Eastern Bluebirds Nesting [NARRATED]
Вставка
- Опубліковано 23 чер 2022
- Eastern Bluebirds were brought back from a spiral toward extinction by a widespread campaign to build bluebird houses. That's fortunate for those of us who like to watch these striking birds bringing bugs and caterpillars to the nest box.
Thanks to Lisa Saffell for filming her gerryrigged sunshade for me, for permitting me to use her House Wren shot, and for sharing her story about it. Thanks to the following videgraphers for the use of their footage of mammals nursing: Mark Formo ( • 2019-03-21 - Wild Hors... ), Michael Bayerl ( • Lamb nursing O, The Station ( • Starving Hungry Puppie... ), openmindtutorials45 ( • Video ), James Zimmerman ( • Lamb Nursing ). Thanks to Backyard Birds for footage of a House Sparrow on a bluebird box ( • Why are House Sparrows... ). - Домашні улюбленці та дикі тварини
I had not watched Jo's vids in a while. I forgot how humorous, educational, and entertaining her narrative comments are. I mean no one else could make the clever comment about "removing the fecal sacs so the nest does not smell like a gas station rest room at the end of memorial day weekend". AWESOME - should have a million subscribers!!!!
I love the compliment, James! I always appreciate knowing which specific lines in a script appealed to viewers. And by the way, welcome back.
I sometimes see eastern bluebirds on my morning walks. They are beautiful 🖤
I love your videos! They are so calming and well made.
My videos are a labor of love, Elise, so I enjoy hearing from someone who appreciates them. Thank you. And here's to many more sightings of those beautiful bluebirds on your morning walks.
Another great video! We have a bluebird box in our back yard but instead of using that, bluebirds have chosen to build a nest in the old newspaper slot under our mailbox. I'll take them any way, though.
As long as they don't attack the mailman, who cares, right?
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME I'm hoping that she doesn't ask us to remove them. 😫
I’m soooo HAPPY to hear from you!!
What a lovely video! (Like all of them)
PLEASE stay healthy!
We LOVE you!
God bless you, my beautiful friend!
And I’m happy to hear from you, Wella Wally. I am doing well and happy to hear that you like my latest.
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME
I’m binge watching a whole bunch of the ones I have not seen!
Yay!!
My favorite birds!
And I’ll bet you’re not alone in that opinion. I get it.
Saw my first today. Grabbed my phone and googled. Very pretty bird.
Congratulations! That had to have been a treat.
Oh my goodness, such am amazing video. Very informative! I gave up on bluebird houses about 6 years ago after finding the nest of 5 murdered. I don't know who or what got them but I took down all the old houses. I have started doing some homework on how to fix the hole size and the spacing between houses. I hung 2 new houses near my garden 2 years ago, but no bluebird came, only barn swallows and a little wren. Time to get busy and hang some more boxes. I am in northwestern Minnesota and we frequently see bluebirds, but only a few couples a year. We have also started a pollinator plot 3 years ago. Praying it all comes together ❤️ . You have inspired me to get off my frozen fat rear end and start preparing for their arrival.
“Frozen fat rear“ got a chuckle. I wish you good luck with attracting bluebird couples, as well as with your pollinator plot. Projects that feed pollinators are dear to my heart. A couple of years ago. I did two fairly long movies about the importance of native plants. If you haven’t already seen them, they might also inspire you.
Just started building four nest boxes for these beauties and came across your video. Very informative! Wish us luck
Oh yes, I do wish you luck.
Best nature content on UA-cam!
Hi, praise indeed! I don’t know that it’s true, but I know for sure that I enjoy hearing it. 😉
Excellent video jam packed full of information with humor sprinkled throughout! A few of my favorite lines from this video are:
The adults want to get rid of the fecal sac before the baby birds have time to squish it and get the nest smelling like a gas station restroom at the end of Memorial Day weekend.
You might want to take the magic halo down once the Bluebirds fledge lest you find one of them swinging in it like a startled Tarzan.
I always appreciate it when someone lets me know which lines in the narrative they got a kick out of. I didn't know whether anybody thought the magic halo bit was funny. Now I do.
