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Bringing Home Bluebirds

We went to the Wisconsin Garden Expo in Madison last weekend and had a great time. There were hundreds of vendors, as well as free seminars. One of the seminars we went to was "Attracting Bluebirds and Other Cavity Nesters". The speaker was Patrick Ready, of the Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin. It was very informative.

Although we attract a number of beautiful birds to our feeders, I've not seen Bluebirds, so I will try to attract them this Spring. The BRAW website has specifications on types of feeders to buy or build, as well as a wealth of info on Bluebird behavior. Just after I decided to try to attract them, two serendipitous things happened:
1. I was shopping in Walmart and saw a feeder specifically made for Bluebirds, for $9. It seems to have the right dimensions and is made of cedar:
 Closeup of the tag:

2. I read Pearl's latest blog post at Serenity Cove, all about the Bluebirds that are gracing her backyard, with fantastic photos! They are feeding on homemade suet she's made. She's tried to attract them for about 10 years now, and they are appearing at her feeders this winter.

According to the BRAW seminar, Bluebirds are making a comeback. I hope to see them soon!

A note to all about the Cornell University's Great Backyard Bird Count program, which begins this Friday, Feb 17 and goes through Monday Feb 20. To participate, you count number of birds and species that you see for at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count. Then you log what you saw on the site. Happy Watching!
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Comments

  1. CatherineFebruary 15, 2012 at 4:33 PM

    What an amazing bird! We dont have anything like it here at all. Lovely to visit you can't wait to come back and see the family move in, and greetings from Ireland:~))

    ReplyDelete
  2. HolleyGardenFebruary 15, 2012 at 5:49 PM

    Good luck attracting bluebirds. That does look like a nice house. I hope they'll call your garden their home. I have actually seen quite a few bluebirds this year. I'm always surprised to see them as I don't see them very often, and they are so blue and pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The Sage ButterflyFebruary 15, 2012 at 8:56 PM

    When I lived in Maryland, it was rare to see a bluebird. I missed seeing them. Here in Virginia I see lots of them every single day. I hope their numbers increase, so they are seen more and more in Maryland.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Serenity CoveFebruary 15, 2012 at 11:14 PM

    Thanks Sherry...Wish you lots of luck. I used to read articles where people would put food and houses out for them and just like that they appeared.
    Not me!! It took many years of patience.
    One thing I haven't talked about on my blog is the bluebirds biggest enemy. The horrible english sparrow.I don't want to offend anyone but if you want bluebirds you have to destroy the english sparrows. They are not a native bird and will trap and kill the bluebirds in the nestbox,sometimes building their nests right on top of them. It happened to me.If you want more info check out this site http://www.sialis.org/hosp.htm
    If you are interested I will tell you what we use.

    ReplyDelete
  5. gardeningnaturallywithclaudia.blogspot.comFebruary 16, 2012 at 2:58 PM

    I don't think I've ever seen one. I don't live near a grassland. I'm envious - your pictures are great.

    ReplyDelete
  6. SherryFebruary 16, 2012 at 5:47 PM

    It's so interesting to hear everyone's experiences with them - some have almost never seen them and some all the time. I suppose it depends on location - they've been strong in the South, and and I think numbers are growing back in the North. I will watch out for those sparrows!

    ReplyDelete
  7. MarijkeFebruary 17, 2012 at 1:04 PM

    What a gorgeous bird. Never heard of it before. With you new birdhouse it must get busy with birds in your garden. Did you have a lot of bird visitors in your garden.
    Have a great weekend
    Marijke

    ReplyDelete
  8. SherryFebruary 17, 2012 at 5:27 PM

    Hi Marijke, we haven't put the new birdhouse up yet, but are getting lots of birds, mostly woodpeckers and chickadees, at the feeders we have up.

    ReplyDelete
  9. RobinLFebruary 25, 2012 at 8:14 PM

    Good luck attracting bluebirds. I've never even seen one in real life! I know they wouldn't nest here in suburbia, no open fields. Darn it! I'm so glad you found my blog again!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Rajiv SankarapillaiApril 15, 2014 at 12:13 PM

    Cool :)

    ReplyDelete

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