Bluebirds

Bluebirds don't migrate. They are wonderful year round residents.  During the breeding months, the male diligently defends the territory--my patch--allowing NO interlopers.  We have 3 bird houses to choose from, but there will be only 1 that is occupied by bluebirds.  It is possible that they chose another house that is far out of our sight.  

Bluebirds typically have 2 sets of nestlings in Central Va..  However, we only hosted 1 set this year.  As they chose the bird house that I could easily see from my kitchen window, it was joyful to watch them work. Other nearby neighbors (we have 5-6 acre tracts) have bluebird houses, so they have some choice!

In the winter, there are no territorial fights that I have witnessed.  Rather, there is a gang of 5-6 of them that I have spied.  Until I put suet and mealworms out in the winter, I never saw bluebirds.  Once I started making suet, there were plenty  to see. That first winter, about 5 years ago is what prompted me to learn more about bluebirds and offer them more hospitality.

I have a colony of mealworms that have exploded in the last couple of months.  There is not much demand after the nestlings have fledged in the late summer.  Early spring, though, there are not as many insects as there are later in the summer.  The mealworms, then, become a quick meal gathering for nestlings and the parents...and then the fledged juveniles. It's hard work for a pair of parents to feed and do nest maintenance (take fecal sacs away) for a hungry gang of nestlings. It is fascinating to watch the juveniles fly to the mealworm station and beg all a-tremble for a snack from their parents.  After a short while, the parents say..."Help Yourself".  

 In the lull of waning summer days and early fall, my mealworm colony has had a chance to produce more beatles which in turn means more eggs to be created yielding more worms. It is a simple life style like most of creation: they eat, mate, have offspring, and then die.  You cannot see the eggs, but they slowly grow to mealworm larva which you can see,  You may see their molting discard before you seen the larva.

Within the next month some of my winter birds will arrive.  The white-throated sparrows have a large flock that overwinters in my area. I think that I heard one cal today.  The prefer an overgrowth of muscadine grape vines. It offers them much protection.  I will have brown creeper, yellow bellied sapsucker, warblers that may overwinter.  They arrive at various times.  I'm always happy to see them.