From: "Lawrence Herbert" lherbert"at"4state.com
To: "Bluebird" BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: noel guard
Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2003 12:03:23 -0500

Evelyn answered my question about what a noel guard is. Thanks.

Now, my next question for her and the list: are they affective at all against snakes? Any research done on that? I didn't see them mentioned in the bluebird reference guide unless I missed it.

I heard a bluebird this morning when I went out for an hour or so.

Good birding, Larry H. Joplin MO. Lawrence lherbert"at"4state.com

From: rindfleisch12"at"elknet.net
Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 12:51:14 CDT
Subject: EABL migration? Dad showing son housing market?

 

I saw the stangest thing (although maybe not since this is the first year blues have fledged from my houses), but I saw Mr. Bluebird on top of one of the houses as another blue went inside. I wondered if the "parents" were checking out new homes for 2004. Grabbed the binocs and saw that it was another male!

They proceded to do the same to two other available houses that were still within view of my house.

Was dad showing the "first fledged" son the real estate prospects for next year? Sure do hope so.

Also, do females migrate south before the males or do they leave at the same time - the whole family Cheryl R.- SE wisconsin

From: "Susan C. Hubbard" s.c.hubbard"at"worldnet.att.net
To: rindfleisch12"at"elknet.net, Bluebird-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: Re: EABL migration? Dad showing son housing market?
Date: Mon, 22 Sep 2003 14:38:06 -0400

A couple of days ago, Mr and Mrs Blue and family came visiting. Parents and babies (~75% molted to adult plumage) (2 male + 2 female) spant several minutes checking out the boxes. The parents had "their" box (used for two nests this year) and the babies had the paired box. At one point, two babies were hanging on the outside of a box, and two more were on top. Not sure if the parents were intentionally showing off the boxes, or were just checking out boxes for themselves and the babies were copying...

Sue Hubbard
Williamson, NY
----- Original Message -----
From: rindfleisch12"at"elknet.net

Sent: Monday, September 22, 2003 1:51 PM
Subject: EABL migration? Dad showing son housing market?

 

From: "Thompsons Woodcarving" thompsonscarve"at"on.aibn.com

Subject: western bluebird
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2003 21:35:45 -0400

Hello everyone
I feel somewhat like I have joined your list on false pretences. I am not an avid bird watcher, and have never seen a bluebird. But I am a wood carver. As a matter of fact I am a woodcarver looking for a pattern or reference material on the Western Bluebird. Possibly someone has drawings or a book you can recommend that has good illustrations (both colour and black and white). I hope to carve this elusive fellow and need all the technical information I can get. Again I apologize if I have joined your list under false pretences, but I appeal to your love of bluebirds. sincerely Brigette Thompson Sudbury, Ontario

Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2003 20:15:02 -0700
From: John Schuster wildwingco"at"earthlink.net
To: thompsonscarve"at"on.aibn.com
CC: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: Re: western bluebird

Dear Brigette,

I believe I can speak for most of us on Bluebird L and that is,

"You've come to the right place!"

I'm sure that someone will be contacting you to assist you and we would all be very interest in seeing your handy work.

By the way, I do have a photo of a Western Bluebird perched on a U-Bar in a vineyard over in the Napa Valley, but he looks so old that you'd think he was stuffed.

Cheers and as always...

Happy Bluebird Trails To You,
John Schuster, conservationist and owner
Wild Wing Company
Bio-Diversity Products
1179 Debbie Hill Road
Cotati, California 94931
PH: (707) 795-4440
Web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~wildwingco/
FIELD VINEYARDS
Cotati, CA
N Lat. +38.33194 & W. Long. -122.69111
Cloverdale, CA
N Lat. +38.80556 & W. Long. -123.01611
Potter Valley, CA
N Lat. +39.27306 & W. Long. -123.0925
Climate Zone: 10a (30 to 35 F)

Thompsons Woodcarving wrote:

