Kira Dirlik wrote:

Thanks for the tip. I have been meaning to get some. I saw a pair of
bluebirds last week checking out the one bluebird house I have, but
the flying squirrels seem to be permanent residents. (I would like to
clean it out, and secure it better to the tree, but those little
shiney eyes peer at me every time I open it up to check if it is
empty.)

I don't think I would evict the flying squirrels. I think they're more
uncommon than bluebirds in the area. I know I've only ever seen one in
the fifteen years I have lived here and it was dead. I had to get out
my mammal field guide to identify it!

FYI, everything I have read recommends that you don't put bluebird
houses up too close to one another. I've got two currently in the
backyard, about thirty feet apart. Both of them are housing multiple
bluebirds right now as they tend to get together (or so I understand)
for warmth. I'm planning on asking my neighbors in the next few weeks
if I can put up houses on the trees in their backyard so we can have a
true bluebird "string".

Amongst our feeder in the backyard, we have a bluebird feeder station
with bluebird treats in it, suet baskets and black sunflower seed feeder
that I see the bluebirds hitting heavily. They also seem to like home
made bread scarps and home made pancakes. *grin* There's usually four
or five in the backyard at any time and I love watching them. I'm
really kind of surprised as we live in a development (though on the edge
across the street from some major woods that house a pair of owls) and
only have a small lot.

Susan
s h simko at duke dot edu