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"I've read in birding magazines about
individuals hand-feeding chickadees, nuthatches,
etc.
Was I delighted with God's gift for my 66th
birthday of guiding
our black-capped chickadees to land on the
saucer in my hand for mealworms!
What a chickaDEElight! Such joy!"
Stan Merrill, Minnesota
General Information on Feeding Mealworms
Keeping mealworms at a temp of 45-50 degrees
is desirable; however, I'm not quite into
"mixing" mealworms with the food
we eat from our refrigerator in the kitchen,
so I suggested that our two sons and daughters-in-law
might want to consider a "college-size"
(approx. 2 cu. ft.) refrigerator for me for
Christmas last year; and they did! How marvelous!
So, now I have this small refrigerator on
shelving (probably 3 ft. high), about right
height for accessing the mealworms without
bending down each time.
I store my mealworms in quart-size Cool Whip
plastic containers, with small holes punched
in the lid with a nail. After I receive the
shipment of 5,000, I usually split them into
five containers in which I put 3-5 ounces
of rolled oats (Quaker quick cook, or a generic
brand). I like a 3-ounce bathroom paper/plastic
cup, for carrying them from refrigerator
in garage to the mealworm feeders. Though
getting a few rolled oats in the cup, I try
to minimize amount of oats in the saucer,
saves chickadees' having to search to find
them. Ha! I use one of two means to accomplish
this...plastic pair of tweezers is neat for
picking up a mealworm (or two or three) --
just don't squeeze too hard; or I might put
some mealworms with the oats in a 5 or 6
inch flowerpot saucer, take outside, shake
around so oats are at one edge, and blow
the loose oats over side of saucer...not
too heavy a puff, or you could blow out some
mealworms, too. A little practice makes perfect.
Ha!
For about $20, including S&H via priority
mail, I can get 5,000 mealworms from a company
in Oregon. For details, e-mail me
at stan1bb@frontiernet.net and type "Stan-mealworms"
on subject line for anything you want to
know. Any questions, I'll be happy to add
my "two cents' worth!"
For a mealworm feeder, I like the "fly-through"
bluebird mealworm feeder, available at WBU
(Wild Birds Unlimited)--probably available
at other wild bird stores. In fact, I have
TWO -- one hanging from a hook mounted on
our deck; one hanging from a tree, in the
front yard of our Townhome, which we can
see through our kitchen window.
In the "front" feeder, I have two
3-inch flowerpot saucers--one for mealworms;
one for fine peanut parts -- if mealworms
have been eaten before I get it refilled,
they have the peanuts to munch on in meantime.
In the "deck" feeder, I also put
the mealworms inside a 3-inch flowerpot saucer.
With other feeders out back -- suet, peanut,
thistle, medium-chipped sunflower seeds,
there's other food available if temporarily
out of mealworms.
I like the 3-inch flowerpot saucers...helps
to "confine" mealworms for chickadees.
However, the mealworms would be okay in the
feeder. Yes, some do "climb around"
a bit; on occasions to top of feeder, maybe
outside occasionally, but the chickadees
usually "pick them off," so I'm
not sure how many possibly have escaped.
At about one-half cent each, so what???
Though I "started" with a regular
3-inch flowerpot saucer, I "discovered"
the "glazed" saucer, though a little
more money, is easier to keep clean...washes
out more conveniently than any residue being
"absorbed" into the porous clay
saucer.
When selecting a three-inch flowerpot saucer,
larger will hold more mealworms, but smaller
is easier to hold in your hand, check your
local nursery, where their prices are "competitive."
Frank's Nursery is a possibility.
As for mealworms crawling over the saucer,
they sometimes do, inside the feeder. As
they start crawling up the saucer when I'm
holding it, I "shake" it a little,
so they fall back in place.
Steps For Hand-feeding Chickadees:
Step #1: First, chickadees must be in the
area. Seeing/hearing them in the area, then
I placed mealworms in a three-inch flowerpot
saucer on our deck umbrella table; and played
the tape, DinnerSong "Chickadee"
(available at some wild bird stores - I found
it at Wild Birds Unlimited, for about $10,
more or less; there is a "Goldfinch"
tape, but I haven't had any success with
it.) on my tape recorder, to attract them
to the deck.
Once chickadee(s) arrive, stop playing the
tape, so they'll concentrate on finding/eating
the mealworms instead of looking for another
chickadee. After their repeatedly savoring
the mealworms, in a few days, I would "talk"
to them, being fairly motionless, in order
not to frighten them.