 Hello everyone
 I feel somewhat like I have joined your list on false pretences. I am
 not an avid bird watcher, and have never seen a bluebird. But I am a
 wood carver. As a matter of fact I am a woodcarver looking for a
 pattern or reference material on the Western Bluebird. Possibly
 someone has drawings or a book you can recommend that has good
 illustrations (both colour and black and white). I hope to carve this
 elusive fellow and need all the technical information I can get.
 Again I apologize if I have joined your list under false pretences,
 but I appeal to your love of bluebirds.
 sincerely
 Brigette Thompson
 Sudbury, Ontario

Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2003 23:38:51 -0700
From: Linda Violett lviolett"at"earthlink.net

Subject: Re: western bluebird

Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif.

Bridgette, photos and drawings of both the Western and Mountain Bluebirds are rare compared to the Eastern Bluebird. Several color photos can be seen at: http://home.earthlink.net/~lviolett/ 

By the way, I took up woodcarving specifically for Bluebird nestboxes on my trail. The Western Bluebird is on the back panel and the side panels are carved in an art-deco style relief. Side panel can be seen on a nestbox photo on the above web page. Are you planning to woodcarve Bluebirds for profit?

A black & white silhouette of a Bluebird can be found in Corel's clipart. If you plan to color/shade your finished pieces, please try duplicate the varied hues of Western. The web site (above) and its links show the backs, sides and fronts of both the male and female Western Bluebird.

Linda V.

 

.

X

Date: Thu, 02 Oct 2003 08:38:14 -0400
From: birdwatcherfc"at"netscape.net

Subject: Succcessful season

Hello,

Now that my seasonal employment at the park has come to an end I finally have time to post my nestbox trail results. My trail is along one of the park roads through woods and an overgrown area. I had a very successful year fledging 2 tufted titmice (the first nesting for this trail), 13 Carolina chickadees and 57 house wrens. One Carolina chickadee nest was taken over by a house wren but that's life. Nothing to be upset about. Also my flying squirrel is doing well.

One nestbox got a lot of attention all summer. A lot of people walk park roads for exercise and my little wren was always very visible and since our work takes us on this road we would often see walkers stop to watch her. Perfect opportunity to stop and talk about birds and birding.

So now the nesting season is over and time to move on to other things. Time to watch the migrating birds pass through, like the many broad-winged hawks that passed over a few days ago, the bald eagles soaring overhead, and all the winter birds arriving. No empty nest syndrom here.

Well, 'til next time, happy birding.

Fred (southern PA)
Charter member CBC Life member FFCOP Member FCRMC Member EFMLS

From: "Ruth Brinckman" oinker"at"comcast.net
To: "Blue bird" Bluebird-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: Two Questions
Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2003 09:23:16 -0400

I had a pair of Bluebirds this summer that had two broods. The last time I saw the entire family at the mealworm feeder was early August. Why didn't they stay around and continue feeding? Haven't seen a Bluebird since.

I have huge black and yellow Bumble bees that are entering under my siding at ground level. Will they do any harm if I allow them to enter? They are not Carpenter Bees.

Thanks

Ruth Brinckman
Souderton, Easter PA

From: "Pamela Ford" jpford"at"comcast.net
To: oinker"at"comcast.net
Cc: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: RE: Two Questions
Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2003 09:55:42 -0400

In this area, the bluebirds also seem to "disappear" in late summer, only to reappear in the fall in the beginning of flocks. Mine have been starting to come around again, and are beginning to tolerate each other's proximity better than during the summer. However, they still haven't regained interest in the mealworms. I think they use the mealworms so heavily during the summer because they are raising their young. And then again in the winter as food sources are scarce. But, during spring and fall there are plenty of other insects available (if it's not raining:-)) and the mealworms are not a favorite food item. I've seen them use the mealworm feeder, chock full of wriggling mealworms, as a perch to hunt for other insects on the ground, while only giving the mealworms an occasional glance. 

