The Eastern Bluebird

One of the most anticipated for allot of people come spring, is the return of the Eastern Bluebird. While I do not get them in my yard, I did try for about 3 years (not knowing any better) and I do often go to places that do get them to observe them.

While I did plenty of research trying to attract them, I can't really make any observations other than those witnessed at some local park around here. I will however cover all I have learned while researching them as well as use sources available to me for this post.

So let me start by saying this is one of my top 10 favorite birds. I still get excited every time I see once and I'm jealous of those of you lucky enough to have them visit your yard. I'm hoping my sister Toni will have the luck of them nesting in her yard this year as she does get them.

The eastern bluebird is reminiscent of its larger cousin the American Robin, with a rusty red breast and white belly. It has a sky blue head, back and tail. Perhaps the only pretty bird with blue coloring that I've observed is the indigo bunting. I'll save those for a later post.

Once a more common bird, bluebirds severely declined in population do to habitat loss and the introduction of the house sparrow in 1851 and starlings in 1890. (We know my opinion of the starling.) These two species compete heavily for the nesting cavities bluebirds need. So I spent 3 years booting sparrow out of boxes until it became obvious that I was not going to attract any bluebirds. Thanks to the efforts of the North American Bluebird Society and thousands of people who put up bluebird nesting boxes, bluebird populations are now on an upswing. If you have bluebirds in your are, you can do your part and help make a difference by putting up bluebird boxes and creating a bluebird trail.

While putting up one box you can help, many people put up several boxes to try to attract them. Several bluebird houses put up in a given area is often called a "bluebird trail." I see one of these every day as I go to work along a freeway that goes through a stretch of country. I also see them along a trail at a local metro park. The trails are usually found along a trail or in the case where I see them going to work, along a road on a fence line so they can be monitored.

When creating a trail the houses should be placed approximately 100 yards a part in open, not heavily wooded, areas that have short or little ground vegetation. They like have small trees, shrubs or other perches with in 100 yards of their box. Perhaps if your in an area that is right but you do not have enough property, if you know a neighbor enjoys the birds you could set it up between the two properties.

A bluebird house should have the following dimensions. Entrance hole diameter is 1 1/2". The height above the floor should be 6"-7". Inside floor dimensions are 4"X4" and the total height of the box between 11"-12". You should try and place your boxes 4'-6' up om a tree, post or pole and place it facing away from your feeders because they do like their privacy. They sell bluebird boxes everywhere including Walmart for like $9.99.

You can also attract them to your yard by feeding them. Most of the feeders I've seen for bluebirds are clear plastic on the sides and enclosed. There are openings on each end and the birds go inside to eat. You can use either meal worms from a bird store or bait and tackle shop, or they sell bluebird nuggets in a bag at some places. They are basically suet balls and I'm sure they must work as plenty of places sell them. you can also use a shallow dish to feed them or wild birds unlimited and Yankee Droll sell feeders that are all clear plastic and have a dome that can be raised or lowered to restrict the size of the birds using it. I have the one from Wild Birds (The Dinner Bell) and absolutely love it. You can really get creative feeding the birds with it and vary the food from fruit to seed.

Males are the first to return in the spring followed by the females a week or two later. The males search out a good territory that includes a good nesting site. He then courts the female by singing and doing a wing wave (raising and quivering one or both wings.) He may also feed her to further entice her.

The female selects the nesting box and builds the nest. This process can take several days to more than a week.

After the incubation period of 12-14 days, the eggs hatch. She can lay between 4-5 eggs which are pale blue without markings. For the first several days the female keeps the babies warm by brooding them, the male brings food for all of them. Once the babies have enough feathers to keep them self's warm, both parent will then split the feedings. The babies will remain in the nest for the next 15-18 days. They grow fast more than doubling their weight in a weeks time. Their eyes open between 4-7 days and by the 15th day they are completely feathered. The babies will leave the box somewhere between 17 to 22 days.

The fledgling are cared for by the parents from 2-4 weeks. Fledgling refers to the period from the time they hatch until they are able to fly or leave the nest. While some birds may be able to leave the nest with in hours of being born, it may be weeks before they are able to fly. Until the birds are actually able to fly they are considered fledglings. Birds that are still in the nest are referred to nestlings. Hopefully this will clear up some of the terminology I use from time to time.

The female can produce 1-2 broods per year. Often if she has a second brood, the first brood help to raise the young of the second. After breeding family groups remain near their nesting areas until they begin to migrate south. They will then travel in flocks feeding on fruit and what ever insects they can find.