Step #2: Then in a few days, after they became
accustomed to savoring the mealworms, then
one time, after they'd enjoyed one, for their
second trip, I slid my chair within about
3-5 feet from the table, holding the saucer
of mealworms in my hand. After some hesitation
to survey the situation, one chickadee hopped
over to the saucer, grabbed a mealworm, and
then flew to a nearby branch to eat it. The
second chickadee then followed suit; however,
some are shyer; and would not come to my
hand. During this time, be sure to hold the
saucer STEADY, in order not to frighten the
chickadee.
I guess I had my elbow propped on the arm
of my lawn chair, probably at about 15-degree
angle with chair arm, in a comfortable position
for holding steady for 3-5 minutes.
At times in addition to playing the tape,
when they're in the area, I might call them,
"Here chick-chick-chick-a-dee".
Repeat again and again. Variation might be
"Here chick-a-dee-dee-dee". Repeat.
My goal would be to get them to respond to
my calling them, without the tape. Other
birders have "whistled" for their
chickadees and/or bluebirds; however, I'm
not that good at whistling myself, so...
By and by, you can gauge the approximate
time (on the clock) that they make their
rounds, so you know when to appear on the
scene.
Although I've enjoyed success enticing chickadees
to my hand with mealworms as their delicacy,
others have fed peanut parts, et cetera.
Chickadees also like thistle seed, suet,
and medium-chipped sunflower seeds.
Of course, the secret is having the "only
mealworms available" in your hand. Try
to schedule feeding them when they make their
rounds and before placing the mealworms in
your feeder.
How great when the parents brought
their
four fledglings to our deck for mealworms--saved
flying the mealworms (one--sometimes
two,
per trip) back to the nest for them!
There
they were, all "dressed up"
in
their little tuxedos, for their public
debut.
One fledgling eventually came to my
hand,
though the other three waited for the
parents
to feed them or my putting the mealworms
in the feeder. Content with hand-feeding
mealworms to the parents and the one
fledgling,
it was more important to me that the
mealworms
be available to them in the feeder
than holding
out, to see if they'd eventually come
to
my hand.
Steps For Teaching Chickadees To Go Inside
a "Fly- through" Feeder:
After Step #1 (above): I wanted to have them
learn to go inside a "fly-through"
mealworm feeder.
Step #2: I placed the three-inch flowerpot
saucer inside the mealworm feeder, with the
top up. Then the chickadees could hop down
inside, grab a mealworm (or two or three)
and fly out.
Step #3: I closed the lid of the feeder,
so they'd fly in, get a mealworm, and fly
out. It was interesting that they usually
entered one hole, picked up a mealworm, then
continued to exit the opposite hole, rather
than turning around and back out same hole.
And it was true, if their entry was from
the other direction, they continued straight
on out.
If "bothered" with larger birds
(e.g. grackle) sticking head into hole for
a mealworm, you could "block one entrance"
and place saucer of mealworms farther away
from the single entrance hole until the larger
bird gives up and moves elsewhere.
Chickadee Families
Both sexes build the nest and rarely do they
re-use an old nest. The female usually lays
one egg per day, early in the morning, for
a clutch of 6-8, hatching in about 12 days,
fledging in about 16 days. Although only
the female incubates the eggs, the male does
help raise the young.
As a cavity-nesting bird, chickadees
will
nest in a birdhouse. Eight years ago
while
living in Kokomo, Indiana, a pair fledged
six in a birdhouse, having a hinged
roof,
which I could lift, to peek in. What
a beauty
to see their six little black heads,
all
huddled together! Though I brought
the birdhouse
(tried and tested; a proven "winner")
with us when retiring to Minnesota,
the "vacancy"
sign has weathered five summers. I'm
not
sure how they make their selection
of a nest
site. Though I keep thinking they might
nest
closer to the mealworms, I'm still
happy
to have them just enjoy the mealworms!
My thanks to Kerry Sweet (and her friend,
Debbie White), Oklahoma, and Bill Heicher,
"The Bluebird Society of Pennsylvania",
for sharing their "Kodak moments"
of the nest of eggs, from Bill; the incubating
chickadee, from Kerry & Debbie; and the
chicks about ready to fledge, also from Bill!
Thank you!
Happy "Chickadee-ing!"
Stan Merrill, Minnesota
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