One of the most delightful birds to welcome into your yard's habitat, the Eastern Bluebird, is the subject of my recent article in the Tennessee Conservationist Magazine, "Bluebirds in Your Backyard."
When I embarked on the mission of attracting bluebirds to my backyard, I had only a small idea of the enjoyment I would derive from my interactions and observations of this companionable bird and its nesting activities, including offering mealworms. Monitoring a nestbox, watching bluebird behavior, and checking the progress of nestlings, from the appearance of eggs to the days after fledging, is an enriching journey into the natural world that will alter your appreciation for nature forever.
Links and Resources:
To visit my other TN Conservationists Magazine articles click here.
The Tennessee Conservationist website.
To see my bluebird posts on this blog visit: Bluebird family
Thank you! For the first time I may have a pair of bluebirds nesting in a birdhouse.
ReplyDeleteIt is the right size hole, but I wonder if it's too late to add the predator guard?
They have been checking out the nest a lot lately so, I'm pretty sure they intend to use it.
I think the key would be to get the predator guard up before nest building begins, if possible. A friend asked me yesterday how the guard impacted the bird's selection of the nestbox. His thinking was that it made the entrance different than the natural nest hole. It doesn't appear to matter. They perch on top and look all around to check it out. In the end it doesn't seem to impact their selection of the box.
ReplyDeleteBetter to add the guard now than suffer the loss of the birds during breeding season,
There are also baffles that you can add to the pole underneath that help prevent climbing mammals. But these will not stop a cat that can jump to the top and reach into the box.