Early Spring Hummingbirds

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Every year at this time we regularly answer the question “when will the hummingbirds arrive”?

Ruby-throated hummingbirds do begin migrating into and through TN as early as the latter part of March, with the bulk of them arriving or passing through between mid-April and mid-May. We expect any day now to see on TNbird, or hear from a customer, the first reported sighting of a Ruby-throated hummingbird. Male hummingbirds tend to be the first to arrive.

Some of these early arrivals may feed for a few days before continuing on their journey to their final destination, which may be as far as Canada. Those that stay in mid-TN will then begin the task of establishing territory, courting and nesting. Their interest in feeders is minimal at this time. Why? Unless a hard freeze kills blooms and no flowers are available nature provides hummingbirds with everything they could possibly need, which is nectar from plants, and insects for protein. In fact, the first arrival at my home in Cheatam County usually spends more time at the Columbine blooms than at the feeder. Early blooming perennials and native plants are a very important nectar source for hummingbirds.

Remember, Ruby-throated hummingbirds have been making the journey to North America from central and South America to breed for roughly ten thousand years. They would come here whether we had feeders full of sugar water or not. They will come to feeders when they are ready and that typically occurs near the end of their breeding season, usually starting around late June to mid-July. People living in rural areas tend to see hummingbirds earlier and more often than people in more urban areas. Why? The simple answer is rural areas provide better and more nesting habitat for hummingbirds.

So, if you are wondering when to put up a hummingbird feeder you may do so now. However, you should temper your expectations. Do not expect to see a lot of activity. It is certainly possible you may see a bird or two take advantage of the feeder before moving on to its final destination. And it is not true that if you don’t put out a feeder now you will miss them later in the summer.

The Best Solution for Hummingbird Nectar

The best nectar you can offer hummingbirds is a simple 1 part sugar to 4 parts water solution. It is not necessary for the water to be brought to a boil before adding sugar unless you are making larger quantities for storage in the fridge. The nectar is ready after the sugar has been stirred in and fully dissolved. Do not add color in the form of food dye. Color is absolutely unnecessary and potentially harmful. Also, it is not good to use natural raw sugar, the kind that is slightly brown in color. Regular white table sugar is recommended.

Early Nesting Activity

Carolina Wrens Quirky Nest Locations

It is hard to believe given the recent winter weather but presently you may see evidence of certain birds beginning the nesting process. For weeks now I have been hearing Cardinals singing, as well as Chickadees, Titmice, Bluebirds, and Carolina Wrens.

The Carolina Wren is one of the earliest nesting birds you should be aware of and be prepared for its quirky choices of nesting locations around the house. Carolina Wrens are notorious for choosing to nest in what seems to us to be terrible and dangerous locations. But their beautifully crafted nest can be so well concealed that you only accidentally discover it while doing a little spring cleaning. Their nest is an expertly engineered “cave” made from long thin pieces of root, a little moss, and lots of lacey skeletonized leaves intertwined where the eggs will be laid deep within.

Hopefully, by pointing this out now you may be able to discourage one from nesting in a location that will be quite the inconvenience for you later.

Here is a list of actual nesting locations we have either experienced or encountered with customers: A wreath on the front door, open mailbox, on a shelf in the garage or garden shed, under the hood of an old vehicle that’s been sitting for a while, upside down canoe, bicycle helmet hanging on a wall, in a hanging plastic shopping bag, behind pillows on an outdoor couch, in a potted plant on the porch, on a hanging ladder, in a covered boat, in a gas or charcoal grill, and in the folds of a hammock to name a few.

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If you have experienced something like this in the past get ahead of it now to avoid the unpleasantness of having to relocate a nest, which rarely works. Avoid leaving a window or door open on your garage or shed because these inquisitive little birds will and do quite expertly find their way in and out of small places and openings. At the store during the spring months, we sometimes leave the backdoor open to let in the fresh air. We have seen in just a few hours a Carolina Wren discover an empty box on a shelf and promptly begin nest building. It can happen that fast. You may think to put up a birdhouse for them out in the yard somewhere but that usually does not work. Carolina Wrens want to be close to the cover and protection of your house, or some large object. I have had success with Carolina Wrens in a birdhouse, but it was placed on the wall of my covered porch just a few feet from my backdoor.

If you discover a Carolina Wren nest with eggs or babies in an unwanted place, please consider letting them finish and allow the babies to fledge. Wren babies leave the nest quickly, sometimes less than two weeks after hatching.

Bluebirds Searching for Nest Sites

Bluebirds are now singing and exhibiting courtship behaviors. Listen for the sweet call and the male wing waving as he sits on a nest box or near-by perch to court a female. Although bluebirds are going through the motions of courtship relatively few will get on nest in the month of March. Sure, there are always a few eager pairs, but the majority seem to wait until early to mid-April. There is plenty of time to still offer a nest box in your yard and attract Bluebirds this spring and summer. Bluebird numbers are great and its easier than ever to attract them with a nest box. Rather than duplicate our “Bluebird Handout” in the store with all the nest box placement tips and suggestions I would prefer to dispel a few myths instead. We frequently encounter customers who are under the impression one must have the perfect situation to attract Bluebirds. Bluebirds are quite good at adapting and the very fact they use nest boxes made by man illustrates this.

· Nest-boxes must face east. Not true. Facing it east is suggested only because the entrance hole would be away from prevailing weather patterns. Good idea but not necessary. My most successful box over the years has faced northwest.

