A nest box sized and sited for the species, plus a way to offer mealworms, since Mountain Bluebirds are insect eaters and won't visit a standard seed feeder. The box needs a wider opening than a general-purpose bluebird house, mounted on a post in open grassland rather than a wooded yard, which is the main thing that differs from attracting bluebirds elsewhere in Canada.
Why Don't Mountain Bluebirds Use a Standard Seed Feeder?
They're primarily insect eaters, catching insects by hovering over open ground or dropping down from a low perch, rather than feeding on seed the way a chickadee or finch does. A seed feeder simply offers nothing they eat. The one food source they will take from a feeder is mealworms, live or dried, offered in a feeder built for that purpose rather than a standard hopper or tube feeder.
What Nest Box Specs Does a Mountain Bluebird Need?
A box with roughly a 5½ by 5½ inch floor, 9 inches of interior height, and either a 1 9/16 inch round entrance hole or a slot design wide enough to accommodate the species, since Mountain Bluebirds need a slightly larger opening than the standard 1½ inch hole given for general bluebird boxes. It should mount on a post 4 to 6 feet off the ground, facing east toward open habitat, spaced roughly 300 feet from any other nest box, and kept well back from buildings, roads, and utility poles, which give House Sparrows and predators like the American Kestrel an advantage.
What Nest Box Works for This?
The Aspen Song Sparrow Resistant Bluebird House uses a 1½ by 3½ inch slot instead of a round hole, priced at $40.95. That slot is wide enough for a Mountain Bluebird despite being sized around the smaller general bluebird specification, and it lets a bluebird or tree swallow escape if a House Sparrow attacks, which a fixed round hole doesn't allow. It mounts on a pole 4 to 6 feet up, with a pull-out tray that makes cleaning the box between broods straightforward.
How Do You Offer Mealworms for Bluebirds?
A Bluebird Meal Worm Feeder, Blue is a 14 by 8 inch steel feeder with 1½ inch mesh openings sized to keep out starlings and squirrels, priced at $114.95. It holds a dishwasher-safe glass mealworm cup, so it's built specifically for offering mealworms rather than seed, which matches what a Mountain Bluebird actually eats.
Does Alberta's Habitat Affect Where You Place These?
Yes. Mountain Bluebirds prefer open grassland, prairie, and foothill terrain with few trees, which describes much of rural Alberta more than it describes a wooded urban backyard. A box sited at the edge of an open field or pasture, with a clear flight path and low ground cover nearby for hunting insects, fits that preference far better than a box tucked among trees or shrubs the way a general backyard nest box often is.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Urban Nature Store ship these supplies to Alberta?
Yes. Urban Nature Store ships Canada wide, with free shipping on most orders over $125, even though its physical locations are all in Ontario.
Can the same nest box used for Mountain Bluebirds also attract Tree Swallows?
Often, yes. Tree swallows compete for the same cavity-nesting real estate and will readily use a box sized for Mountain Bluebirds, so seeing a swallow move in isn't a sign the box is the wrong design.
Do Mountain Bluebirds return to the same nest box every year?
Often, yes, if a pair successfully raised young there the previous season, though a new or previously empty box can still take a season or two before it's discovered and used.
Does House Sparrow competition matter less in rural Alberta than in a city?
Generally, yes, since House Sparrows concentrate around buildings and human development, but a box placed too close to a farmhouse, barn, or other structure still carries the same competition risk NestWatch's quarter-mile guidance is meant to avoid.
Should the nest box be cleaned out between broods?
Yes. Old nesting material should come out after the young fledge and before it's reused, which is also why a pull-out tray or hinged front panel matters when choosing a box.
