Blue bird behaviour?...

I was wondering what these bluebirds were doing...anyone know? I saw about 3-4 of them near the bluebird house where some were raised earlier this year. A few of them looked a little young (feathers weren't as blue or well formed as a few of the others). They were sitting on top of the bluebird house and looking inside the hole too. I thought they would be flying south for winter? Anyone have any idea why they might be scoping out this bluebird house, this late in the year? I also saw them earlier today, sitting in a big sycamore tree...kinda acting goofy. They were flying from branch to branch...almost like they were chasing something...insects? It just looked funny.

I think Dave knows quite a bit about bluebirds! I still have them but not in such great numbers as earlier. Mine are acting quite normal I think :-)

After they fledge, bluebird families stay together for quite awhile, until the youngsters are feeding on their own. They may indeed have been the same youngsters that were raised earlier in your bluebird house.

Bluebirds have a distinct feeding habit-- they land on branches or other things (they like the clothespoles in my backyard) and when they spy an insect they fly down, catch it, and fly back up to the branch they were sitting on to enjoy (!?) what they have caught.

I have also been told that you should not take down bluebird houses for the winter -- that some bluebirds stay in colder areas and use the houses for shelter against the cold and snow. I can't speak for the validity of that because every self-respecting bluebird from around these parts is smart enough to know to hightail it out of here before the snow flies. :-) I have never seen a bluebird in Western PA in the middle of winter.

Godd observations IndiaShade!!

I just have a great love for bluebirds. There is NOTHING that can make me smile faster than hearing a bluebird warbling in the morning, or hearing a baby call to let it's parent's know where it's at. The best things in life truly ARE free, and bluebirds are a gift to us all.

I am also quite fond of the Barn Swallows that utilize my bluebird boxes. I had one little guy that used to sit on my clothespole this summer and sing to me. They sound like running water! I talked back and actually got quite close to him. It seems as though he would come to see me everytime I was out looking at my daylily seedling bed. Barn swallows are peaceful birds and also help to defend bluebird nests against English sparrows and other agressive species that sometimes kill bluebird babies or destroy their eggs and take over the box, so Barn Swallows shouldn't be discouraged from nesting in the boxes. We all hope for bluebirds to move in, but sometimes we get Barn Swallows. :-)

I dunno, my neighbors probably think I belong in an asylum. Between my talking to the outside birds and running around in my pajamas at 7 in the morning to see what daylilies and irises are open, I probably look like a real nut case! But I sure do have a good time!

Here's a follow-up to this. If you haven't seen it, take a look... http://davesgarden.com/showthread/104151.html

Bluebirds overwinter here in West KY and I have 4 boxes that they use all winter.I have seen as many as 9 birds coming out of one box early in the morning. I have been told that they huddle together in the boxes for warmth during cold nights.This must be true because I have seen them do this.

Melody, do you clean out the old nests from spring and summer, or do you just leave it as is until spring?

I clean out in the spring.I don't know if this is right or wrong,but the birds don't seem to mind.

The older fledgelings will even feed the younger ones in the newest hatch. I have bluebirds that nest here in my yard. The babies leave the nest before you think they can. I had a mama bird this summer who kept throwing her baby out. (it was a fledge too!) I kept putting it back in. The nest was too full of babies. They had a larger clutch than normal. It is cute to see the first fledges hang out while the new babies are just being born!
I also had wrens nest in my trash can. The sad thing is one fledgeling flew straight into my back yard and the dogs grabbed it before I could stop them. The other two lived. I hope the mama bird comes back. What a horrible accident.
I also had a nest of chickadees. I have birdhouses all over out here....haha. Most of them dont get used...but its worth it for the ones who do!