Soon they will be anticipating the offering, or even seeking you out in your yard as I’ve experienced in the past. Then you can increase the amounts of mealworms being offered as they raise their young. So, keep the offerings minimal until the Bluebirds really catch on. Better to be patient than to create an adverse situation. Stop putting out worms for a week or two and begin the process again. If you slip up and allow larger more aggressive birds to compete for the worms we suggest a reset. If these birds catch on to this offering feeding the Bluebirds will then become almost impossible, not to mention possibly creating enough conflict the Bluebirds may look elsewhere to nest.īoth Mockingbirds and Robins share the same food preferences as Bluebirds and being bigger birds will vigorously defend a food source like mealworms. The longer the worms are there the greater the likelihood that other birds, like Robins, Mockingbirds, Jays, or Starlings see them. It is VERY IMPORTANT that if during that first offering they fly away do not leave the mealworms there. Usually 4 or 5 times is enough for the Bluebirds to catch on to what you are doing. I repeat this little scene every time the opportunity arises over the course of the next few days or weeks. If they immediately consume the worms offer another helping to reinforce the process. If their reaction is to fly away do not leave the worms there. They may fly right down to the dish and gobble them up. In most cases you will see immediate interest. THIS IS IMPORTANT! The key is to make sure the Bluebirds are there to see you make the offering.Īfter placing the worms in the feeder walk away and watch. Look for an opportunity to walk out to the feeder and offer a small amount of worms, maybe a dozen. Won’t other birds find the worms? If you follow our guidelines other birds will not be wise to the offering. Platform type feeders tend to work very well, too. My choice of feeder is a small clay dish which is placed on a large rock which is easily seen from the top of the nest-box, just a few feet away. The type of feeder to use is really not very important. Once you see Bluebirds showing interest in a nest box be prepared to offer mealworms. Feeding them then becomes a lot easier after they have found a nest-box. Their need for nest boxes takes precedence during the breeding season and will bring them to your yard more predictably and reliably, and potentially for several months. The best time to begin offering live mealworms is when Bluebirds begin consistently checking out a nest-box.
All you are doing is presenting this very desirable food source to a lot of other birds. In other words just presenting mealworms randomly is not likely to attract them. We really don’t think presenting mealworms before Bluebirds are regularly present is a good strategy. At The Wood Thrush Shop we have a great deal of experience feeding Bluebirds and would like to pass on our tips and tricks to help you have success and enjoy the activity as much as we do. Many of you have seen Bluebirds this winter going to suet and seed out of the shell, but this behavior usually subsides when warm weather and insect activity increases. Eastern Bluebirds feed primarily on insects and berries, so feeding them is very different than the way we feed other birds. ) We want to help you attract Bluebirds and enjoy the entire experience from courtship to nest building, egg laying to chick development, and finally fledging.īesides the nest boxes planting native berry producing trees and shrubs, like Dogwood and Beautyberry, for example, having a consistent source of water, and offering an appealing food source like live mealworms are things that will help. ( Click here for tips on bluebird box placement. The fact is it is not difficult to attract Bluebirds and the single best way to do that is with a couple of nest boxes placed in good locations as we pointed out in previous blogs. Everybody would like to attract Bluebirds.
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