Hopefully this post will help encourage you to try and help attract bluebirds to your property. If where you live is not the proper habitat as is the case where I live, you can make a donation to a bluebird society or even just donate a bluebird box to one of your local parks. It will be through these efforts that we can ensure the bluebirds will continue to flourish and that future generations will be able to enjoy their beauty.

Hummingbird Nest Documentary - High Quality

Here's a great video I found of hummingbirds from egg to the day they leave the nest. Hopefully I can be lucky enough to witness this first hand

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Well it's that time of year again, time for the return of the ruby-throated hummingbirds. Here in Ohio they usually arrive from mid April to early May. As I stated in my last post they usually arrive in my back yard here in northern Ohio around May 5th.

I think allot of people do not realize how easy they are to attract. As you can see in the picture taken by my sister Toni, they are not shy at all either. As a matter of fact I had them landing on my finger last year while feeding. I would simply hold the feeder still while cupped in my hands and they would come in, buzz around looking at me for a second then settle in and start lapping up the nectar. The trick was keeping the feeder close to the location that you had it placed. This feeder just happened to be on my kitchen window. It was nice to wake up each day and watch them feed.

There are several ways to attract them to your yard. The obvious is the use of a feeder. Here in northern Ohio, I always put mine out on April 15th. It's better to put them out early while they are still migrating than putting them out late. Putting out multiple feeders out is also a good idea as they are very territorial. I watch them chasing each other off of the feeders all summer. Also space your feeders out. Like I said they are territorial and if they constantly have to fight for one feeder there's a chance they just may move on to another location.

There is no need to buy the nectar mix though you can if you like. I found that using a simple mixture of four parts water to one part sugar works great. I just put four cups of water to one cup of sugar. I then put it on the stove and bring it to a boil. Once it starts boiling turn the heat off and let it cool. You can then fill your feeders and what ever you do not use you can put it in the refrigerator. It will keep for about two weeks. Also there is no need to add food color. While it's not true that red attracts them, sum research suggest the dye is also not good for them. My neighbor was using the store bought nectar last year with red coloring to it. He could not understand why the hummingbirds preferred my feeders over his. I told him to make his own mixture and once he did the hummers started feeding in his back yard as well.

Keeping the feeder clean is a must. I change the nectar at least twice a week during the summer, more if it's a really hot week. You can smell the feeder and tell that it needs changed. Also if you notice that your not seeing the hummingbirds at a feeder you normally see them at, it's a good sign the feeder needs washed and the nectar changed.

Another thing you'll want is a mote above the feeder. These are simply a cup that hangs from the post or Shepard's pole you have the feeder at. You fill the mote with water and this prevents ants from getting to the feeder. If the feeder has ants in it (and it most certainly will with out a mote) the hummers will usually stop using it. You can find the ant motes at any bird feeding store, online and sometimes at Walmart. They run from .99 to about $5. I'm also sure if you google it there are directions online for making your own.

It's also a good idea to plant flowers and shrubs which will attract them. Red petunias are good or any plant with a trumpet shaped flower. A honey suckle bush really draws them in. If you go to most garden centers or even Lowes or the Home Depot, most of the plants are labeled and will say if they attract humming birds. But once again the most important thing is feeder placement. Do not hang your hummingbird feeders with your other bird feeders, keep the separate. Also as I stated before try to put out more than one feeder. I usually place my feeders among my bushes and flowers, a place your most likely to find them with out the feeders.

The ruby-throated hummingbird is found through out the entire eastern half of the United States. They range as far west as Texas and as far north as Canada. During the winter migration they will fly non stop across the Gulf of Mexico to get to Central America. That being said, it just another reason to put some feeders out for these little gems so they are well fueled for their journey.

One tool you can use to attract hummingbirds that I forgot to mention earlier is a mister. This connects to a garden hose and puts a fine mist into the air. Hummingbirds do not "usually" come to bird baths, instead they usually obtain their water as they fly through a rain or mist. I do not have one but have watched video of them using a mister and it's pretty cool watching them use it. I may get one this year, if I do I'll try and get some pictures and post on it at a later date.

I'll leave you with some facts on them in closing. A hummingbird beats its wings 53 time a second. It's extremely short legs prevents it from walking or hopping. Instead it tends to shuffle along a perch. It can however use its tiny legs to reach over its wings and scratch its head. As I told you earlier feeder placement is more important than the color red. It eats by hovering at flowers, sap wells and feeders. They have an extremely long tongue used to retrieve the nectar. It also flies along catching bugs in the air and plucking them from leaves. They will also pluck spiders from webs. They usually only lay 2 eggs in an open cupped nest placed 6-50 feet off the ground with an average height of 10-20 feet off the ground. They breed in mixed woodlands and eastern deciduous forest, gardens, and orchards. They winter in tropical deciduous forest, tropical dry forests, scrub land, citrus groves, and second growth.

