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Know your Bluebirds
Knowing Bluebirds behaviour and preferences will raise the probabilities of having them coming to your Bluebird house. There are a few tips that can be applied to all 3 species to maximize the chance of this happening:
Never install perches near the entrance hole. This will only facilitate predators to access the entrance.
During warm weather, they usually eat mostly insects such as grasshoppers, crikets, beetles, spiders..etc. Also earthworms when they emerge out of the soil after rainy weather and berries or small fruit is available.
Hanging nestboxes from a tree branch is ok in areas where snake predation or other predators are not a problem.
Habitat is a key factor. Open country with scattered trees and low grass is ideal. If there are fences, utility lines or some trees, that will be a plus. For example: pasturelands, open park areas, golf courses, vineyards, cementeries or utility rights-of-way if they are mowed.
Mount nestboxes at least 50 - 200 feet away from brushy and heavily wooded areas so they don´t compete with House Wrens.
Avoid areas with high House Sparrow presence such as barns, feedlots or yards where people feed birdseed.
Face nestboxes away from prevailing winds and try to face them toward a tree or shrub within 100 feet. This will help young bluebirds when they try their first flight.
Eastern Bluebird
Where can I find eastern Bluebirds?
You can find an incredible interactive map here
During warm months (July-August), southeast corner of the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba and southern Ontario.
During cold months (December-March), middle South Dakota, M Minnesota, N Wisconsin, Michigan, S Ontario, S Quebec, up State New York, N Vermont and Maine.
To the west, eastern Montana, eastern half of Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico.
Diet
Ground-dwelling invertebrates
Flying insects
Berries, mistletoe, sumac, black cherry, tupelo, currants, wild holly, dogwood. hackberries, pokeweed and juniper berries
Ocasionally lizards, small snakes, slamanders and tree frogs
Mealworms specially in winter
Western Bluebird
Where can I find Western Bluebirds?
You can find an incredible interactive map here
During most of the year, you can find Western Bluebirds in California, southern Rocky Mountains, Arizona and New Mexico.
During warm months, they also can be seen in the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, Montana and even Central America.
In winter, they stay on the Southwestern United States, central Mexico and northern Central America.
Diet
Mainly invertebrates like grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles, ants, wasps, pill bugs and spiders.
During winter, they will look for berries and small fruits, mistletoe, juniper, elderberries, grapes, raspberries, blackberries, serviceberries, sumac, chokecherries and poison oak.
Mountain bluebird
Where can I find Western Bluebirds?
You can find an incredible interactive map here
Mountain Bluebird ranges from central Alaska to Manitoba, Texas and California and British Columbia.
During winter, Mountain Bluebird ranges from southwestern United States to northern Mexico.
Diet
Almost insects such as grasshoppers, caterpillars, moths, spiders, mayflies, beetles, weevils, bugs, ants and flyes.
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