Wood Thrush Notes

Earliest Bluebird Nest with Eggs

Wood Thrush Shop team member, Jan, reported 5 Bluebird eggs in a nestbox at her home on Friday of this week.  Wow, that’s early!  This means the first egg was laid on the 4th of March and actual nest building was likely occurring in February, although Bluebirds have been known to sometimes build a nest in a day or two.  This is an eager pair of Bluebirds.  Jan had an early nesting last year, too. For most of us seeing Bluebirds nesting is still probably a couple of weeks away, if not longer.  Many Springs I haven’t seen a 1st Bluebird nesting in my yard until well into April.  Remember, they all do not start at the same time so there is no need to be concerned that you have done something wrong because you haven’t seen evidence of nesting yet.  And, there’s a lot of time still to present a new Bluebird box and have success this spring and summer.

Should I Offer Mealworms to Bluebirds?

Offering mealworms is not necessary to attract Bluebirds.  Offering a couple of nestboxes and birdbaths in good locations is the most important factor.  Insects, the primary food source of Bluebirds, are everywhere they travel, Bluebird boxes are not.  My advice is to start with the nestbox first.  At such time Bluebirds discover the nestbox and begin nest building, or even egg laying, and if you are interested in feeding this is a good time to start.  I think the following tips are the best way to begin feeding Bluebirds:

  • I would not recommend presenting mealworms before Bluebirds have begun nesting.  You may just end up feeding other birds, which is ok, however, if you are presenting the worms near the nestbox birds like Robins, Mockingbirds, Jays, and Cardinals may become very territorial and aggressive about the free and easy food source.  These birds may swoop in and drive the Bluebirds from the nestbox. 

  • Let’s say Bluebirds have built a nest and eggs are present.  How do you know?  Refer to our website and the Bluebird section about monitoring.  It is best to start by offering small amounts of worms, a dozen or so, and make sure the Bluebirds are near to see you place the worms in the feeder. My favorite feeder is a ceramic dish on a stand just 18” off the ground.  As feeders go simple is best, dishes and platforms.  If you feed Bluebirds the way we recommend you will not have to contend with larger birds becoming an issue and then need a specialized Bluebird feeder.  Now walk away and watch.  If the Bluebirds immediately pounce on and eat the worms offer another small helping to reinforce the process.  If they fly away remove the worms so other birds do not find them and try again later.  The goal is to establish you as the “keeper of the worms”.  Three or four successful feeding sessions and they will begin associating you with the treat.  Some people like to make a noise each time they offer worms so eventually Bluebirds will key in on the sound, like the Pavlov’s dogs experiment. I prefer silence because other birds are smart enough to key on the noise, too.

  • Live mealworms are always more appealing than dried, no contest, especially in spring and summer months. In warm weather live insects are readily available so dried mealworms tend to be less appealing. 

Follow these tips and you will have a good Bluebird feeding experience.  And do not feel as if you must feed them several times a day, or be concerned if you go on vacation and they won’t get worms for a week.  Bluebirds know what they are doing and will not become dependent on the worms but only take advantage of them. 

Next Week.  When Should I Put out a Hummingbird Feeder?

When and when not to help a baby bird

Each year as we enter the nesting season, we receive numerous phone calls from concerned customers who have found young birds and are unsure of what do next. Often, these young birds may not need help at all. Many fledglings spend time on the ground after leaving the nest, learning to fly and find food. This can sometimes be mistaken for a bird that has fallen out the nest early or a sick or injured bird.

As fans of birds we are always eager to help if we think a bird is seemingly in need, but the best thing to do if you find a bird you suspect may need help is to just observe the bird. Is it a fledgling that is mostly feathered? Or, is it a nestling that has very few feathers and may not have its eyes open yet? Unless a fledgling is showing signs of injury or is in immediate danger of predation the bird should be left alone. They are doing exactly what they need to be doing. If you find a nestling, there are a few different steps you can take before deciding to take it out of its environment and to a rehabilitator. Those steps and much more information can be found in this article on Audubon.org “When you should and should not rescue baby birds”

Our friends at Harmony Wildlife Rehabilitation also have a great website with lots of information on how to help wildlife. While researching this blog post I learned about young rabbits on their page on how to help baby rabbits.

