Enchanting the Eastern Bluebird
Besides the residual and persistent layer of crusty snow (which, as this is being written, still stands, although the pending rains may change that by the time you read this), there is a sense of rejuvenation on the horizon. You can feel it - spring is right around the corner. Daylight hours are stretching minute by minute each day, busy birds have been gathering seed and material to ensure they're well prepared for their coming broods, and the buds of magnolias and rhododendrons are slowly starting to fatten with life.
Within this liminal seasonal space, flashes of color become moments of curiosity – an unforeseen glimpse of the wildness that our landscapes have waiting in the wings for warmer weather. These colorful flashes of royal blue and peachy-red, slightly dulled to camouflage their wearers through the greige winter landscape, are often rare to visit feeders, making their visitation all the more thrilling. I’m talking of course about our cheerful Eastern bluebird, a small species of thrush native to North America, known for frequenting pastures and fields that are rife with insect activity during the summer months.
Their love of flying insects and caterpillars makes them not only helpful farmhands, but beneficial birds for nearly any home garden, provided they have enough space to nest nearby.
Although rather elusive to bird feeders unless mealworms are involved, Eastern bluebirds are frequent inhabitants of open meadows, fields, grasslands, pastures, and nearby open woodlands with sparse stands of trees.Younger Eastern bluebirds prefer nesting in small tree cavities left behind by woodpeckers, often 50’ above ground in pine or oak trees, while older Eastern bluebirds have been found to prefer lower-suited, human-made birdboxes that are widely available and produced in such a way to make cleaning of debris easier. Several of these nesting boxes can be found around the perimeter of Pleasant Run, although it takes some further inspection to see who the residents are.
Unfortunately, tree sparrows often take up residence in bluebird boxes, their nests recognizable untidy and filled with whatever materials they’re able to find nearby.
The well-constructed, cup-shaped nests of the Eastern Bluebird are much more characteristically “nest shaped”, while tree sparrows often fill the entire cavity with plant debris, fabric, fur, hair, feathers, and plastic bits.
Alternatively, female Eastern bluebirds are the main curators of their nests, approving of the material brought to her by her mate (who actually owns the property - she’s just adding the finishing touches of a lady). His worldly souvenirs often include pine needles, thin blades of grass, and the occasional feather or strand of hair, which he offers to his woman as she busily weaves together their homestead. Eastern bluebird females are quite particular about the states of their nests, as they tend to reuse them for multiple broods of chicks.With their preferred diet of insects coming to a screeching halt in the winter, Eastern bluebirds are left to forage available berries, seeds, and small fruits from their surrounding shrubs and trees. Below, we’ve compiled several lists to ensure a thriving Eastern bluebird population in your community - one for suitable fruitables, one for grassland and prairie habitats (a.k.a. the species that provide shelter for necessary insect species), and one for shelter sites.
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