A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 BLUEBIRDS

Many of you have said that you have never seen a bluebird. I was by a field that was full of bluebirds on Friday and got some poor quality pictures but They will give you and idea.

bluebird (note the hint of blue on the back and the pale russet breast......this bird is molting right now.)



And here are two picture of the ideal bluebird habitat......HORSE PASTURES.

Thorny, I know what a bluebird looks like because it's reminds me of a smaller version of a robin with the russet breast, but with blue instead of brown on it's back. We have them around here in this area, but I've never been fortunate enough to see one in real life. I wish I lived in a more rural area because I would have a dozen or more bluebird houses in my yard.

Patches, If you had a dozen or more bluebird houses in your yard you would NEVER get a SINGLE bluebird.

blue birds are EXTREMELY territorial and antisocial and will NOT nest closer than 100yds/meters from any other bluebird nest or human dwelling. If you space your nest boxes closer than that NO bluebirds will use ANY of your nestboxes.

Oh and bluebirds are very close relatives to the American Robin. The European Robin looks a lot like our bluebird, too.

Purple Martins, on the other hand will not nest at all unless there are large numbers of nest boxes in a very small area. They are EXTREMELY social and form large colonies of birds. They like their apartment complexes to be on a high pole at least 12ft/4meters above the ground very close to a water source like a lake or pond. And like bluebirds, they like relatively short grassed treeless fields around their colonies.

I saw a bluebird for the first time this spring on my way to the farm where my daughter's horse is boarded. Also saw an oriole when I got to the barn. I guess if I want to see another I had better hang out more at the barn!

The bluebirds around here arent s picky as Thornys. They dont seem to mind haing a human dwelling nearby. One girl I know has a bluebird box about 20 feet from her back door and gets bluebirds every year.
They dont like to nest near other bluebirds (that 100yard thing applies) but they don't mind nesting near other species such as tree swallows.

My nest box is about 5 ft away from my deck (about 20 feet away from my back door) and we get bluebirds every yr in the spring. They raise 2 sets of young and I don't see them again till next spring. I don't see many bluebirds after the first of August really.

Hey maybe my bluebirds are flying your way after they leave here Thorny! lol

I have another nest box about 100 yards from the house in the backyard and I've never had a bluebird nest there. I dumped out plenty of Sparrows nest trying to lure the bluebirds in but they'd rather nest close to the house for some reason.

I have a few photos of our babies here