I hope I've covered all you need to know about the species. I also hope it has encouraged you to draw these little emerald jewels to your yard and garden. If your not looking for them you will often dismiss them as a bee. I'm sure once you start feeding them and attracting them to your yard you'll always be looking forward to the day they return and dreading the day they head south for the winter. As always if there's a question you have that I did not answer just leave a comment or send me an email.

Finally got Chickadees to nest here

It's been a great week for birds here. To start with me and my wife were going to my mom and dads house to look after their cats while on vacation. They live in a very nice neighborhood in the western suburbs of Cleveland about a half an hour west. They in an area where there was once country property about a half a mile away. Now the country is at least five miles away as it has become all houses.

Well as we were going down a main street leading to their house, I noticed a large bird fly across the road that from a long distance I assumed was a hawk. The closer I got the hawk became a goose. As I finally got close enough to make out what it was you can only imagine how surprised I was to see a wild turkey standing in someones front yard. I was absolutely blown away. We pulled over and it just stood there as if it was not big deal for about five minutes. It was a beautiful day out and it stayed and let us watch until a lady pulling a wagon with young children in it walked by. The lady was amazed as we were. The turkey ran across the street into another back yard and hopped up on a fence and just sat there. My parents will be surprised to find out there was a turkey on the street next to theirs while they were gone.

I'm also on vacation this week so I was sitting on my couch drinking coffee when I noticed two chickadee's going in and out of the nesting box I have in the weeping cherry tree in my front yard. After three years of trying to get them to nest they have finally moved in to raise a family. For two days now they have been working constantly building their nest and the male has been busy as well not only building but chasing every other bird away from the area. It's been funny watching him and a tufted titmouse going at it every day.

So I know I said I was going to try and do blue birds this week but the chickadees have taken center stage so I will cover them and get to the blue birds soon.

The black-capped chickadee is a small (5") bird that is grey with a black cap and throat patch. It has white chest, tan belly and small white wing marks. In the picture I took today you can see one of them I caught as it flew from the box.

They are an easy bird to attract to your yard by either a proper nesting box or seed feeder. Their diet consist of insects, seed and suet. I use a cardinal/chickadee blend which consist of black oil sunflower seeds, Safflower seed and sunflower hearts. I also have a cling type feeder that only them and red breasted nut hatches use that I fill with sunflower hearts. They also visit my fly through feeder in my back yard and eat the raw peanut half's I put in there.

If your going to use a nesting box here is what you'll want to use. The entrance hole should be 1 1/8" - 1 1/2" in diameter. The height of the hole should be 6"-7" above the floor. Inside floor dimensions should be 4"X4" - 5"X5". Finally the total box height should be 9"-12". As for habitat they like suburban or rural areas with a mixture of trees and open areas. As far as placement of the box you should put it 5'-10' up on a tree or post. If you have some dead trees on your property it may be a good idea to leave one or two as they will excavate holes in those as well to nest in.

I find conflicting information on how many broods they have each year. Some sources say 1 brood while others say 2. Hopefully this will be the first of many years that they nest here and I'll be able to evaluate that my self. I will also give updates on the birds and babies as the process goes on. With any luck I may even be able to snap a photo of the babies in the nest as I check on their health and to see how many they had.

Chickadees are usually the first to find a new feeder. Once you identify their song you'll always know when they are around. There are a couple different versions but the most common is the familiar "chika-dee-dee-dee-dee". They can easily be tamed and hand fed. I often find them following me around the yard as I fill the feeders. You will often see them during the winter with other birds such as woodpeckers and nuthatches. You will often see them in flocks during the winter and once spring arrives the males become more territorial and begin to defend their territory by song and chasing other birds away. Also look for the males to start feeding the female during the courtship. He'll get an insect or seed and flies to the female who give a high thin call, quivers her wings and takes the food from the male. I've seen this a couple of times already and it's pretty cool.

So I could go on but I've given you the basic information if you want these cute little birds in your yard. If you live in Ohio you'll want to put your humming bird feeders out on April 15th. I do this every year and they usually show up here around May 5th. The reason for getting them out early is so as they migrate north they will have a place to stop and refuel. Also you never know when they just might stay. I'll be posting again before the 15th about humming birds. You can look for that post probably late Saturday or Sunday. After that I promise to get to those blue birds.