To a lot of people, March Madness means basketball tournaments, but it’s also happening right now in your own backyard. The eastern bluebird is everywhere in Johnson and Douglas counties and covers the state of Kansas almost year round.

The males have a beautiful sky blue head, back and tail with a rusty red breast and a white belly. The females have a lighter blue tail and wings, with a fainter orange breast and white belly. The mating season has begun, and the eastern bluebirds are one of the first backyard birds to start mating and looking for nesting boxes.

The bluebirds can nest in old cavities in trees or a nest box that is securely mounted to a post or pole. The females are the ones to build the nest and can have two to three broods per year. They lay four to five pale blue eggs without markings and it takes about 12 to 14 days for incubation. When the young start to fledge (leave the nest), both the male and female are feeding the young. It is so sweet to watch the adults feed the baby birds while they wait there, fluttering their wings.

The eastern bluebird can be seen throughout eastern Kansas in March.

Bluebirds love mealworms and have been known to visit feeders for suet and some seed. You may see them perching in trees or on fence posts and start to flutter to the ground. They are watching for grasshoppers and other insects to eat as well.

March can be a difficult time of year for the birds. Their natural food is mostly depleted and the weather is changing so drastically from one day to the next. The birds are trying to keep warm some days and may be singing from morning to dusk, trying to find mates. They are using up a lot of energy and need food to help them through.

Bluebirds are also known to visit a heated birdbath in the winter and during the colder months in early spring. Water is crucial for birds year round, and if you can provide it for them, you might be pleasantly surprised at all the birds that will visit. The eastern bluebird is so beautiful. We are so lucky to have them living or visiting right here in our own backyards. Come on take a look! You never know what you might see if you just take some time and watch.

The goldfinches are starting to get back that bright yellow color. There are mockingbirds, purple finches, titmice, chickadees, blue jays, cardinals and more northern flickers than I’ve ever seen. Wow, what beautiful birds! Let’s not forget the rest of the woodpeckers — the downey, hairy and red-bellied. Many reports are coming in of the dinosaur of all woodpeckers, the pileated, spotted on feeders and heard for miles around.

Spring migration will be starting soon so grab the kids and head to the parks. Shawnee Mission Park has a bluebird trail, a large lake and many other trails to walk or hike. One area birder has recorded more than 215 species of birds at the park.

March Madness is just beginning, so sit back and enjoy watching the games and some of the best birds around, not just the Jayhawks.

— Expert birder Colleen Winter owns Wild Birds Unlimited, 13222 W. 62nd Terrace, in Shawnee.