Feathers and Fuzz

one woman's cure for the empty-nester blues

Bluebird

How To Eat Mealworms Bluebird-Style

by

Bluebirds love mealworms!

In this short video, three recently-fledged bluebird youngsters, and their parents, show us how it is done — bluebird style.

 

A Note About Mealworms

“Mealworms” are not actually worms.  They are beetle larvae, dry to the touch, and a favorite snack for many songbirds.  In the video, you will also see some yellow jackets.   While the adult yellow jackets feed on sugary substances (a problem at hummingbird nectar feeders), they also harvest protein to feed their larvae (a problem at a mealworm feeder).  Watching yellow jackets feed on mealworms is unpleasant, to say the least.  The only solution I have found is to put out fewer worms at a time.

On a more positive note:  In an upcoming video, we’ll see the many different ways the non-bluebirds go about enjoying this treat.

Baby Bluebird’s First Bath

by

Watch this recently-fledged baby bluebird discover the birdbath.  He doesn’t quite know what to think as his mom splashes him with water droplets.  I wonder … is he thinking … “ooooh”, or “owwww”?  Soon he braves the deep and tries to mimic mom’s bathing technique … only he just can’t figure out where his wings are supposed to go!

About the Birdbath

The birdbath camera’s video feed is by far my favorite.  There is rejoicing all day long!  It’s funny to watch the habits of different birds … the toe-dippers, the all-inners, the spectators, the it’s-all-mine’rs and the let’s-bathe-together-crowd.  Future posts will feature the Summer Tanager pair — each one stunningly beautiful in their unique shades of yellow (her) and red (him).  She would generally show up around noon for her daily bath … he preferred to bath at about 5:00 pm.  Each day I’d check … and they’d be there like clockwork.

Providing fresh, clean water for birds will attract a wide array of birds to your property.  If not for the birdbath, I would rarely see the Tanagers.  Providing a birdbath is also important to the birds … not only as a “drinking hole”, but as a place for birds to free themselves of dust and mites.

Birdbath Location/Maintenance

The birdbath pictured here gets morning sun and afternoon shade.  The shrubs around it provide places for birds to make a quick escape as well as a place to preen their feathers after a bath.  (If you have outdoor cats in your area, be careful about placing a birdbath in a location which would allow a cat to surprise the birds.  I am NOT knocking cats — just trusting them to be the impeccable hunters they are!)  I try to hose the bath out once every day to remove any debris/algae.  Water is added, in the summer, with the aid of a micro-sprinkler timer and tube leading from the timer to the bath.  (You can see the water-feeding tube on the right side of the pictured bath.)  The timer turns the water on for 1 minute every 4 hours.  It keeps the bath full and the water fresh/cool while allowing me to watch-and-forget.  During winter months, I add a birdbath heater to keep the water from freezing (and hand-fill with water … bummer).

One last note:  The pictured birdbath is made of granite.  I tried a concrete birdbath — it pitted and was impossible to clean.  I tried a pretty, glass bath (also a ceramic one) — they broke in freezing temperatures.