Get Ready for Bluebirds Now

In the coming weeks we will be sharing information about Bluebirds.  We would like to address specific questions and concerns you may have that can then be shared with everyone.  If you have questions regarding Bluebirds please email us at thewoodthrushshop@gmail.com and we’ll provide answers in our weekly blog, or directly back to you in an email.    

Birds are beginning to sing and exhibit other courtship behaviors. The breeding season is fast approaching.  Eastern Bluebirds have already begun searching and competing for mates and potential nest-sites.  If you had planned on replacing an old nest box or moving one to a new location we suggest you do it now. And make it a point to clean out old nests now.  Old nests will not prevent a Bluebird from building a new nest on top, however, the old nest debris is by now decaying and damp and can be a home to insects, like ants, which can be of great harm to hatched chicks.   

Many of you in past weeks have seen multiple Bluebirds land on and look in nest boxes. (See video) In the video you will see classic courtship behaviors like wing fluttering. They may even carry some nest material to the box.  This is not actual nesting but all part of courtship and choosing a nest site which the female will eventually approve. 

Although most Bluebirds won’t begin their first nesting until early to mid-April, their search for nest sites will typically intensify in the last weeks of February and into March.  Some eager Bluebirds may begin nesting as early as mid-March.  

You may think you don’t have the right situation for Bluebirds because you’ve heard they have very specific needs for successful nesting.  The most common fallacy we here from people is “I hear they need wide open spaces”.  This is definitely not true.  In fact, a lot of what you hear about the needs of Bluebirds is very much over stated.  Bluebirds adapt very nicely to all kinds of situations including wooded yards.  If Bluebirds needed the “perfect setup” as described by the many articles you find on the internet they would be extinct by now. These perfect nest-sites generally never existed in nature and have only been determined by humans.

In fact, before people started putting out nest-boxes for Bluebirds they nested in natural cavities including ones in trees. Bluebirds are considered a secondary cavity nester which means they will not excavate a nest, like a woodpecker does, but use one that has already been created.  Once upon a time secondary cavities were in great supply but through habitat loss and competition Bluebirds were “forced” to adapt to birdhouses, or what we refer to as nest-boxes.  Using nest-boxes is an example of Bluebirds’ adaptability.   Offer a couple of nest-boxes in good locations and see what happens.  

 Here are a Few Tips to Choose a Location:

  • Position the nest box adjacent to the most open location available in your yard.  Trees being around or close by are not a deterrent.

  • Bluebirds are typically more sensitive to nesting near a lot of bird traffic, so it’s not recommended nest boxes be placed near bird feeders.  What’s a comfortable distance?  It’s impossible to be exact but we would suggest about 100 feet away, or out of sight of feeding stations. 

  • You may have heard that nest boxes need to face east.  This is a good strategy to avoid prevailing weather patterns and rain but not at all necessary. My most successful box over the years faces northwest. 

  • A Bluebird box does not need to be on a pole. The advantage of a pole is it allows you to position the box in the location you determine to be the best.  Our pole system for Bluebird boxes will put the box at 5’ high after installation (convenient for monitoring and maintenance) and allows for a baffle if you’ve had a history of raccoon or rat snake predation.  Bluebird boxes can be mounted on fences, and utility poles, and even outbuildings. The National Bluebird Society changed their opinion about tree mounting only a few years ago.   Obviously a tree is a more vulnerable location when considering predators.

