'It's gorgeous to see them': Bluebirds flock to Galion man's back yard

Gere Goble, Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum
·2 min read
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If you're a bluebird in Galion, Mark Blum's back yard is the place to be.

The Haymond Street resident has transformed the back patio of his home into a bluebird oasis, and enjoys photographing the birds as they cluster on feeders and nearby trees on cold winter days.

"With bluebirds, the other birds bother them a lot — robins and starlings, sparrows — and it's really hard to get bluebirds if you don't have a way for the bluebirds to eat without the birds bothering them," Blum said. He did some research and found some feeders specially designed for the songbirds.

He feeds the birds dried mealworms. In one feeder, the food dish is inside a cage. Another, a tiered feeder he calls a condominium, uses slats to keep out larger birds.

"They can go in there without the other birds getting them," Blum said. "Once they figure that out, they just multiply and multiply. I get about 20, 25 of them every winter."

Bluebirds gather at a backyard feeder maintained by Mark Blum of Galion. Blum enjoys photographing the birds, which visit in large numbers on cold winter days.
Bluebirds gather at a backyard feeder maintained by Mark Blum of Galion. Blum enjoys photographing the birds, which visit in large numbers on cold winter days.

A clear plastic box feeder is mounted to a kitchen window with suction cups. He also has open dishes of food, which the bluebirds often visit when larger birds aren't around.

"They would rather eat out of a dish than they would go in," Blum said. "But when that's all they've got, or the other birds are out there fighting them, they'll go in these cages and eat all that."

He makes sure they have fresh water available, too.

His feeders are particularly popular in bad weather. On days when it's sunny and warm, he may see only a few bluebirds. "I guess they find other food, other places," he said.

Mark Blum of Galion enjoys combining his two hobbies, taking photographs and feeding bluebirds.
Mark Blum of Galion enjoys combining his two hobbies, taking photographs and feeding bluebirds.

One feeder was custom-made for him by a man in Indiana. "Right away, about the second day, they caught on how to get into it," he said.

Blum also has bluebird houses in his yard, which is on the north edge of Galion, and four or five of the birds live there year-round. The others only show up in cold weather, he said.

"Soon as it got real cold, or snow came, oh man, they just flock in there," he said. "It's gorgeous to see them."

Blum enjoys photographing his backyard visitors, and said he has thousands of pictures of them.

"He loves showing his bluebird pictures," said his wife, Annie, chuckling.

ggoble@gannett.com

419-559-7263

Bluebirds gather at a special bird feeder maintained by Mark Blum of Galion. Blum enjoys photographing the birds, which visit in large numbers on cold winter days.
Bluebirds gather at a special bird feeder maintained by Mark Blum of Galion. Blum enjoys photographing the birds, which visit in large numbers on cold winter days.
Bluebirds gather near the backyard feeders maintained by Mark Blum of Galion. Blum enjoys photographing the birds, which visit in large numbers on cold winter days.
Bluebirds gather near the backyard feeders maintained by Mark Blum of Galion. Blum enjoys photographing the birds, which visit in large numbers on cold winter days.
A bluebird perches near a backyard feeder maintained by Mark Blum of Galion. Blum enjoys photographing the birds, which visit in large numbers on cold winter days.
A bluebird perches near a backyard feeder maintained by Mark Blum of Galion. Blum enjoys photographing the birds, which visit in large numbers on cold winter days.

This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: 'It's gorgeous to see them': Bluebirds flock to Galion man's back yard