· The nest box must be in a big clearing. Bluebirds are at times of the year a “field and meadow” type of bird which may be what led to this myth. The fact is fields and meadows never provided Bluebirds with nest sites so they would leave those areas in the spring to look for them in more wooded areas where secondary cavities (abandoned woodpecker holes) were available. Simply choose the most open space you have even if there are trees around. My yard is surrounded by forest, yet Bluebirds use one or two of the boxes I provide every year.

· You have to offer mealworms to attract Bluebirds. Absolutely not the case. The nest box is the most important part of the process in attracting Bluebirds. Feeding them is enjoyable and in periods of several days in a row of spring rains and very cool temperatures feeding them live mealworms can help them significantly, especially as the young grow and demand more food.

Announcement about Curbside Service

Curbside service is available Monday Through Friday ONLY. Saturday is our busiest day of the week with in-store customers requiring more help and consultation. Please understand we cannot efficiently attend to our in-store customers and fulfill orders being called in from the curb. You may still place an order by Friday for Saturday pick-up but we cannot process orders called in on Saturday. Thank you, we appreciate your cooperation.

Get Ready for Bluebirds

In the coming weeks we will be sharing information about Bluebirds. We would like to address specific questions and concerns you may have that can then be shared with everyone. If you have questions regarding Bluebirds please email us at thewoodthrushshop@gmail.com.

Have you noticed? Birds are singing and going through some of the motions of courtship. The breeding season is fast approaching. Its evident Eastern Bluebirds are already searching and competing for mates and potential nest-sites. Several times in past weeks I’ve seen multiple Bluebirds land on and look in the nest boxes around my yard. (See video) In the video you will see classic courtship behaviors like wing fluttering. Many of you have reported likewise.

Although most Bluebirds won’t begin their first nesting until late March to mid April, their search for nest sites will typically intensify in the last weeks of February and into March. A few eager Bluebirds may get on nest as early as mid-March.

You may think you don’t have the right situation for Bluebirds because you’ve heard they have very specific needs for a nest-box location. Not really true. Most things you hear about what Bluebirds NEED are very much over stated. Bluebirds adapt very nicely to all kinds of yard situations. If Bluebirds needed the “perfect setup” as described by the many articles you may read about them they would be extinct by now. These perfect nest-sites generally never existed in nature.

In fact it’s interesting to consider where Bluebirds nested before people started putting out nest-boxes. Bluebirds are considered a secondary cavity nester which means they will not excavate a nest, like a woodpecker, but use one that has been created already. Once upon a time secondary cavities were in great supply but through habitat loss and competition Bluebirds were “forced” to adapt to birdhouses, or what we refer to as nest-boxes. Using nest-boxes is an example of Bluebirds adaptability. Offer a couple of nest-boxes in good locations and see what happens. If you already have nest boxes now is a good time to make sure they are cleaned out and free of old debris left over from last year’s nesting’s.

Here are a Few Tips on Choosing a Location:

Ø An open lawn area may be preferable but not absolutely necessary. Choose the most open location available in your yard even if it means there will be a some human traffic.

Ø Bluebirds are typically more sensitive to a lot of bird traffic, so it’s not recommended nest boxes be placed near bird feeders. What’s a comfortable distance? It’s impossible to be exact but we would suggest 50 to 100 feet away, or out of sight of feeding stations.

Ø You may have heard that nest boxes need to face east. While this may be helpful to keep wet weather from being a detrimental factor this is not something Bluebirds require.

Ø A Bluebird box does not need to be on a pole. The advantage of a pole is it allows you to position the box in the location you determine to be the best and apply a predator baffle if necessary. Bluebird boxes can be mounted to trees, fences, and utility poles. A height of about 5’ is sufficient. Our pole system for Bluebird boxes will put the box at 5’ after installation. The two primary predators of nesting Bluebirds are raccoons and rat snakes. Both can easily climb trees and poles so if you experience regular visits by raccoons you should consider placing your Bluebird box on a pole with a raccoon baffle.

Bluebird box with raccoon baffle.

Ø How many boxes can be offered in a typical yard situation? As a general rule we would suggest boxes be placed 90 to 100 feet apart, or out of sight of one another. There is no harm in offering lots of nest boxes (birdhouses) in your yard but do not expect them to all get used at the same time especially if they are close in proximity to one another. For instance, nest boxes within 25 feet of one another are not likely to be occupied simultaneously. Birds are too territorial to accept this situation under normal circumstances unless they are colony nesters like Purple Martins and Cliff Swallows. But feel free to decorate your yard with lots of birdhouses if that’s your thing. Offering multiple nest-boxes is great and it does lessen the competition for a single box but do consider the nature of the species you are trying to attract and what kind of setting would be most appealing. I offer many boxes in varied situations in my yard and enjoy observing which ones get used from year to year. Sometimes I’m surprised by the choices made by birds.

Ø We are often asked “when is a good time to put up a bluebird box”? Every day is good. However, it is a great time to do so now and in the next few weeks because the breeding season is fast approaching. The sooner they know the box is there the more likely they will consider using it this season.

And PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE remember do not let your desire to attract Bluebirds cause you to clean out other songbird’s nests like Chickadees, Wrens, Tufted Titmice, or White-breasted Nuthatch. In no way does cleaning out these birds nests ensure you will get Bluebirds. Chickadees typically nest earlier than Bluebirds and only once. So PLEASE let the Chickadees have the box if they have begun to nest.

Bluebirds will nest up to 3 times per season and have plenty of time. Even if you do not get Bluebirds during the first nesting there is still time for two more. Besides, if a Bluebird wanted the nest-box it would easily out-compete a Chickadee. Enjoy the fact that you’ve attracted a native songbird to your nest-box and watch the process. It’s a lot of fun.