I have not seen the Bluebirds much recently, but they are eating the mealworms I put out for them. I finally saw the female the other morning. After she grabbed some mealworms, I watched where she flew off to. That was when I finally figured out where they are nesting. So I am hoping to see baby Bluebirds soon.
If I forget to put mealworms in the box, the male sings to me as a reminder. He moves off to a nearby tree while I put them out, and then comes to the box right away. We haven't seen any youngsters yet, but keep hoping they will show up soon.
Our male Bluebird always stops on his favorite perch before dining on mealworms. He is now making mealworm runs to feed the first brood of fledglings that stay in the woods in the densely leaved trees for safety until they are stronger fliers.
I can photograph the same Bluebird 10 times and get 10 different expressions. This guy was looking nicely mellow as he took a break from eating mealworms.
The Bluebird pair have mated now that they have finished building their nest. They come to the mealworm feeder in the morning and evening and dine together.
Male Bluebird Eating Mealworms - Video Clip Attached
Posted:
March 20, 2010
Our male Bluebird starts singing outside our bedroom window every morning at about 6:30. He definitely knows I am the mealworm supplier because he comes to the feeder as soon as I put them out.
Our first male Bluebird of the year was in our backyard again this morning. I went out and put mealworms on the feeder box and called to him. As soon as I got inside the porch door, he was gobbling them up. During the day I heard him singing in the trees around our horse pastures, calling for a mate.
Here is another shot of a male Bluebird on a snowy branch from this time last year. I still haven't seen any, but I did put roasted grubs out in the boxes in case they happen to stop by.
This is an adult Male Bluebird that was here this time last year. Unfortunately I haven't seen any for about a month now. I'm ready with roasted grubs if any happen to show up.
Bluebird visits have gotten very irregular. They will show up for a day and then disappear for a few weeks. I am hoping they stick around for the winter.
I believe this is one of our juveniles from this year. She is getting close to having her full adult plumage. The family of five visits every few days now. It would be nice if they stayed over the winter.
This adult male bluebird is the only one visiting for the past 2 weeks. When a second male came into the yard, the 2 males started fighting over our backyard while the female and 4 juveniles disappeared. I hope they return soon, I miss them.
This is the female bluebird that disappeared for almost a week. She had the male very upset - he was calling for her constantly. Since her return, the male has been feeding her mealworms to prove that he will be a good dad if they have babies together.
Our male bluebird had just finished his afternoon mealworm snack and was contemplating his next move. The female bluebird that was around all winter seems to be hanging out somewhere else. He has been calling for her for the past 6 days.
Before entering the mealworm box, the bluebird will look in the hole and then look all around behind him. He usually repeats this sequence about 3 times before finally going inside the box.
I believe this male bluebird is a new arrival. He is all alone and calls for a female around our yard. He noticed a chickadee getting a mealworm from the box, so now he knows where they are stashed. I haven't seen the 3 that were around most of the winter.
This morning, the adult male bluebird was singing for a mate in several trees around our yard. That is a true sign that spring is close. I need to hurry up and clean out all my bluebird nest boxes. When a female arrives, the pair will start "house" hunting.
Here is the bluebird mom that returned a few days ago. In another few weeks, they will start checking out the nest boxes and the adult male will start chasing the 1st year male out of the territory.
I bought some mealworms over the weekend just in case the bluebirds decided to show up. They must have known because all 3 were out at the mealworm box this afternoon after being absent for a month.
This is the last shot of a male bluebird that I got before they disappeared 3 weeks ago. I expect the males to reappear by mid to late February as they start checking out nestbox opptions before the females arrive.
Getting a photo like this of a bluebird is why I buy mealworms all year round. This female bluebird was waiting for her turn to visit the mealworm box.
Bird Species