As for the bees - if they are much smaller than the carpenter bees, they are probably bumble bees. I had a nest under my front stoop last summer and did some research. While I ultimately left the nest alone until winter and then filled in the dirt to prevent a reoccurrence, many websites pointed out that
bumble bees can be very aggressive in protecting their nest. This is surprising, as they are quite docile while feeding. So, if you have any children in the area that could accidentally disturb the area around the nest, it might be better to have it removed.

Pam in Harford County, Maryland

When I'm feeding mealworms to chickadees, my "elevation" is on Cloud No. 9; however, with a computer crash a few months ago, I've lost the website for determining elevation at ground level. So, who you are knowledgable, will you please e-mail me the site individually? Thanks!

************************
----- Original Message -----
 

From: "L Colangelo"
Subject: baffles Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2003

I have a question for the distinguished panel of experts. On my metal  poles, I have PVC pipes and caps held in place by hose clamps for a  baffle. I'm not sure offhand what the diameter is of the PVC pipe but it's the standard size. I had problems last season with eggs disappearing from the nest--nest undisturbed--and the culprit may have  been a snake somehow getting around the pipe. I had a thought that if I  could somehow get a round disk of some sort to attach and rest on top of  the PVC cap I wouldn't have to replace the whole baffle--the attached  round disk being f a larger diameter than the cap. Say, if the cap is 8  " in diameter, the disk could be 10" to a foot across. I don't know  what I could make this disk out of or even if this would be enough of a  deterrent. I hate to throw out all the old baffles and start over--too  expensive! How can I rig the old one to be more effective? 

Date: Tue, 16 Sep 2003 12:50:25 -0700
From: Linda Violett lviolett"at"earthlink.net

Subject: HOSP Slot Box

Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif.

Could someone provide the gap depth of a slot box which will accommodate House Sparrows and exclude Bluebirds?

Message-Id: 200310201840.h9KIeZ51040776"at"smtp.bayou.com To: Bluebird-L"at"cornell.edu From: Subject: Number of House Sparrows in US Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 18:40:35 GMT Can someone give me the number of House Sparrows to date in the US? I have the Starling number but don't have time to look it up here on the public library computer. My grandson will soon have me a new computer built. :) Evelyn Cooper Delhi, LA. Louisiana Bayou Bluebird Society www.labayoubluebirdsociety.org

From: "L Colangelo" lcolangelo"at"verizon.net
To: "bluebirders" Bluebird-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: baffles
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2003 09:44:16 -0400
 

I have a question for the distinguished panel of experts.  On my metal  
poles, I have PVC pipes and caps held in place by hose clamps for a  
baffle.  I'm not sure offhand what the diameter is of the PVC pipe but  
it's the standard size.  I had problems last season with eggs  
disappearing from the nest--nest undisturbed--and the culprit may have  
been a snake somehow getting around the pipe.  I had a thought that if I  
could somehow get a round disk of some sort to attach and rest on top of  
the PVC cap I wouldn't have to replace the whole baffle--the attached  
round disk being f a larger diameter than the cap.  Say, if the cap is 8  
" in diameter,  the disk could be 10" to a foot across.  I don't know  
what I could make this disk out of or even if this would be enough of a  
deterrent.  I hate to throw out all the old baffles and start over--too  
expensive!  How can I rig the old one to be more effective?

******

Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2003 09:25:06 -0500 Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v543) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Subject: Need ideas to obtain permission for BB trail on golf course From: Sharon Kersten To: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Message-Id: 078B668B-06F7-11D8-8BB5-00039354010C"at"tlab.net Hi all, My husband and I, as Ambassadors for the Texas Bluebird Society, have been asked to assist a man in trying to establish a bluebird trail on a municipal golf course. We are looking for articles, publicity ideas, etc. that we may gather to approach the "powers that be" to gain permission. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Sharon Kersten XE Ranch Nature Preserve Mialm County, Texas

