Eastern Bluebirds

Hi Anne!
You're so lucky--too soon for bluebirds for us still. The robins have just come back, so I know spring is coming, however slowly.
Bluebirds are my absolute favorite bird.

I hope you don't have starlings in your area. They can be a real pest taking over the bluebird's houses, and even killing the baby bluebirds in my locale.

ac

oooh, I like you animal folks!

This is the third spring we've lived in our house in the country. We have bluebirds in our bb box for the third year. I love them, too! We drive our non-bird friends nuts talking about bluebird antics.

bluebird mania

Too funny! I was just thinking today at the day job (yuck)that I should email you all with a bluebird question!

I watched what I think are tree swallows harassing my bluebirds yesterday. The male bb would fly up and scare them off. He's a fiesty guy. Sounds like this is typical behavioral for the "squatter" birds?

I do know that with other bluebirds, territory is a huge issue. I read that each mating pair will have around a 5- acre territory!!

I hope you don't have starlings in your area. They can be a real pest taking over the bluebird's houses, and even killing the baby bluebirds in my locale.

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I just had a long conversation with our vet today, about starlings. (We took our pet rat to the vet, she bloated up to twice her size.........she had x-rays and is on heart medication).


Anyway - we had a pet starling last summer: a cat got her when she was a tiny baby and we raised the bird. (REHABS won't keep them). Anway, that bird stole my heart, stole my husband's heart. Related to crows ........starlings are very intelligent birds.

She dropped dead after about 6 months, no reason why.

(We even took her with us when we evacuated for Katrina - she was probably the only starling to spend the night inside a Marriot.)


Back to the vet : he works with all animals, is one of the few vets in the US licensed to work with everything - works with bears, lions, birds, snakes, you name it...............and he has been bitten by bears, snakes, you name it......and the only living thing he hates or has killed or will kill ......is a starling.


Because of the reasons sited already on this thread. They are not native to the US.......and they bully lots of native birds.


But as mean as they might be to other birds, they sure make great pets.

Do you have any idea why your starling died? I wonder if all the stress caused by the hurricane had anything to do with it.

Hope your rat gets better!

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We have no idea why the starling died.


However, we had moved to a different house, and in the business of getting settled (and our new house has 12 foot ceilings) I wasn't letting her out of the cage for exercise as often as at the old house. It just wasnt' safe. Granted, she got out of her cage once at our old house, and flew up in a giant oak tree, and yelled and screamed for me to come out and get her!


But here - we are the country - there are hawks and all kinds of predator birds. Plus, we have cats.


She was in her cage, hanging in a shady area on the front porch, and I asked my daughter to go make sure she had fresh water. She tended to play in it, so her water needed changed about a dozen times per day. My daughter came in and said "She's on the floor of her cage." I ran out, grabbed the bird, who was barely alive. She took a few breaths in my hand, then died.


It was terrible.


Regarding our rat, I hope she gets better, too!

If the medicine doesn't work, the doctor recommended surgery - but that's $400. Our bill today was $100, and to tell you how rare it is to see rat owners pay for vet care - this doctor has only seen 4 rats in 8 years.

Pam:

Sorry to hear about your bird. She sounds like she was really a joy to have around.

And I hope your rat is feeling better. As for vet bills, my husband and don't seem to be able to day "no." But it is hard, I know.

Watching baby bluebirds fledge can be very entertaining. I had a pair raise 4 broods last year and we had bluebirds all over the place! There were so many, they had to take turns at the birdbath.

For those who worry about tree swallows or violet green swallows taking over bluebird houses, there is a simple answer...put up more houses. While bluebirds are very territorial, they co-exist with swallows very well.

I have no problem with starlings in my bluebird houses, since the entrance size keeps them out. I also put my bluebird houses no more than 5' from the ground and starlings don't feel comfortable trying to nest that low. House sparrows and wasps are another matter.