Hi Everyone!
I just put two more blowfly screens in the regular BB houses. Took the measurements off of the one new Ultimate BB house I bought. Should I take them out for the winter to give them more room with winterizing the houses or just leave them in so they are ready for Spring? I put pine needles and a little straw on top of the screens.
This picture is not of the regular BB houses, but wanted to show that I had put bamboo poles up to guard my plants from the dogs, and the BB always would perch on them. They came to this homemade house for the first time and thankfully HOSP didn't kill them. I do have 3 BB houses spaced across 2 acres, and possibly will have to buy more in the future...."hopefully!"
Debbie
Hi Debbie:
If your nest box has vent holes in the bottom of it (which it should), you really need to put a layer of foil on top of the wire if you leave it in there or remove it and put the foil on the bottom of the nest box. That is to keep the cold air from coming up and making the box colder. We place grasses or pine straw on top of the foil. In spring, you can slide the foil and grass or pine right out and chunk it.
The recommendations is that a pair of Bluebirds needs at least an acre per box for forging purposes. Sounds like you have room for two bluebird boxes on your two acres. You can pair the boxes for another species such as Tree Swallows or Chickadees and the boxes paired should be no farther than 20 ft. apart. The two units should be at least 125 to 150 yards apart for the Bluebirds to nest and have enough forging space.
Perhaps I will just take the screen out for the winter and then there could be plenty of room in the boxes in case more birds need to use it. I have 5 BB for sure, most likely the parents and 3 babies.
I will go and put the foil in it tonight. Last night was freezing here, a touch of snow today.
The 3 bluebird boxes are all facing an open field about 30 acres which is always cut. Then to the one side the two neighbors have huge acreage yards. We are spaced quite a bit.
Last Summer was the first set of BB here, they came late and moved into that homemade house among those HOSP. Still trying to catch them faithfully here, caught a male yesterday.
Yesterday in the cold all of the BB were in the birdbath. Tomorrow the new heated bath should arrive.
So off to work I go to help take care of them! I drive school bus, so in and out all day.
Debbie in Pa.
That's wonderful that you have such a large amount of open, mowed low space around you. Maybe you can get some of your neighbors interested too!
Thumbs up to the heated bird bath!
Helping these bluebirds are going to be work here. I am trapping the HOSP, the next door man 72 years, will shoot the males for me. I know I can put another house over in his yard.
Birdbath arrived, waiting for BB feeder and mealworms now.
Have a great day,
Hi everyone we just got our mealworms two weekago and now our bluebirds left we haven't seen them for about 6 days now. Hope they flew south ,because we have a coopers hawk hanging around here. Also have seen some HOSP my husband has the bbgun and shooting them trying to get the male. Glad that you got your bird bath . I have a question for anyone with all the mealworms I order and now haven't seen any bluebirds should I try to start raising them. Is it hard to do it or I heard you can freeze them is that true? We have the nuthatches eating them I don't mind them eating the mealworms, they don't eat as many as the bluebirds do.
Have a great weekend.
Phyllis
Debbie, I've been thinking about how you described your setup. If you could get permission to put some boxes out on the 30 acres if there is a tree line the babies could fledge to, it would be great to start a trail. That would work better than a lot of boxes bunched up on 2 or three acres. Bluebirds are very territorial and most will not nest in sight of each other. They might nest closer than 100 yards, but it would most likely be because of desperation for a place to nest. I was just bouncing it around in my mind how a trail might get started and sustain more boxes that would be more suitable for the Bluebirds. Six of my boxes are on someone else's property.
I think I better put up a few extra boxes out there in the edge of the field where there are tree lines also. The neighbors will all help, I am very lucky with living here. My job is greating rid of HOSP. Since last Summer was the first time the pair of BB came here, there is always a chance more will show up. And I think what you stated about desperation that they might nest closer is so correct. Thats when they showed up here and nested in a box right in the middle of HOSP. I didn't know how bad the HOSP were until I read about the BB this summer.
I hope the word spreads to all who have BB about the HOSP. I have lived here about 25 years and never batted an eye about all of those birds in my trees and shrubs, just complained about the "poop" down by our inground pool. Buried the pool and took down the two huge shrubs where those HOSP always nested.
I was out at 6:30 a.m. today and I could hear a BB. I just ordered mealworms through that Rainbowmealworms. I just happened to run across many postings that the Wormman site, had many bad reviews.
Have a great day.
Hi Debbie,
I wish I had the space you have to add more nestboxes. I also acknowledge you for taking care of those HOSP.
Phillis, I wish I had an answer for you. I don't offer meal worms regularly.
Bayoubluebirdlady, Major thanks for being here and sharing your knowledge/experience. I just keep learning from you.
Jean ~ Taylorsville, Georgia
http://jean-livingsimple.blogspot.com/
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