***

Message-Id: 200310251531.h9PFVt51061598"at"smtp.bayou.com To: Bluebird-L"at"cornell.edu From: Subject: Date: Sat, 25 Oct 2003 15:31:55 GMT On one of our newly established walking trails at a state park, the folks asked us if it was o.k. for them to paint the predator guards. I have never been asked that and want to run it by the experts before I give an answer. My thoughts were in the future if the paint peels and needs immediate attention, would it make it easy for snakes to crawl it? Need answer asap. Evelyn Cooper Delhi, LA. Louisiana Bayou Bluebird Society labayoubluebirdsociety.org

From: Lawrence Herbert [mailto:lherbert"at"4state.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 04, 2003 6:42 AM
To: Bluebird
Subject: roosting/foraging

Yes it is the same for the Eastern Bluebird in southern Missouri:
Bluebirds use the boxes for roosting in on some winter nights and
the boxes make a nice perch to search for prey.

Good birding, Larry H. Joplin MO.

***

From: Jim McLochlin [mailto:bluebirdbox"at"cox.net] Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2003 8:14 PM To: 'Steve Patterson' Cc: Bluebird-L; rainbowm"at"earthlink.net Subject: RE: Bluebirds Steve, I am sorry to hear of your experience and it certainly sounds if Rainbow is not interested in your business. This is the first time I have heard of a complaint regarding them but I will certainly pass this information along. In fact I did just that in this message. I copied both Rainbow and the listserv Bluebird-L. Jim McLochlin Omaha, NE 41.279N -96.060W The Audubon Society of Omaha = http://audubon-omaha.org/ The Bluebird Box = http://audubon-omaha.org/bbbox/index.htm Omaha Web Solutions = http://www.omahawebsol.com -----Original Message----- From: Steve Patterson [mailto:fishn51"at"insightbb.com] Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2003 6:51 PM To: bluebirdbox"at"cox.net Subject: Bluebirds I recently ordered mealworms from the supplier your site recommended (Rainbow Mealworms). On the phone, I told the lady taking the order, that I was going to feed the mealworms to the bluebirds. Today, I received my order of,,,, very tiny mealworms. Disappointed in their size, I called Rainbow back, and said they sent me the wrong mealworms. After a long drawn out refusal to do anything about it, the lady told me that bluebirds would eat that size mealworms. I agreed that they would, if they could see them. These mealworms were less than 1/4". Finally they lady said, I could do whatever I wanted to do with the mealworms, since they were mine. Then asked if I'd like to place an order for the bigger ones. I told her no thanks and that I wouldn't be ordering anything again from them,, she hung up on me. I ordered larger mealworms from another dealer. Steve E Patterson Oglesby, Illinois

***

From: C & G Statton [mailto:statton"at"toolcity.net] Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2003 10:20 PM To: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu Subject: Rainbow ... and mealworms Chris Statton, NWPA Jim ... I'm sorry to read of Mr. Patterson's experience with Rainbow Mealworms. I, too, have had a bit of a similar experience. Mostly, I raise my own worms. Sometimes, however, the blues' demand outsteps my bins' productivity and I have to buy worms. I used to deal only with Grubco. Then, their "large" worms ended up smaller than the little worms in my bins. Huh? WHY was I buying worms as small as what I already had? So, I - twice - tried Rainbow. Their packaging of worms was impressive. BUT ... same question ... why was I buying worms as small (or SMALLER) as those in my bins - in spite of ordering "large" worms ... ??? NOT at all to be a commercial ... but ... really ... pretty much now THE only mealworm source I feel comfortable suggesting ... Jenna Bird. In many ways my business and Jenna Bird are competitors ... but, without fail, for wormies ... I recommend Jenna Bird every time. I'll major differ on nestboxes and feeders. But, for worms, Jenna Bird is the BEST!!! Feel comfortable passing this recommendation on. Unless/until Jenna Bird decides to "down-size" the mealworms they sell ... GO for it! REALLY appreciate you passing this e-mail on.