Awwww! Such pretty little birds! We don’t get bluebirds here, too wooded. All 3 of my nest boxes are presently being used by house wrens. They aren’t quite as pretty, but they sure are fun to watch! 😊 Thanks for another great video!
You're welcome, Carol, and thanks for telling me how much you enjoyed the video. Yes, those little House Wrens are cutie pies with their sassy tails and fussbudget voices.
Thanks for the video. I have a bluebird house in my back yard too. They’re great tenants and fun to watch.
I wish we were able to attract them to our own yard, but we never have been successful at it. Enjoy yours.
I missed you😀
Aww. Thank you, Christina. It took me longer than usual to get this movie ready. I had to wait for the second brood to hatch in order to get some shots that I needed. I generally aim to get one up about every four weeks, and I figure to be able to do that with my next one--probably about Purple Martins.
I love your videos and the comments are even better
Yeah,, I enjoy the comments too. Thanks for yours!
A gentleman I used to know put up several bluebird boxes on a friend’s farm. There were a lot of tree swallows about and that made him happy. He said that tree swallows wouldn’t tolerate other tree swallows too close to their nests but didn’t mind bluebirds because of their different feeding styles so that kept some of them clear for the bluebirds to use (provided that the sparrows were kept evicted).
That's interesting info. I'd have thought the Tree Swallows would just take all the boxes, but now that I think about it, in the places where I've seen many boxes put up, they WERE far from each other. Hey, by the way, I did a movie about Tree Swallows fighting over those boxes. In case that one would interest you, here's the link: ua-cam.com/video/RlEZK7zRN6U/v-deo.html
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Nice. I always used to like seeing the tree swallows flitting about feeding on insects that my friend on his tractor stirred up mowing grass between the rows of grape vines. Sadly, the man who put up the nesting boxes passed away over a decade ago so I can’t ask him to confirm what I’m relying on memory to tell me.
@@robertpearson8798 Oh yes, those Tree Swallows in flight makes other types of birds look like pedestrians. And it seems to me that your memory is probably accurate. Tree Swallows are territorial. For that matter, so are Bluebirds.
That's a great feeder at the end of the video.
I thought so too, Margaret. (This movie wasn't filmed in MY yard.)
This was inspiring. I want to put up some Bluebird nests someday, to help the species continue to recover. Thanks for sharing their story!
Putting up bluebird houses to help the species continue to recover is a great idea. Before you do, make sure that you have the habitat they like - unless you’ve already done that. We never get bluebirds even though you’d think we might. But for some reason, they never show up in this part of the metropolitan area. I had to drive half an hour every time I wanted to film them.
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME I've had my bluebird box up for at least 5 years without ever having an occupant. In 2020 I watched as a pair inspected it, and must have rejected it, because they didn't return. But this year a pair adopted it and have already raised and fledged their first brood. They are now nesting a second time. I'm thinking that the recovery of the species (thanks to more people putting up boxes) is making them less finicky and more adaptable. So there may be hope for your yard yet! Loved the video. Especially the incite about mammals and monogamy. You are my favorite bird commentator.
@@maryloumawson6006 Hurrah! I wonder what took them so long? No, we won't get Bluebirds. For some reason, there aren't any in our area. We've never seen one in this part of town. But we have Brown Thrashers and Gray Catbirds galore, not to mention Great Horned Owls. Mustn't be greedy.
Thanks for the praise both of this film and of my movies in general. I love to hear it. Next Friday, I'll post one showing Barn Swallows in flight. Now getting that footage was a challenge! But they are so beautiful and beguiling.
Beautiful
Thank you, Amy.
I love everything about your videos. Thank you for improving peoples lives and increasing their connections to this world
Well, what a sweet compliment, Rhyno. Thank you.
Awesome video! 😊 keep up the good work my friend we love your narrative
It's satisfying to hear that the video pleased you and that you're glad you gave me permission to use your puppies nursing footage. Thanks for commenting.
Awesome!
Thanks. Glad you liked it.
