You can find three types of Bluebird in North America: Eastern Bluebird, Mountain Bluebird and Western Bluebird. If you want to attract them, you have to fulfill their basic needs, which involve – food, shelter, and water. With the right tactics, you can also create a welcoming environment for other similar songbirds as well. The most basic way is to set up a bird feeder and along with that, you can try the tips that we are about to discuss.
1. Provide their Favorite Food
Bluebird’s diet includes varied insects and fruits. so, it would be useless to offer them seeds on a bird feeder, rather you have provided them with live or free-dried mealworms and you can easily get them from the pet store. Get a hopper feeder or you can place the dried mealworms or put the live worms in a dish and place it in your backyard. During the nesting season, you have to limit the amount of mealworms offered to the Bluebirds, but during winter, you have to increase the quantity. You can also offer them peanuts, suet, raisins, blueberries and fruits chopped into little pieces to make swallowing easier.
2. Give them Water
You have to build a water source for the bluebirds where they can drink and bathe. When you are creating a bird bath, it would help to keep their feathers clean and also during the scorching heat, they can cool themselves. You have to keep about an inch of water in the bath bird, giving a clear view around the spot. During the winter you can add a heated bird bath. Also, do not forget to clean the bird bath and feeders, to prevent the spread of disease.
3. Grow Berry-Producing Plants in the Garden
Bluebirds love to eat berries as it is readily available. Also, berries provide them with the nutrients required to survive the harsh winters. You can grow native berry-producing plants in your garden, especially during the winter. Look for trees, shrubs or vines that are well adapted to the area and can survive the change in seasons. The best choice is the American bittersweet vine, staghorn sumac, and dogwoods. You can also opt for Carolina cherry laurel, Eastern red cedar and American holly, which would continue to provide fruits even in the winter.
4. Keep a Few Dead Trees
You do not have to keep the backyard too organized, rather to welcome the bluebirds leaving a few dead trees would be a great idea. The dying trees can become a source of habitat for the bluebirds. However, the only limiting factor among bluebirds is the nesting cavity. They usually rely on the cavities made by other bird species, such as the woodpecker. On the other hand, when you keep old branches these allow insects to thrive, thus turning the area into a hunting space for the bluebirds.
5. Keep Nesting Material Around
You need to keep nesting material for the bluebirds, which they can use to build a nest. Usually, bluebirds build nests using pine needles and grass, so try to pile up fine grass, feathers, pine straw or garden straw. This idea works mostly during the nesting season.
6. Set Up a Birdhouse
During the late winter and the early spring, the bluebirds are seen using birdhouses as their nesting space, so setting up a birdhouse or bird box can be a welcoming gesture for these birds and they would get attracted to your backyard during the nesting season. However, you need to ensure that it is well designed and you have to meet their nesting needs so that they consider the backyard the same for nesting. You have to be careful about the design, construction, mounting and maintenance of the box. You can also go through the local nature club to understand the best box design that would attract the bluebirds in your area.
7. Never Use Pesticides
If you want the bluebirds to come back every season, then do not use pesticides as these toxic chemicals can prove to be dreadful for the birds. When you use pesticides for lawn maintenance it reduces the source of food for the bluebirds, the insects shift their habitat and so there is a lack of bugs they can feed on. Using herbicides drastically reduces the native pollinators and also presence of beneficial insects in your garden.
8. Set Up Perches in the Open Area
You can also set up perches in the open space, where the bluebirds can set up and hunt insects. The process would help them to watch the movement of their prey or insects on the ground and they would swoop down to catch them. However, you have to keep the space open and there should be trees scattered here and there near the perch. You can also set up fence lines or fence posts for the birds to settle and scan around while looking for food.
9. Keep the Pet Cat Indoor
It has been seen that bluebirds are killed at a high rate due to cat attacks every year. While you cannot control the outdoor cat, if you have a pet, keep it indoors. You can also put up a bright-coloured collar around the feline so that bluebirds can easily identify the threat from a distance and get enough time to fly away.
10. Mark the Windows
The reflection in the glass creates a real landscape-like appearance, where the bluebirds get confused and crash when you try to fly through. So, to keep the surroundings safe for the bluebirds, you either have to make the windows see-through or set up a time that would scare and deter the birds. You can also use feather-friendly dots on the windows so that bluebirds can identify it as glass. Also, never place the bird feeder near the window. To minimize the chance of birds colliding with the window, move the feeder and keep it 3 feet apart or move it to the other side of the house where large windows are not present.
11. Play Recorded Bluebird Song
If you want to attract the bluebird in particular to your garden, then try to play a recorded bluebird song. However, you must not do it during the nesting season, otherwise, the birds might get distracted from an important life event and would also divert their mind from guarding the nest or getting food for the chicks.
12. Install Bluebird-specific Feeder
There are different bird feeders available in the market which are species-based. So, if you want bluebirds to like your garden, then set up a bluebird feeder. Usually, bluebirds prefer ground feeders and platform feeders. You must also be careful about the safety concerns of the birds which choose the feeder so that there is no competition with the other birds.
Where Should You Place the Birdfeeder for the Bluebirds?
You need to keep the feeder in a sunny spot where there is a lot of open space. Also, they love backyards where the lawn has not been manicured and not treated with pesticides. It should not be placed under deep shade or near the glass window.
Which Color Attracts Bluebirds?
Bluebirds are attracted to blue color mostly as it is their own color.
When Should You Put Up a Bluebird House?
You can put the birdhouse during early spring or when the birds nest, typically from February to March, which usually varies based on the geographical areas. You can also set up a birdhouse for the bluebirds who do not migrate during the winter.
Is Your Yard Suitable for Bluebirds?
If your yard has a semi-open space with the option of low perches, fluttering bugs, a chemical-free lawn, and enough area to set up a birdhouse, bath feeder or bird bath, then definitely bluebirds would find it welcoming and safe.
Where Should You Place the Birdhouse?
If you want to attract birdhouses, then you have to place the box facing east or southeast so that it can catch the morning sun. it should be placed in the open area away from trees and should be at least 100 feet away from other bluebird houses, to avoid the rise of territorial disputes and to prevent competition for food.
