I'm hoping to lure some bluebirds to the yard. They are the state bird of NY but I've never seen a one...ever. My brother lives 15 minutes away and he has tons of them.
We did get a Carolina Wren this winter at the feeders. Is it global warming where we don't get our own state bird, but the state bird of South Carolina shows up for a snack?
I bought the trellis in this pic last year and I put two bird houses on it this year...one on each side. I've hung a hummingbird feeder from it as well. So far, no action on any of them except a swallow checking out one of the houses. Swallows like the shape of these bluebird houses, too.
Apparently birds do most of their nest building in the pre-dawn hours. If you get up about 5 a.m., the birds are chirping away like crazy. It's like a different world — their world. I've been putting cotton balls out on the shrubs as building material. They're all there when I go to bed but gone when I get up!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Bluebird House
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8 comments:
Bluebirds are nice--- I would see several about my neighborhood in North Carolina.
They aren't as pretty as Indigo Buntings, but hey.
And I LOVE hummingbirds... they're my fave!
This year, I'm going to put out some hummingbird feeders, after watching them at a friend's house and falling in love with them.
Thanks for the cotton ball idea--I'll try that too. Not too much nesting material in a newish subdivision in the desert...
--Alex
Bluebirds actually look for very specific areas. Large open fields that are bordered with trees or hedgerows.
New York actually has "The Bluebird Project"http://cerp.cornell.edu/AITC/BluebirdProject.asp
And they are working on restoring the bluebird population in your state.
I remember my grandmother used to have some that returned year after year to nest near her house. They really are beautiful.
alex--also think about cutting short pieces of string and/or ribbon!
evilg--They say to mount these houses away from trees and shrubs. Otherwise, the sparrows will get in there because they like to have a close hiding place and area to hop into their house. My brother hangs his on his chain link fence with no shrubbery around. I just think I don't have bluebirds here for some reason.
I have two other houses, not for bluebirds, hanging in the maple tree and the sparrows already have nests built in them. I tried to get a pic of them sticking their head out of the hole but gave up. There will be more activity when they lay eggs.
BTW, these bluebird houses have a door on the opposite side that swings open and there is a plexiglass piece so you can open it up and look at the hatchlings without the nest falling out. Those will be great blog pics if it all works out!
Nesting is the best time to get pictures of birds, especially little ones. They usually stay close to the nest to defend it and keep still to utilize their camouflage.
That birdhouse with the plexiglass sounds like a great idea. Can't wait to see the pics!
The birds around here love it when we brush the rabbit outside.
I built one too for our back garden also because I was trying to lure more birdies in also. Mine is only home made so its a bit rickety but yours looks good.
romach--omg, this isn't very well made. I bought two because they were on clearance at Walmart for $10 each. With the exchange rate, you could have got them both for 5 quid!
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