Bluebirds and a Greasy Post

Why would I ever consider bluebirds with a greasy post? It’s a chronicle worth retelling.

For the past several years we’ve had a bluebird box in the backyard. Bluebirds came and went without much thought. It was a casual relationship. I enjoy the sight of bluebirds and wanted to promote the species in my neighborhood, but I am not a big bird enthusiast.

Late last summer that casual relationship began to change. Bluebirds came, built a nest in the box, laid eggs and wham, overnight they disappeared. The box appeared not to have been disturbed. I cleaned the box out, eggs were laid and it was the same scenario again. The bluebird eggs disappeared. Spring came and another clutch of eggs vanished again.


The internet was helpful. Bluebirds, it appears have a number of predators: kids, raccoons, cats, other birds, snakes. What gets into a box without so much as a disturbed twig? The answer: snakes. They could not go unchecked. Counter-measures were needed. This fact set into motion this, my most recent chronicle.

Though snakes do not have very good eyes they smell very well. They also climb well and can eat eggs without messing up a nest. Even though I hadn’t seen any snakes around the box, they must be the culprit. Surely there was a solution.

One website suggested greasing the post with wheel axle grease. One caveat - grease isn’t 100 percent effective against snakes. Many are constrictors. If it didn’t work, other solutions and devices would have to be explored.

So I greased the post. (Check out my greasy post. Bugs stick to it pretty well.) I waited, and within a few days bluebirds had build a nice nest in it, and in a few more days there were 5 beautiful soft-blue eggs. (OK, it’s hard to get great photos of the inside of a bluebird box, so bear with me.)


Once eggs are laid, it takes about 2 weeks for any of them to hatch. During that time, I didn’t see much activity around the bluebird box. Nevertheless, I checked the box daily to make sure the eggs were still there. The grease on the post was smeared once, but I couldn’t tell whether it was the children next door or if a snake had tried to climb the post. I wondered. Then I laughed out loud at the thought of the two children next door, after fingering the post, going home with grease all over their hands and clothes and what their mother might have said to them. Well, no one (neither mother nor child) has ever mentioned the grease on the post. Someday, maybe a story will spill out, but there hasn’t been even the slightest mention of grease yet.


Last Sunday, the first bluebird chick hatched. On Monday, three more eggs had hatched. As you can see, this clutch is all eyes and open mouths. They are very small, naked little things and full of bobbing. (Can you make out the eyes and the 4 open caverns that must be mouths?) Wow, life is so amazing. They are truly a gift of God. Now, it’s up to their parents to bring insects, berries, seeds, and other nutritious things for them to eat so they can grow and become fledglings (they remain nestlings for up to 3 weeks). There is now a constant shuttling into and out-of that box. They are also very quick. (OK. It’s also hard to photograph a bluebird on the wing.) I now await fledglings graduating to the skies. Beauty has wings.


And by the way, I’ve seen a rat snake in the yard.



Genesis 3.1 – The snake is cunning
Mark 4.15 – Satan takes away God’s message
2 Corinthians 2.11 – Be aware of the ways of Satan