Activities
Charting eggs ele
All about Birds ele/ms
Frayer Model Birds - doc. | pdf
Collecting data ele/ms
Nest Box Log ele/ms/hs
Life Cycles ele/ms
Variables ele/ms/hs
Feather Facts ms/hs
Scientific Thinking ele/ms/hs
Systems & Controls ms/hs
Science Journal Entry ms/hs
Make Puzzle ele/ms/hs
Ecology Vocabulary ms/hs
Classification ms/hs
Other Nestbox residents:
Bluebirds Project - Feeding
Lunch is served:
The mother bluebird does not always enter the box.
She often
feeds the chicks through the hole.
We did not provide a perch. Bluebirds do not need one. But other birds will find the house more appealing if it has one. The entrance hole is 1 1/2" wide. This lets bluebirds in, but keeps out starlings. The European Starling and the English Sparrow are non-native birds that compete with bluebirds for nesting sites.
I feed the bluebirds mealworms. I buy them at the local fish bait shop. Each day, I place a few in a blue bowl. I tap the bowl on the stump when I put in the mealworms. This tells the bluebirds the mealworms are there. They come quickly to get the them. I noticed the bluebirds gather several of the larva in their bills, before they fly to the nest box. The birds may eat them or feed them to their nestlings.
Female bluebird gathers mealworms in her bill.
I have planted an extensive habitat garden with native species of trees, bushes and vines that provide berries the bluebirds favor. Native Dogwood trees, American Mountain Ash, Shadbush, viburnums, winterberry bushes and wild grape vines are examples of bluebird favorites. Their berries provide vital winter food to bluebirds, as well as, other native bird species. Berry filled bushes help several birds survive during the winter months.
Northeastern US native trees, shrubs, and vines will provide fall and winter food for bluebirds.
Use the PLANTS Database to verify that the trees or bushes you are planting are native to your region.
Be wary of introducing invasive or noxious plants.
Ten Birds That Help Control Garden Pests
Explore using Live Insects in a Classroom Mealworms and decision making
Other potential nest box inhabitants:
Tree Swallow / English Sparrow / Wren / Nuthatch / Tufted Titmouse / Chickadee
Main Bluebird page | Bluebird photos
BirdSleuth: Investigating Evidence - free materials from Cornell University
Nature / Internet Hunts / Pennsylvania Projects / Puzzles and Projects / Computers / Mrs. O's House / Site Map
2002 Cindy O'Hora, Updated 5/2008,
Posted May 2002
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License.
Aligned with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Science & Technology, Reading, Writing, Ecology & Environment, Mathematics