Watching my bluebirds

[Joey]

Sitting at the table after eating breakfast, watching the bluebirds out the French doors build their nest, preparing for their second brood of the season. The female does most of the work, she will land on the perch with her beak full of material, and try to get it in the 1 1/2" hole. Of course it doesn't go well the first time, she backs off, looks around and tries again, She keeps doing this until it finally breaks and fits thru the hole. A couple minutes later, she flies out for another beak full. I don't know where the male is during all this. Yesterday, after she deposited a rather large pine needle in the box, he flew in and a minute later comes out with the pine needle and fly's off. Can't say as I blame him, I can't stand the smell of Pinesol, can't imagine what a bed of pine needles smells like.
I haven't seen any of the first brood around, we have two nesting pair of Redtails in the neighborhood, hope they haven't made a meal of them. I dare not shoot the hawks, they are a beautiful bird, and the penalty is $5k fine and 2 years in the hoosegow.
A coupla' years ago I saw a young Bluebird from the season's first brood, his/her chest still spotted, helping feed the second brood. In doing some research on BB behavior this isn't all that uncommon. Kinda like a commune.
Blue birds hate squirrels. I get a kick out of watching the blue rocket, that's what I call the male, come screaming in to attack the squirrels when they are in the trees close to the nesting box. Squirrels apparently have a thing for bird's eggs/baby birds, The birds are fearless!
Blue birds are also very territorial. I used to have a bird feeder near the nesting box, had to move it, made the BBs nervous, and kept them busy chasing off other birds. They also will keep other BB from nesting within 200-300 yards of their area.
I guess I am going to have to break down and get a good camera, too many good pictures being missed!
Like shooting Rugers, just a thing I enjoy.

 

[bigfuzzy]

I like to watch them also, I think black snakes got the first hatch. have since put guards on the poles, grease didn't work. hope this stops them.

 

[protoolman]

When I was a kid I built the Audubon society's western bluebird houses and distributed them all over the airport land at Glacier Park International where we lived. They work pretty good. The hole size discourages some other birds so they favor bluebirds moving in.

 

[Joey]

I put a squirrel guard on my pole, I also have some apple gourds on shepherd hooks. Last year one of then got knocked off the hook, actually broke it at the hanger, knocking it about 15 ft from the pole. Figured one of the hawks hit a bird on the perch, only thing I could think could do that. Baby birds were gone. Squirrels can't get to it.

 

[Kevin]

Sitting at the table after eating breakfast, watching the bluebirds out the French doors build their nest, preparing for their second brood of the season. The female does most of the work, she will land on the perch with her beak full of material, and try to get it in the 1 1/2" hole. Of course it doesn't go well the first time, she backs off, looks around and tries again, She keeps doing this until it finally breaks and fits thru the hole. A couple minutes later, she flies out for another beak full. I don't know where the male is during all this. Yesterday, after she deposited a rather large pine needle in the box, he flew in and a minute later comes out with the pine needle and fly's off. Can't say as I blame him, I can't stand the smell of Pinesol, can't imagine what a bed of pine needles smells like.
I haven't seen any of the first brood around, we have two nesting pair of Redtails in the neighborhood, hope they haven't made a meal of them. I dare not shoot the hawks, they are a beautiful bird, and the penalty is $5k fine and 2 years in the hoosegow.
A coupla' years ago I saw a young Bluebird from the season's first brood, his/her chest still spotted, helping feed the second brood. In doing some research on BB behavior this isn't all that uncommon. Kinda like a commune.
Blue birds hate squirrels. I get a kick out of watching the blue rocket, that's what I call the male, come screaming in to attack the squirrels when they are in the trees close to the nesting box. Squirrels apparently have a thing for bird's eggs/baby birds, The birds are fearless!
Blue birds are also very territorial. I used to have a bird feeder near the nesting box, had to move it, made the BBs nervous, and kept them busy chasing off other birds. They also will keep other BB from nesting within 200-300 yards of their area.
I guess I am going to have to break down and get a good camera, too many good pictures being missed!
Like shooting Rugers, just a thing I enjoy.

Are the birds using a birdhouse that you put up? The 1 1/2 inch hole?

That’s pretty cool. Is this their first year in your back yard?

We’ve had some morning doves come back to our back patio for 3 years. In fact they might have been there for 4 years. They use a flower pot on a shelf. It’s up high so out of the rain and wind, under the overhang of the roof.

 

[Joey]

Yes, I mounted the box on a pole in the yard, to keep it away from the trees so the squirrels wouldn't bother them. I think a 1 1/4" hole is recommended for blue birds, I like to give them a little extra room.. This is the second year in the box, three years prior was the gourds. Making the world more beautiful, one blue bird family at a time!
I love the sound of morning doves. I call them the medium bombers of the bird world, watching them land and waddle around.

 

[mr surveyor]

No offense to y'all, but I don't ever want blue birds around my house again. I made the mistake of putting up blue bird houses several years ago, and danged if it didn't attract them. Next thing I encountered was having to keep the water hose handy to wash my work truck windows and mirrors off at least once a day (sometimes 2 or 3) to be able to see to drive. The blue bird houses came down and the BB gun did the rest. No more blue birds for me.

I'll admit they are neat little birds to have around, as long as they follow the rules of civility (my definition)



jd

 

[Joey]

A year ago, I was parking my truck under an oak tree in front of our house. Don't know what it was roosting in that tree, but it must have been huge! I would come out in the morning, and it looked like someone had a s#%t party all over my truck! Started parking a bit further up to get it out of the line of fire. We have trees and bushes all around our house, with everything that draws. Coons, possoms, hawks, squirrels, owls, even saw a groundhog a couple weeks ago. So a little blue bird droppings would go completely unnoticed. Even saw a coyote last summer, walk thru our side yard and into the woods next door, almost like a wildlife preserve in the middle of town!

 

[Larryburford]

For snakes put you some bird netting like goes on blueberries where they slither and you will catch them every time. Then you can enjoy blasting them out of the net with a 45. :.)

 

[Jim Walsh]

I see bluebirds every day. Difficult to photograph since they always seem to be in hunting mode. Took this a few days ago.