with “bluebird blue” paint. I have about 4 houses with families in each. Make sure the size of the hole for the hoses is correct, because they are very specific. Lastly, bluebirds don’t like wrens and many of my houses have been attacked by sparrows. (Sparrows eat eggs and kill baby bluebirds) Good Luck!!!

    Reply to Grant's comment

  18. Eliza J on February 1, 2011 at 7:01 pm

    Your pictures are beautiful! I really love the last one where the bird is looking up. I have only seen these once a couple years ago, in the Spring. I was cleaning windows and looked out, and saw about a dozen in a tree out front. I was in awe. Haven’t seen any since. What a gift to see Bluebirds!!!

    Reply to Eliza J's comment

  19. Sincerely, Emily on February 1, 2011 at 7:26 pm

    Oh, how lucky. I haven’t seen a bluebird in years. He is so beautiful sitting on your heated birdbath! Emily

    Reply to Sincerely, Emily's comment

  20. Janine at Rustic Kitchen on February 1, 2011 at 7:42 pm

    I have bluebirds in the “way back” of my three acres – it’s essentially meadow, completely natural. Whenever I go back that way they have this dive-bomb campaign going on. They are very protective of their turf!

    Reply to Janine at Rustic Kitchen's comment

  21. EileenB on February 2, 2011 at 12:17 am

    I mostly see bluebirds in the winter too. I have added lots of bushes to my yard to attract wildlife, including winterberry, red cedars, elderberry, bayberry, inkberry, and wild grape (most of these fruits will last into the winter too). I’ve also put in a small pond with a short waterfall/stream that goes all winter, and the water attracts all types of birds, especially during a hard freeze when water is scarce.

    Bluebirds like an open area for nesting, so I’d recommend moving the bird house away from the trees (which also helps to make the birdhouse less attractive to house sparrows and starlings).

    EileenB

    Reply to EileenB's comment

  22. MAYBELLINE on February 2, 2011 at 3:13 am

    What lovely photos.
    I’ve noticed more birds of prey – owls and hawks. The only exotic birds we have around here are parrots in the park. Those came to a local park in the 1920s and were released. They have survived since.

    Reply to MAYBELLINE's comment

  23. rocky top farm on February 3, 2011 at 1:46 am

    love the pictures! they made me smile!

    Reply to rocky top farm's comment

  24. Treadmill Traci on April 20, 2011 at 2:35 pm

    Nice pictures! I used to have a few blue birds hang out during the spring/summer, but they havn’t been showing up the past few years :(

    Reply to Treadmill Traci's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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