THAT'S FOR THE BIRDS!

I hear you knocking, but you can't come in!
Finally, spring is here, birds are hungry and it's nesting time!

Golden Flicker...
...but I call it a woodpecker!

Those woodpeckers are active and noisy! They have been pecking on our gutters and even the chimney! Early in the morning, they peck and rattle the whole house!  I keep food for them in this covered feeder. The cover keeps the grackles/starlings out while allowing the woodpeckers access. Woodpeckers are acrobats and can cling to anything! But I wonder why they are pecking at non-wood and non-food places around my house?

A bluebird and woodpecker feeding together. Why can't we all just get along?

We used to hang a feeder out in the open and the blue birds would come eat at the same time as the woodpeckers! But, the grackles/starlings are an invasive species and we didn't want to encourage them to here.  

I dislike grackles/starlings. Someone many, many years ago, brought these birds to America because of the way they flock and fly together. Sadly, they cause problems for other birds and they also cause a disease called histoplasmosis.  This is an infection caused by the fungus found in the droppings of these birds.

Another invasive bird is the Eastern Sparrow.  It broke my heart to find a beheaded bluebird at the base of our pole beneath the bluebird nesting house in our backyard.  Yes, you read that correctly - beheaded! I did some research and discovered that sparrows compete with bluebirds for nesting space and will attack and kill bluebirds! 

If you have a nesting box in your backyard, please monitor it for sparrows.  They are very territorial and competitive. The sparrows don't give up easily and they are obviously killers!  If you know of a way to get rid of or discourage sparrows, I'm open to suggestions!

I'd prefer a flock of bluebirds in my neighborhood. They are beautiful, sing the loveliest song, and eat LOTS of mosquitoes and other bugs! (The correct term is insectivorous if you wanted to know.)

Sing along now:
"Somewhere, over the rainbow, bluebirds fly!"
I just want them to come fly around here.