"Doing the bluebirds"

"Doing the bluebirds" is our evolving evening ritual - it involves about 30 mealworms in a tuna can, a pair of binoculars, usually a camera and tonight we added a couple of glasses of wine (for us, not the bluebirds).





The bluebirds are nesting near the lake, and I deliver the mealworms to their doorstep (almost). The first day I placed a clear glass bowl of mealworms on the ground just 10 feet from their nest box. The next day the mealworms were still there. How could these birds who seem to spot a moth from 50 feet miss a whole bowl of delicious worms right outside their door???? I decided that the clear glass bowl must not be conspicious enough, so the next day I put the worms in a large white plastic bowl. A little too conspicious this time - it drew a flock of crows right to the bluebird house. Day three, new tactic, I put the mealworms in a tuna can and watched from our dock to make sure the crows didn't cause trouble. That day it took about an hour for the bluebirds to notice their little feast. But they are a quick study - the next day it took them about one minute to start munching and now they show up within seconds of delivery.








bluebirds