I was looking out the window at the falling snow...when all of a sudden I saw this streak of blue whizz by. As I watched...I saw our first Bluebird of the season checking out the 1 nestbox I left up for the winter.
I'm not positive this is last year's daddy of 15 fledglings ( what a ' bird man'-lol ) He sure seemed to know where things belonged. Like the worm feeder :) This was him w/ some of the kids last summer.
Oh my, look at their mouths wide open. What a sight. I wonder if I put up some bird friendly structures, if my 4 cats would be a huge threat to them and their babies. I would love to see more birds here. We have lots blue jays.
DH's twin brother called yesterday from New Braunfels, which is just about 20 miles or so from us, and during the conversation mentioned that he had seen a flock of sandhill cranes flying north yesterday. Sure hope that means Spring is almost here. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday this week we had weather in the 80's. It's supposed to get chilly, damp and drizzly again for a few days though.
OK
whats a worm feeder????
Does everyone know and I'm just in my blond mode?
Oh Thank You for this news. If you saw it in Wisconsin already we are on our way to spring. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. We have minor flooding going on over here so I guess we can consider that a sign of spring as well.
That's interesting MG. I wonder just how south far they migrate? They are here in WI and create a racket with their loud calls. I love them just the same.
Kell...If you make your boxes cat-proof you should be able to attract many kinds of birds. Attach a wide piece of something flat on the pole just below the box. Make the thing wide enough so the cats can't reach the ends and then gain access.
What is a worm feeder??? I mean, I know what it is, but what do they look like??
Good news. I guess I better get that bluebird house up, pronto. Still have some in the orchard, but I'll need to get them cleaned out and ready for the blues. Love your picture from last year. They are such showy birds.
CC... BB's would DIE for a free and easy bowl of mealworms. If you set out the box w/ the worms inside...the BB will go right inside to get them. It's a great way to incourage them to make nests in your nestboxes. They never pass up a free meal for themselves and especially for their first clutch of babies as they hatch when there aren't many insects in WI.
Sherryl....The 2nd pic is what a BB worm feeder looks like. The entrance holes are the same diameter as the ones in BB nestboxes. This discourages other birds from using the box for their nests.
This message was edited Feb 16, 2005 1:16 PM
OK
I'm making one this weekend
We use to have bluebirds around here but haven't seen any in a while
I have 2 nesting boxes out in the pasture...........
gotta git me some wormies
CC...I can email an addy that will mail them to you at a far cheaper price than you find at the bird stores. I order 10,00 lg. sized ones...three times a season to satisfy these guys.
Richeaz...I heard about your flooding. Nothing like that going on in SE WI. Hope you make it through w/o damage...BTW You're on the national news ...they are saying that you folks are used to it. How could anyone ever get used to something like that. Do you flood every year?
This message was edited Feb 16, 2005 1:23 PM
I'd appriciate that ,thanks......
Send it to me too, Renee. I know you did a couple of years ago, but not since I got this computer so I don't have it bookmarked. Thanks.
Then you can send it on to me, Shirley. LOL
Will do Ada.
Wow! What a wonderful photo of the bird's being fed. I love it. I even had to call my DH in here to see it. It is amazing to see the parent feeding the kids.
JesseK
Thanks, Renee!!! We have bluebirds but they just pass through in the spring. Do you think they would summer here if we had a feeder and nesting boxes???? I'm in southeast Arkansas.
Hey Sherry! I was just asking after you yesterday. Where have you been?
Yes indeed SherryL. There are even a few extra special things you can do to attract them to your nestboxes. Like starting with the correct sized nestbox with a specific diameter sized entrance hole. Check out NABS website for great information about the BB's.
Thanks JesseK...I just got lucky w/ the focus and distance. That shot was taken before I got the telescopic lens. I'm really looking forward to geting much better pics of all our feathered visitors this year.
Do you ever put your pictures on the Wildlife forum? This one is especially good, I think.
Brugie you took the words right out of my mouth! What great shots you have here Renee, what is the camera that you use. They are so clear and I'm in the market for a new camera. I agree totally with Shirley, you should post on the Wildlife forum.
Julie
Beautiful pictures Renee. Those babies are just too cute.
Great pictures Renee. I'm looking forward to the BB's this spring. Sure hope I'm lucky to see them fledge again. Amazing how the parents will let you get really close. Cute little guys.
Jean
It must have been feeding time 'cause they look mighty hungry in that first picture. Too cute!
Great photos Renee ... I think I will start watching, maybe ours will show up soon! Love these birds.
You can order all you need at one time and grow them in a big plastic container with oatmeal . I just put in a potatoe cut in half skin side down and i put paper egg cartons on top of it. Makes it easy to get the worms. They need good ventilation and don't let it get wet in there or you have stinking mess. Make sure to drill lots of holes in the lid and keep them out of the sun. I keep mine inside in the dining room lol. Here is the number for the place I use 601-932-9333. Millbrook Cricket Farm. The closer a place is to you the cheaper the shipping.
Renee those look like Eastern Bluebirds. Don't you have Mtn Bluebirds where you live???
Renee....still waiting on that address for the worms. Did you get lost while shopping for groceries yesterday?
I may have to do this also. Do they look like worms Donna or are they ugly things?
Brugie.We're on the same page this morning-I see-lol Yes...that shopping trip was awful. I bought stuff I would Never even look at just a few short days ago.
Here's the place I order from. Always reliable and never any dead worms. If you mention you belong to a bb society and ask if they still offer a discount to members...They usually take 10% off. Saves a little on the shipping. Winter shipping has an extra $2 surcharge for heat packs etc. But they are still the cheapest vendors around.
http://www.sunshinemealworms.com/
Thanks everybody...I've enjoyed that 'feeding' pic ever since I captured it. You can call me Lucky...because I just received the camera at the time and had no idea what I was doing-LOL
Julie.... The camera is a Minolta Dimage A2. Found the best prices online.
Donna....Yes...they are Easterns. Wish we had the Westerns or even the Mountain ones...but our altitude is too low. Bummer. While we do get a good variety of songbirds here...we never see the many different kinds you do. You sure are lucky to have so many visitors to your place. I checked out your mealworm source- thanks. You may want to check the one I've posted too. I think the prices between the 2 might be of interest to you????
Deb..... If they are here now...I would think they'll be in your area pretty soon...if not already. There is a gal in MI who has them year round. The reason being... she has a brook or something that provides running water in the winter. That's the main thing they need.
Thanks for starting this encouraging thread Renee. Beautiful to look at.
They sell meal worms by the dozen at Bait shops.
While the kids were growing up and we did a LOT of fishing.
I would buy extra and grow my own in corn meal with a couple of veggie scraps tossed on top 'once in a while'.
In the feed bins in the barn they can be found in left over grain from the previous Winter.
(we don't grain the horses in the summer since retiring them )
Kell they are more like a huge maggot but the are rubbery feeling not wet or slimy. Will see if I can find my pic with a good shot of one in the parents mouth
OH reneeO, what a wonderful picture, I just last week cleaned out my blue bluehouses, they are just now looking for sites here in Ohio, can't wait
ReneeO do you put out freah grub worms for them in a seperate tray near to the house?
Great pictures. The baby birds look so sweet. That's one of my favorite things about spring...we have a good number of nests throughout the yard and I love to wake up to the sound of the babies chirping. (Except the year they built a nest right above our bedroom window...now as they try to rebuild that particular nest each year, we pull down the grasses and twigs as quickly as they put them up!)
