Expert: Julia Booth - 8/11/2010

Question
I have a pair of eastern bluebirds nesting in a box on my front porch.  I have been putting out mealworms since I noticed they had laid 3 eggs and they have been eating them consistently for the past 10 days.  Now they are much more "skittish" about eating at the dish (placed about 4 ft. from the nesting box, far away from my other feeders).  It is really hot here (augusta, ga) and the mealworms die quickly.  Should I move them farther away from the box, maybe now the eggs have hatched, and the parents are more nervous?  Would welcome any advice.

Answer
You noted that things have changed since the eggs hatched. I always tell people that their first instinct is usually the right one. You have to ask yourself what else has changed since they birds altered their behavior. That's what we call proximate cause.

Is it possible to put up some sort of shade over the mealworms? I assume they're on some kind of platform feeder. Nesting birds tend to be skittish in general, especially when they are so close to areas with a lot of human traffic, increasingly so as their babies get closer to fledging. The parents may be wary of the bright sunlight, now that their eggs have hatched.

You can also get freeze dried meal worms. But the live ones tend to be preferred. I see no logical reason why they would stop eating your mealworms, unless they're just being extra cautious.

Look around. Are their other threats? Are there any larger birds or animals nearby that might make them reluctant to visit that feeder? Would visiting the feeder make them vulnerable to attack?

If you need anything else, just ask


Julia