Flocks of Bluebirds

Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Almost every year we get reports of people having "flocks" of bluebirds coming through their property during winter in East Texas. 70 to 150 Eastern Bluebirds sometimes will group together. I saw a flock years ago at Lake Bob Sandlin in our county that easily numbered 500. In west and central Texas flocks of Mountain and Western Bluebirds are normally 50 or more birds and I have counted 1,000 in a morning of riding around.

You want a diverse gene pool in a species to survive from year to year. You also want a stable population to survive. The population cannot remain healthy if the population exceeds food, water, shelter in any part of their habitat during ANY season of the year.

For example humans routinely try to save and coddle every species of wildlife they have converted to pets or those we rely on as livestock.
Chickens for example have been intensely line bred to produce more eggs or more meat for only about 60 years. Most wild ducks and geese (and other
birds) are relatively immune to the MANY contagious strains of "bird flu"
while in the news it is common for 10,000 to 40,000 chickens on one farm to die within 48 hours of being exposed to these germs. You will also read that most of the domestic ducks, geese, turkeys, Emus and Ostriches which are also commonly line bred are also dying in massive numbers on these farms.

If you look at photos of the chickens they are killing from Nigeria in Western Africa to Iran and from France & Sweden to the Far East in China they are basically all using the same breed of chickens developed in America and we have shared this very narrow gene pool around the globe that is extremely susceptible to this new strain of "bird flu". None of these chickens have the ability to survive in the wild if they had to scratch out their own food or even find water on their own.

I believe the Purple Martin is the only widespread species of wild bird in North America that is now totally (well almost) dependant on man for their nest cavities. If everyone removed every Purple Martin house this spring would these birds search out natural cavities or would they take over barn and cliff swallow nests?

If a pair of bluebirds raise 6 babies and only three are strong enough to fly with the parents to the safety of the woods 150 yards away. Three others crash land in tall grass within fifty feet of their box. Should they concentrate on the three young too weak to keep up that are calling in the field near their nestbox or should they stay with the three strongest ones and protect them from predators? KK

Well, I am glad to know someone is seeing huge flocks of Bluebirds. I've never seen them here and have not any reports of that many in a flock. I felt like something extra ordinary had happened when I counted about 18 on the power lines from here to Greenville, MS on my trips up there. I had not seen any until this year in these places.. Also, in other places I will see few on the lines where I've never seen them before. The most reported around me here has been about 50. That is a long way from hundreds.

I am not naive enough to want every single one of them to survive, but I do know a huge number has to survive to make up huge flocks. If any others are seeing huge flocks, it would be noteworthy to report it.

Also, if we would take down our bluebird nestboxes, I think we would be trailing right along behind the Purple Martins. Our habitat is still shrinking fast.

BTW, there's icicles hanging from my house this morning. It's been several years since we saw that. All the birds have come for food in my yard. I feed the seed eating birds away from the bluebird feeder and it helps keep a lot of them away from it. The Cardinals have developed a "sweet tooth" for them too. They also devour the peanut butter and oatmeal balls.

Evelyn Cooper
Delhi, LA

The flock [note from webmaster: previous post indicated almost 100 birds, mostly males in this flock] I saw in north Georgia appeared out of nowhere in a dense stand of mature oaks and tulip trees that have a big population of pileated and red bellied woodpeckers as well as lots of flickers, and lots of natural cavities. They showed up on a day I the mid 60's about 4 in the afternoon when a cold front was on the way in and the sky was dark and there was thunder and lightning and a strong wind. It's probably coincidence, but they appeared to be traveling with white throated sparrows.

Rob Barron-Woodstock, Georgia

From: djs [mailto:dschiess"at"net-link.net]
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 1:38 PM
Subject: New Member Question

Hi,

We have several bluebird houses on our property and are very fortunate to have them return every year. Today there is the strangest activity going on. There is a flock of 20-30 birds flying all over my back yard and field behind the yard. What are they doing? I am enjoying it immensely but very curious about this.

Thank you,
Brenda Schiesser

From: Bruce Burdett [mailto:blueburd"at"verizon.net]
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 2:26 PM
Subject: Re: New Member Question

Brenda,
Where are you located? Your location is vital.
Bruce Burdett SW NH

From: L. Field [mailto:gabriel"at"kendra.com]
Sent: Sunday, August 27, 2006 4:06 PM
Subject: huge flock of bluebirds in Oregon!

Hi all,
I was finally able to come to Oregon for a couple days to look around, and as I was out on a morning walk in the country, I saw a wonderful sight! A couple of large trees with about 30 western bluebirds in it, and more on the ground underneath eating seeds and who knows what onthe ground. I was so pleased! So, congrats to the Oregon bluebirders and local farmers who are either making proper habitat, or leaving natural habitat for these birds. The area where I was walking had had a wildfire in the area, but it didn't seem to kill all the oaks and ponderosa pines and other stuff, so evidently their cavities were still usable.

This is the first time I have *ever* seen bluebirds, and so I was so excited, I just had to share.

Hope your day is as lovely as mine!

Lynn

From: L. Field [mailto:gabriel"at"kendra.com]
Sent: Saturday, September 02, 2006 11:41 PM
Subject: Re: Where have they gone???

Hi Ruth,
Sorry to take so long to answer, but I just returned from my farm, and it seems that they have all come there (just joking). But really, there must have been at least 50 or so bluebirds eating and spending the afternoons there and then roosting there daily. I do not think that any neighbors feed the ordinary bird seed mix (with mostly millet), though it seems that most do feed hummers. I was also astonished to see the sheer (large) volume of cavity nesting birds there. There are woodpeckers, zillions (too many to count) tree swallows,a very few wrens and the bluebirds. In the late afternoon, they spend their time going between the little pond, ponderosa and oak tree trunks, and then nest in the very large and old laceleaf maple tree. I also noted a few woven "sock nests" in that same tree.

I had a lovely time there, and I can't wait to go back!

Lynn in the PNW

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