Bluebird pair spotted, some questions

[PraticalGardener]

What grass height is preferred for bluebirds? How tall can I intentionally allow the grass to grow for bluebirds? My mower is set just shy of 4", partly due to rocks. Are there some 'no mow' shorter plants that will be beneficial for bluebirds?

If a bluebird pair nest site is established, will adding a vegetable garden be too much human activity and 'scare' them off? Will it negatively impact their local food supply? I presume it will increase their predators coming nearby, especially raccoons for my sweet corn.

I noticed a bluebird pair using a knot in a White Oak tree, near a road, facing West away from the road. Around the white oak trees are a driveway, some thin lawn, and a few locust trees. Nearby is a well-grazed cow pasture, some more lawns, and a local bird feeder. There is a 'wet meadow' and creeks, but I'm told those creeks run dry frequently. When I looked in person once, it wasn't much running water, but there was a 'deep spot' for water. There are some forests in view, but they are further away. There were some small autumn olive plants and a small 'bush' of it near the oak tree knot, but I cut and removed them because they are now considered an invasive species in WV.
I don't know if they rear babies in the oak tree knot, nor if they overwinter here or migrate.

I read a book The Nature of Oaks, by Douglas W. Tallamy. I learned that oak trees are the best keystone species in the USA, and it helps some insect species to leave the oak leaf litter, underneath the oak trees if possible. Walking sticks go into oak treetops.
As I sought more available information from Douglas Tallamy online, I also learned I can switch my (even just non-motion sensing ones) outdoor lights to a yellow (led) lightbulb, to reduce how many moth species I unintentionally lead to their ultimate demise. This in turn should help prevent decreasing the caterpillars, which are in turn fed to baby birds and other wildlife.

The 'lawn' immediately around the oak tree is basically dry, lots to shade to completely shaded. I can try to do the 'soil test' in a jar later. The hill slope is below a road (may get road salts and sprayed for weeds roadside), and faces west. I don't know what 'no mow' plants will grow well here yet.

The known local wildlife so far is Eastern Phoebes, Cardinals, Red-Winged Blackbird, Carolina Wren, at least 3 Wood Thrashers (may change as I clear out locust tree patch from a place it cannot remain), an occasional bird of prey, rabbits, groundhogs, black bear, lots of whitetail deer. There are also stray cats in the area.

[applestar]

What a wonderful discovery! I wish I could help but my suburban development doesn’t have sufficiently suitable conditions for bluebirds, and my feeble attempt to see if they would accept a sweeping front lawn with some nest boxes on fence posts facing the grassy area didn’t attract them. I’ve since then given up on that idea and have been planting shorter or mowable lawn alternative natives and taller native shrubs and trees.


I have a couple of D. Tallamy books and have attended some lectures, and try to follow what I can adapt to my little garden. I think I HAVE succeeded in hosting Eastern Tiger Swallowtails with a Tulip poplar tree in the backyard where it won’t cause problems — I see them fluttering way up there in the canopy, and freshly eclosed ones regularly visit my butterfly habitat garden.

I’m thrilled to identify moths and butterflies that seem to have found other host plants I have either intentionally planted or have fostered and encouraged to grow.

[imafan26]

I can't help you either. But it is exciting that you have them in your yard. There are no bluebirds in Hawaii.

[digitS']

I certainly enjoyed reading your post. It wouldn't be polite to have you read a bunch of my chatter before telling you that I have no help to offer.

First of all, this is likely to be a far different environment than West Virginia. It's the Intermountain West, between the Cascades and the Rocky Mountains, although a range of the Rockies is all but at my doorstep.

Secondly, you seem to be more knowledgeable about bluebirds already than I am. And, it is very possible that there is a difference between the behaviors of Eastern Bluebirds and the ones that we have here: the Western and Mountain. That's right, both of those species live in this area although I have seen few in recent years. Perhaps, it has been our droughts that have damaged their environment. Perhaps housing developments.

The idea of having low-growing groundcovers certainly make sense to me. Where I have commonly seen bluebirds here was in two locations. One was at the edge of a cow pasture where they would sit in pine trees and drop down to catch insects on the ground. The other location was at the edge of a cemetery where they were up to the same thing from pine trees. I am quite certain that they had nests in those trees from which they were feeding.

These days, the pine trees are gone and there are houses where the cows once grazed. And, it is no longer necessary for me to park in that lot beside the cemetery, I don't know if the birds are still there (altho, I wouldn't expect them in the Winter ). Cemeteries tend to not change a lot so, I hope they are .

But again, I enjoyed reading your comments and want to encourage you to continue with this investigation. It would be especially rewarding if you benefit from a continued bluebird resident family.

Steve

[PaulF]

Our bluebirds will show up in March, going who knows where or why, but gather at our goldfish pond we keep open with a heater so lots of year-round birds can drink. Then they disappear for a month or six weeks. We have several bluebird houses positioned at the edge of the yard near trees and brushy areas. The lawn is kept cut but there is access to grassy areas. The area is small town urban with a lot of wild spaces. Several bluebirds stay for the summer. I do put out dried mealworms but they seem to enjoy eating whatever insects are in the yard. They even visit a bird feeder we have in a window where they munch on the fruits and nuts in the bird feed mix.

[PraticalGardener]

Thank-you everyone. My 'experience' before was making a birdhouse to set up on a wooden fence post by a hayfield as a young girl, but nothing nested in it. Perhaps I messed up how to set it up or something. It's possible predation could've been the problem. My limited experience with bluebirds previously was taking walks on the farm and occasionally being lucky enough to spot them from afar , along a cattle fence following a creek, where it also has very little human activity around it until it's time to process the hay. One long side of a pasture had a section with creek, then a row of trees, then another fence along the hill to another pasture. The farm is surrounded by forest.

I have done some reading online in the attempt to work out 'the whole picture' to tailor to my situation. Sometimes I have to "ask the right question" when searching online to get relevant answers. 'No mow' lawns are new to me, but could be practical for me to maintain it for some places I would otherwise need to weed-eat or find inconvenient to mow.

@Applestar I'm glad you tried to help the local bluebird population. Do you notice a few grasshoppers when walking through the lawn? Reading online, it sounds like bluebirds eat grasshoppers and crickets, among other insects. It's excellent that you're seeing progress with moths and butterflies. I remember seeing 'yellow butterflies' and catching fireflies as I grew up.

@digitS' I hope the bluebirds still go near the cemetery too. Come to think of it, as I'm walking I sometimes see the bluebirds sitting over the partly grazed cow pasture, as opposed to over my lawn and closer to the 'wet meadow'. I don't remember now whether I was very behind on mowing my lawn or not at the time. It's entirely possible I don't notice them perched in the shorter trees.

@PaulF I wonder if the bluebirds 'disappear' because they look for more food elsewhere for a while?

[PraticalGardener]

I saw 3 bluebirds on the electric line over the cattle pasture the other day. I guess this means that they stay here for the winter.