  • How many boxes can be offered in a typical yard situation?  There is no harm in offering lots of nest boxes (birdhouses) in your yard but do not expect them to all get used at the same time especially if they are close in proximity to one another.  In most cases backyard songbirds are too territorial to tolerate nesting close to one another, unless they are colony nesters like Purple Martins.  But feel free to decorate your yard with lots of birdhouses if that’s your thing.  Offering multiple nest-boxes is great and it does lessen the competition for a single box but do consider the nature of the species you are trying to attract and what kind of setting would be most appealing.

  • We are often asked “when is a good time to put up a bluebird box”?   Every day is good.   However, it is a great time to do so in the next few weeks. The sooner they know the box is there the more likely they will consider using it this season.

Get busy now and have fun with attracting Bluebirds this spring and summer.

Wood Thrush Notes

Bluebirds getting busy

In the past two weeks I have witnessed Bluebirds landing on and looking in nestboxes around my yard. Some of you have reported the same thing. Even in very cold temperatures this is normal behavior for Bluebirds in February as they begin to show interest in potential nest sites. You may see a couple of males and a female, or a couple of females and a male arrive together and go through some of the motions of courtship: wing fluttering and maybe even putting a few sprigs of nest material in the box. None of this is with any intent to nest now but simply preparation for a couple of months from now. A few eager Bluebirds may begin nesting as early as mid-March; however, the vast majority will not begin in earnest until the mid to latter part of April. So, now is a great time to present a Bluebird box if you haven’t already. And if you were thinking about moving a nestbox because of lack of success for a few years now is a really good time to do so. Video of Bluebirds wing waving.

Don’t forget next weekend, February 16th-19th is the annual Great Backyard Bird Count. Simply count and record birds you see from any location. For more information and how to count and record the birds you see visit www.birdcount.org/participate/

Wood Thrush Notes

Recent Bird News

The recent nearly 8” of snow we had certainly increased bird feeding activity to levels we are more familiar with. Many of you saw Purple Finch and Pine siskin, Red-winged Blackbirds, and lots of Juncos. Thanks to all of you who were patient with our freight difficulties and low level of seed inventory. It may interest you to know we sell in the neighborhood of 6,000 lbs of seed per week. So, when winter weather disrupts freight and the need for seed increases we can get into a bind. I’m happy to report we are well stocked and back to normal.

We have a customer in West Meade who has a “special visitor” coming to a suet feeder. This bird is not considered rare but more along the lines of uncommon. The bird is a female Baltimore Oriole and it is coming to suet. We always point out to people that suet is a great food source for wild birds and is the most likely food to appeal to a more unusual species, like this Oriole. It’s been visiting semi-regularly even before the winter storm. The Baltimore Oriole primarily passes through TN during its migration in the spring to areas more north of TN where they breed. March and April are the best months to see Orioles, the male with its bright orange plumage and black and white wings.

Male Baltimore Oriole

Female Baltimore Oriole

Every book I’ve picked up over the years about bird feeding strongly recommends putting out orange halves to attract Orioles but upon further research Orioles prefer ripe dark colored fruit. The darkest Mulberries, the reddest cherries, and the deepest purple grapes are on their preferred fruits list, and will ignore green grapes and yellow cherries. So, this spring I will be presenting some cherries and grapes rather than the oranges that have not worked for me. Orioles will visit hummingbird feeders, too, as they have a similar specialized tongue for extracting nectar and juices from fruit.

Another very interesting visitor to a feeding station in the Brentwood area, and more unusual than the Oriole, is a Black headed Grosbeak.

The BHG resides primarily west of the Mississippi River from Central America to as far north as southern Alberta and British Columbia during the breeding season. The lone bird was coming to a platform feeder for seed, sunflower and millet, I believe. Reported sightings of this species are few making it a rare bird.

The most unusual news to share, though, is a confirmed active House Finch nest with babies. The customer reported a nest and eggs in early January in a typical House Finch nest location, their front door on a wreath. I reached out to them to find out if the babies had developed and grown enough to fledge but have not heard yet. I will share that news in the coming weeks. I cannot remember ever hearing of an active songbird nest in January.