Bird Watching: Search for a new Papa, 1 by 2dCousinDave

2dCousinDave wrote:
Yes, Pele, she seems to be taking it in stride. If I hadn't watched it all happen I would not have noticed the change from Papa to this new male. A few minutes ago he brought her some meal worms and she accepted them. He sat for a long while preening just a few feet from my window. I took lots of pictures and will post a few.

Red, this situation wasn't caused by my feeding the bluebirds, but it was caused by my offering housing to them. As far as interfering with nature is concerned, consider the humans who brought the house sparrows and european starlings to this country 150 years ago. For centuries before that time, bluebirds and other native cavity nesters flourished on this continent, finding housing in abandoned woodpecker holes and other cavities, mostly in dead trees. As the house sparrow population has exploded, the population of these native species has suffered. In many areas bluebirds totally disappeared. But for the efforts of humans, who build and monitor bluebird trails, some with hundreds of houses, and even those like me who host bluebirds in their backyards, the species would have never rebounded the way it has. If this is interfering with nature, then I plead guilty.

This house sparrow wanted to nest in that nestbox. Papa tried to defend it and paid the price bluebirds always pay in a fight with the house sparrows.

My blues would nest in my yard even if I didn't feed them.