Bluebird Feeders

Having bluebird feeders in your yard is a great way to attract these beautiful birds.

Watching them feed will provide you with hours of backyardbirding enjoyment. Feeding bluebirds is not as difficult as you may think. In nature they eat a variety of insects, as well as fruits and berries. Raisins, nut meats, sunflower chips, meal worms and prepared foods are all readily eaten by bluebirds. Bluebirds are hard to attract with bird seed, but they love mealworms.

Bluebirds can be attracted to feeders. Providing an easy source of food allows bluebirds to spend their energy on nest building and caring for their young instead of foraging for food.

Bluebird feeders were designed to make it harder for other species of larger birds to reach the food. Any bird that is the same size or smaller than a bluebird could potentially fit into the feeder. Sometimes it takes putting food on a tray close to the bluebird feeder before the bluebirds catch on. The feeder may need to be moved away from human dwellings if sparrows seem to be a problem. If you find that wrens or other birds are competing for food in the bluebird feeder, adding another feeder is suggested.

Placing your bluebird feeder with your other bird feeders is not always the best choice. Bluebirds are shy and you may get more visitors by placing your feeder 15 feet or more away from other wild bird feeders.

And having a feeder near your bluebird bird houses may give you the opportunity to see the mother bird feed her babies. It is amazing to see her grab a mealworm, take it back to the nest box and watch as the babies beg for a meal.

Bluebirds need to ‘learn’ to eat from a bluebird feeder. Feeders should have a platform underneath the entrance hole so that food can be placed on the platform while the bluebird is learning to go inside the feeder to eat.