Bet you didn’t know you can tell western bluebirds to eat your pests without telling western bluebirds to eat your pests.

That’s what Sage Hill Ranch Gardens founder, owner, and operator Spencer Rudolph is doing. He’s gone all-in on bluebird housing development in order to invite this sparrow-sized species to reside on the first-generation farm that occupies a mere ½ acre in North County San Diego.

Rudolph says, “We want to attract the western bluebird because they are extremely prolific at hunting insects, especially during the nesting months.”

‍Sage Hill Ranch Gardens is a no-till regenerative micro-farm, so attracting beneficial birds to set up residence on the farm makes for a perfect natural solution. “This is one of our approaches to keeping our pests at bay,” says Rudolph. “Since we don’t use any types of pesticide, we are also creating a food source for the bird, which in turn keeps the birds around because of the food source.”