What a fantastic video! Thank you so much!💙
Very nice Jo, thanks for the video.
My pleasure, William. Thanks for commenting.
Thanks sister, nice coverage
Hi, Keith. Glad you liked it.
Wonderful video 😊
☺️ I sppreciate the compliment.
Not really sure why this was recommended to be this mornin of 12/12/23 but, i am instantly hook!!! 😊
Thankyou ❤
I do love to hear that a new viewer has been hooked! Thank you for telling me so. I’ve got about 300 movies up, so there should be something on my channel for just about any bird you want to investigate, not to mention bees, praying mantises, butterflies, and spiders. I hope you’ll explore.
@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME I cannot wait to start digging!!!
An easy place to start, I guess, would be the row near the bottom of my home page: Popular videos. But I'd like to suggest a couple that haven't gotten so many views, but that I happen to like anyway. One is about why bees bumble around in flight, and the other about why birds preen. Both of them offer interesting info and visuals. If those don't happen to take your fancy, I hope you'll have fun with whatever you do watch, Kevin.
I love Bluebirds and I loved this video 😃🐦🤩
Thanks, Pamela. Glad to hear it.
Hermoso video. Gracias por compartirlo. Saludos desde Chile.
It's a pleasure to hear from someone in Chile. Thank you for commenting.
This was a particularly good episode. The cinematography and writing were top notch. I rarely see bluebirds around me, but we do get lazuli buntings, which scratch the cute blue bird itch. I had a pair of wrens in my new nest box this year and those little buggers were a joy to watch. They just fledged a couple days ago. I was pretty worried about them during the last heat wave. I should definitely try a shade option for next season. As always, thanks for all you do!
You're welcome, and thanks for describing your cute bird itch. I'm glad to hear that the info on shading bird houses struck a chord with you.
Wonderful video Jo. Great information and tips, especially about the houses which are like little ovens. Hopefully nest boxes in the future will come with a sun shade. Love seeing the fledglings, I've only seen the adults as they don't nest in the city.
I'm sure Central Park offers a huge variety of species, but every habitat has its downside. You don't get bluebirds nesting there. Neither do we at our house. I had to drive half an hour every time I filmed these guys, and some of the shots came from a nature preserve almost an hour away. That's where I got the shots of one singing and of them perching and dropping--and enjoyed a whole new huge place to look around in.
Great video! I've never seen a bluebird on my property until my hubby made me 3 from online plans he found several years ago. I placed them with the door facing away from afternoon sun and there's a small gap at top of front for ventilation. Don't place houses too close together. They will brawl if too close. Those houses see about 2 broods a year! The birds are gaining in numbers because they were heard throughout this past Connecticut winter! I never knew they winter this far north. They also take dried mealworms and suet pellets I've found at local retailers. Be careful with them for the cost could be astronomical if I kept feeders full all day. So I ration them because EVERY OTHER BIRD LOVES THEM AS WELL! I put out one big scoop of each in the morning.
I SURE DO LOVE THEIR SOFT ETHEREAL CALLS!
I'm glad you enjoyed the movie so much, Kitten. "Soft ethereal call" is a perfect description of the bluebird's song. I envy you the chance to have them in your yard. They don't visit our part of the city. They do winter here in St. Louis--though if a severe cold snap hits, they're more vulnerable than some of the other species. And you're right, of course, about how much ALL the other species love mealworms. In cold weather, we don't put them out because the birds need fat (in the form of suet) so we save the mealworms for warmer weather and even then only as a treat, not a regular spread laid out for the birds.
"...the male responsible is nothing more than a misty memory in mother mammal's mind." NICE
Thanks, Micah. I especially appreciate it when someone lets me know which lines in a narrative grab them. That particular bit kept bumbling off the tip of my tongue when I was recording instead of tripping lightly off the tongue. I'm glad to know it was worth rerecording it a few times.
Thanks so much for your frank, down-to-Earth explanations. I thought I knew somewhat about Bluebirds, as I make several each winter for Valentines day, the bluebird commencement of mating season. But I never heard of the halo you mentioned. Does it keep the house sparrows away? What are the fishing lines for? Guess I'll You Tube it.
