Now while we were up at my folks at Christmas, mom had some spare pomegranates that were starting to shrivel. They didn't look like much, but they were still good on the inside - and she sent a couple back with us since she had so many. I ate one awhile back, being reminded how much I love the taste but hate the effort of eating pomegranate. The seeds and tough skins are just more than I like to chew on to get the great taste. If I had a juicer and could just plunk them in to extract their juicy red goodness, the story might be different.
But I don't.
And so the second pomegranate sat there and continued to dry out. Decorative, yes, but it felt kinda wasteful since I only had the one and Christmas (the pomegranate-displaying season) was past.
So I decided to cut it in half, wedge it into the suet feeders for the birds, and see if maybe the juncos, the titmice, the cardinals and/or the bluejays might enjoy it.
Wow - was I in for a surprise!
I looked out the window the next day and saw a few bluebirds...
And then more showed up...
And they were DEFINITELY enjoying the pomegranate.
They seemed to ignore the bird seed, and just patiently waited for their turn at the juicy red fruit.
I'm actually wondering if this isn't a family of bluebirds, or maybe they travel in small flocks?
I do wish the pictures had turned out better - I was shooting through the windows (which, by now, need a cleaning, but I'm not going out and cleaning windows in this weather!), plus it was sort of cloudy out...
Since I took these pictures, I noticed Walmart had pomegranates on sale for $.98 each! I think they were something like $5 or $6 apiece before Christmas!! So I bought three of them, composted the empty pomegranate husk from last week (it was PICKED CLEAN!), sliced one of the new pomegranates in half and only put HALF of it out (storing the other half in the fridge). So now we wait and see if the bluebirds return!
9 comments:
Genius!
I will do this!
I, too, have some pomegranates that are passed their prime and pretending to still be decorative in a bowl.
I wonder if finches and jays like pomegranates?
I can't PROMISE it'll have the same results ... but it IS a good use for those leftover pomegranates. I haven't seen anymore bluebirds out there since I restocked the feeder, but there's no telling what goes on out there while I'm at work.
I don't know if I've seen the goldfinches go after it, but I DO think I saw the bluejays pecking away at it?
The way they were going after that pomegranate, I think those are the bluebirds of happiness!
And according to the (excellent) Cornell bird site, "Eastern Bluebirds typically have more than one successful brood each year. [...] Young produced in early nests usually leave their parents in summer, but young from later nests frequently stay with their parents over the winter."
Also according to the site, blue jays will eat just about anything, so you probably did see them at the pomegranate, too.
I love you pictures of the bluebirds! Have you seen the famous Mad Bluebird picture? A few of your bluebirds have that same look.
I looked for pomegranates at a few grocery stores. Six or so of our bluebirds are all overwintering together in one of the nest boxes in the yard. I watch them flying in each night as the sun goes down. I was hoping I could get them a pomegranate as a treat but I guess they'll have to stick to whatever they've been eating!
I DEFINITELY need to get up the bluebird house that my brother built for me this past year...just need to decide the ideal place for it. Middle of the yard? Up against the house? Out in the sun? Then maybe we'll see more broods here in the yard!
And no, Kelli, I don't know what this Mad Bluebird pic is?
Check out http://www.madbluebird.com/
Also, I have 2 good books regarding bluebirds. One is The Bluebird Book: The Complete Guide to Attracting Bluebirds by Donald and Lillian Stokes and the other is The Bluebird Monitor's Guide. They both talk about all the considerations for placing the houses. We have lots of competition from sparrows and swallows. They talk about how to deal with that too.
LOL Nice pic!
Ok, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to do some reading on bluebirds and house placement. The two birdhouses lying on their backs on the deck probably aren't too likely to attract fair-feathered residents, eh?
Wow, those are great pics of the birds...fabulous!!
Thanks - I just wish they'd come back!
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