Mealworms (dried)

[cairnstone]

This past autumn I decided to buy some dried mealworms for the feeder. I thought it may entice a Carolina Wren to the feeder since on rare occasions one will stop by. I haven't seen a Carolina Wren in my backyard since. The mealworms sat in a feeder (protected from the weather) for a couple of months. All the birds turned their noses up at them.Then, a White-breasted Nuthatch began to feed on them. Then two then three. Eventually the chickadees got fed up watching the nuthatches have their own exclusive feeder and started feeding on them too. Now the Downy Woodpeckers have joined in and the cardinals nibble on them as well. All these birds would not touch the mealworms previously. The Red-breasted Nuthatches, American Tree Sparrows, White-throated Sparrows, Blue-Jays, all the different finches and juncos won't go near them. The White-breasted Nuthatches now prefer the mealworms to seed and peanuts. I am hoping the mealworms might attract warblers later this spring.

Can anybody recommend something to entice Carolina Wrens? I've tried raisins and suet, no dice.

[thouc]

The change in preferred food might have to do with season as the diet differs in winter and spring. From http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/white-breasted-nuthatch:

Diet

Mostly insects, also seeds. Eats mostly insects (and spiders) during summer, supplementing these with seeds in winter. Proportion of seeds in diet may vary from zero in summer to more than 60% in winter. Will also feed on suet and peanut-butter mixtures at feeders. Young are fed entirely on insects and spiders.