I appreciate the "frank, down-to-earth explanations" description of my narration, Seth. I come from "country" roots, the kind of people who value frank and down-to-earth.
I had to UA-cam the halo question myself--since we don't get Bluebirds in our locale, I wanted to understand why Al and Cori had one up. Short answer: yes, the fishing line keeps House Sparrows out. But if you're thinking of using one, I'd recommend YouTubing it for more info.
I put some cedar shavings in the bottom of the boxes at the end of the season. Not that our winters are particularly bad but I've seen several birds pile into a nest box in exceptionally nasty cold weather for an overnighter. And have to wonder how 4 or 5 grown birds can cuddle up in such a small place.
I get it that you're surprised. Birds aren't usually fond of cuddling.
lol Yeah that's more like a dog pile.
@@beebop9808 yes, well said.
Fascinating!
I'm thinking about putting up a Bluebird box down the road. The one question I keep coming back to is, is there anyway to make sure only Bluebirds take up residence and what do you do if another bird starts to use it?
Do you get bluebirds in your neck of the woods? I ask because, although our habitat would seem perfect, we don't. I had to drive half an hour to the place where I filmed them. But if you do, there could be any number of species you might get--Prothonotary Warblers, House Wrens, Carolina Chickadees, Tree Swallows (if you're near a body of water), and others. And they're all protected by law. Only House Sparrows are not protected by law. If those try to move in, you can throw the eggs out. Otherwise, you'd have to take what you get, but I think all the other choices would be wonderful.
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME We do. 🙂I have seen them around our yard. We live in eastern Missouri. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I threw out the eggs of a non-bluebird. It almost sounds like first come, first serve.
@@stevehenkel354 I am in St. Louis, so you’re fairly close to where I live. Is your property suburban or rural? If it’s suburban, only the chickadees and house wrens would be likely to give the bluebirds any competition. House wrens are small, but aggressive. On the other hand, they have a beautiful song.
Another great video. What kind of feeder is that at 9:30 in the timeline?
Thaks for the compliment, Fred. I appreciate hearing it. That feeder holds dried mealworms.
Great video. But 3:13 shows exactly why a Magic Halo shouldn't be used for nesting birds. Sparrow spookers and monofilament line (which was shown throughout the video) are much safer deterrents.
I do love thr humor in your videos ❤
I appreciate your comment about the safest deterrents. Since we don't get bluebirds in this part of the city, I don't have much experience with housing them. (I learned a lot in making this movie.) What I also appreciate is you saying you love my sense of humor. Thanks, Katia.
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME oh yes, your witty sense of humor gives your videos soooo much personality and makes learning a lot more fun.
@@katiarobinowicz I wasn't angling for an even better compliment, but I'm happy to take it. Thanks. My wry sense of humor isn't for everyone. You're obviously one of those that get it, though.
Do you think putting a halo will scare them away? I just had a pair start building a nest this weekend but there are house sparrows 20 feet away at the feeder.
You know, I don't think I'm qualified to answer that because we don't get Eastern Bluebirds in our part of town. I had to drive half an hour to the house of a friend to film them. The couple I was visiting to film know more than I do about it, and they think the halo is worthwhile. Their opinion would be to use one but take it down as soon as the nestlings fledge.
Our set of bluebirds this year took a loss in the beginning. We had a couple make a nest in the birdhouse this year, as we do every year. She laid 5 eggs and they hatched. One day i decided to peek in the side access door. And the momma bluebird had died on top of her babies. They were in the process of getting feathers already. So, i took her out😕 and the daddy bluebird continued to take care of his babies until it was time for them to leave the nest. And beyond naturally. Within a month roughly, a new female bluebird was either lured in by his melody or she could have been around already 🤔 but either way they got together and the new bb laid 4 eggs . Unfortunately something got 2 of the eggs, and 2 were mysteriously cracked open.
