Attracting and Preserving Bluebirds

There is a pretty long history of conservation of bluebirds.  Both house sparrows and starlings were crowding out the bluebirds. The person credited with starting the bluebird trail was Thomas E. Musselman in 1934 when he placed nest boxes along a stretch of road in Adams County, Illinois.  To try to reverse the decline, building bluebird boxes for them to nest in has helped.  The long term decline in their population became evident in the 1960s.  Building bluebird trails was the largest single-species conservation effort ever started. Another activist and educator who led the field in exposing their plight was Lawrence Zeleny.  The North American Bluebird Society was formed and exists to this day. Populations are rebounding.  Why not get involved, we could use your help.

The gorgeous coloration of the Eastern Bluebird thrills observers.  Their preferred habitat is open farmland which is disappearing but nesting boxes provided along bluebird trails has helped to maintain their population.  They can spot a caterpillar from about 7 yards away and find them juicy morsels.  They are often seen in flocks of 10 to 20.  Most Eastern Bluebirds migrate south for the winter months.  They don’t tolerate cold well and this can result in high mortality when winter storms come in.

Bluebirds love fruit – so this is a good way to attract them to your yard or feeder.  Also mealworms are popular with bluebirds. Offering water and either fresh or dried fruit is a great way to make friends.  They also like peanut or peanut butter mixes.

You will find the Western Bluebird in brush, deserts and semi-open terrain in winter and the rest of the year in conifer forests, farms and scattered trees. One marking that distinguishes the Western Bluebird from the Eastern is that the Western has a brilliant blue throat and chestnut red underparts. The female is less colorful.  With the decline of large old trees we have a dwindling population of Western Bluebirds.  These birds will nest communally.

This is a must read book which would make a wonderful gift for any bird lover!  It is chock full of great personal stories about birds such as of course the bluebird, tree swallow, osprey, starlings, tits, grosbeaks, tanagers, phoebes, plovers and terns as well as more.  It's written by a woman who is an ornithologist and natural history buff.