Winter is coming. Why are Western bluebirds still hanging around nesting boxes?
The birds aren't nesting but they show no interesting in moving out. Plus, Lindsay Wildlife Experience has created a veterinary fund in honor of the late Gary Bogue.
DEAR JOAN: Interesting, my Western bluebird family that bred in my bluebird box this last spring has all showed up recently, and all four or five birds are going crazy around the box, although they haven’t built a nest.
I do feed them mealworms daily, but they flit around the box, sometimes going in and out. I’m not a bird expert — just do hummingbird feeders, suet cakes and mealworm feeders — so I don’t know why this is happening. I am more of a gardener, growing heirloom tomatoes, peppers, herbs and my favorite, a giant pumpkin. This year’s was only 760 pounds, but still, a nice pumpkin.
Let me know your opinion on the birds.
Kurt G., San Jose
DEAR KURT: That’s an impressive pumpkin. As for the Western bluebirds, they are permanent residents in the Bay Area, and while they often leave the nesting boxes after having up to three broods, they hang around the area.
The nesting boxes won’t be used for laying eggs and raising babies until the spring, but the houses provide them with shelter from the rain (please, rain) and the cold.
You might want to consider putting up a few more boxes as it appears you have plenty of potential residents. Put them several feet apart from each other.
If you want to make sure the birds continue to hang around, add some diversity to your feeders. Bluebirds eat insects in the summer, but then switch mostly to fruits, berries and seeds. Talk to someone at a wild bird store for recommendations on what to put out in addition to the mealworms.
As you are such a wonderful gardener, you might also consider growing some berries for a natural supply of food. They are keen on elderberries, grapes, mistletoe, raspberries, blackberries, sumac, chokecherries and juniper berries.
Gary Bogue Memorial Veterinary Fund
As many of you know, my friend and the former author of this column, Gary Bogue, died in September after a lifetime of service to animals both wild and tame. He was the first curator at what is now Lindsay Wildlife Experience, and created the country’s first wildlife rehabilitation hospital at Lindsay.
To honor him and continue his work, Lindsay has announced a scholarship fund that will be used for veterinary and rehabilitation care that will include stipends for veterinary interns, developing and delivering animal care training to students and volunteers, purchasing needed medical supplies and acquiring new hospital technologies.
“We think the fund is a fitting tribute to Gary, who cared deeply about the animals
brought to Lindsay Wildlife,” Lois Bogue, Gary’s widow, said. “Gary mastered a wide variety of skills — many learned through trial and error — to restore them to health and to the wild. He was equally passionate about passing on that knowledge, training dozens if not hundreds of volunteers and others across the nation as the wildlife rehabilitation movement blossomed.”
To contribute to the fund, go to lindsaywildlife.org/garyboguefund or mail a check to Lindsay Wildlife Experience c/o The Gary Bogue Veterinary Fund, 1931 First Ave., Walnut Creek 94597. Let’s see how high we can grow it.