Sigh😮💨 I cleaned the nest out. And roughly a month passed, he began to sing and sing on top of one of the other birdhouses we have. Almost as if he were trying to convince her of this different house. Not really suited for bb tho. We had a pair of Prothonotary warblers raise a family in it earlier this spring. They have been coming back to the same birdhouse for the past 4yrs now roughly. This house sits on the outside of our chicken lot. In the shade of the woods on the edge of our yard. The Prothonotary warbler doesn't seem to mind being next to the chickens and 2 crowing roosters 😄 But i don't think the bluebirds wanted the noisy chicken neighbors. So anyways....the bluebird pair have just recently began to build a new nest in the same house as they started out in. So this will be a 2nd brood for the new bb mom, and with her new bb man.😉 🤞🤞 this batch will make it successfully seeing how the last eggs became a meal☹️ This daddy bluebird has been a dutiful one, raising his brood by himself after the loss of the 1st female bb. And continuing on his bb legacy with a new. Kinda surprised they are building atm, seeing how hot it's been. They have access to birdbaths i fill daily, so here's to the 3rd times a charm 🥂🍻🍀🐦🤞
I've read that sixty percent of songbird babies are destined to be food for predators. That's why they often raise three broods a year, just to keep the species number stable. But it's sad when that happens to a brood you've been monitoring. The first brood this year of the pair I've been filming fledged the night before a mean storm and weren't seen again. Sad, but so it goes. But with so many bluebird houses around, the species should continue to thrive. Hope your pair has good luck with their third brood.
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME yes it is kinda sad, you get a sense of obligated to them. And when something goes wrong, it does get to you. But it is mother nature after all, and everything has to eat🤷🏽♀️ but it would be nice if the snakes just stuck to the field mice. Lol...
I would love to have prothonotary warblers build a nest in my yard. Lucky you!
@@georgiacopperhead4947 I'll have a talk with Mother Nature about the snakes/field mice suggestion. ... But I doubt she'll listen to me. 😏
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Lol...yeah i kinda doubt it too
Had no idea that 90% of birds were monogamous! How fascinating! And interesting to note the decline in the bluebird population and why. I just made a couple of feeders and so now will start making some bluebird houses and hopefully attract a few. Are they territorial? How far apart should I put the houses? Such an informative share! Thank you! 🥰
I wish you luck with attracting the bluebirds to houses. Whether you succeed will depend on whether you live in an area they frequent. We can't get them where we live, even though it sseems like the right habitat. But if we lived fifteen miles away, we'd have no trouble. For some reason, they're all over West St. Louis County. Yes, they are territorial, but I don't know. how far apart the houses need to be. I'm sure, though, that you could Google it.
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Supposedly they live in our area but despite our many birdfeeders up, I've never seen one. We have loads of woodpeckers so perhaps the houses won't stay empty, but I'll certainly Google the size of the house and best practices for positioning. Thank you, Jo! I learned a lot from this video!
@@AnimalArtbyTerraCotta You might just live in the wrong place. We never get Eastern Bluebirds here--been here 35 years and never seen one. Fifteen miles away, similar habitat, they're common. And there's no arguing them into trying this zip code. Do any of your neighbors get them? That's the key to knowing whether to bother with houses for them.
Thanks for the praise for this video. Eastern Bluebirds are so lovely that they make it easy to do an engaging movie.
@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME We have them in Michigan but not in my area, which doesn't bother me. I can build houses for the other wild life and be very very content! For the last two years an old toad has occupied one of the old houses ... guess it's time for some new ones. And thank you for offering so many personal tips. Your content is very solid!
Do they also feed their young spiny or hairy caterpillars?
I don’t know. For starters, I don’t know what spiny or hairy caterpillars are. Judging by your screen name, you know a lot more about plants and bugs than I do - though I did a couple of movies three years ago about the importance of putting in native plants. But in that arena, I’m still a newbie.
Check my box everyday and have thrown out the start of sparrow nest, a day or so later checked and a female bluebird had been killed on the bottom 🤤
March 13 in North Texas and I am thrilled to report a nest with 3 eggs in my bluebird box. 🤍 But the sparrows are fierce. I will try the halo technique.
Go for it!