“The bluebirds almost went extinct in the 60s,” said
Janet Locklear, the Loudoun County Bluebird Trail Coordinator. Janet, on behalf of the Loudoun Wildlife
Conservancy and Virginia Bluebird Society, came to the Dobbins Creek Hamlet in
Lovettsville to find a trail for nest boxes to protect Eastern Bluebirds.
Janet said, “We still have non-native invasive
species such as European starlings, and House Sparrows, and they are predators
of the nesting Bluebirds.”
Bluebirds remove parasites and insects that stall
tree growth including those annoying no-see-ems, they carry seeds gathered in
their feet, and assist in pollination. Gardeners
appreciate that bluebirds don’t eat earthworms.
Their blue plumage and reddish brown throat and breast catch the eye. Henry David Thoreau wrote in his Journal in
1852, “The bluebird carries the sky on his back.” Their pleasant song is pleasingly
distinctive.
“Blue birds prefer to nest in the woods,” said
Janet, “where there are cavity holes in dead trees, snags we call them.” Bluebirds are second only to Woodpeckers for
being cavity nesters. But, unlike
Woodpeckers, Bluebirds can’t make their own cavities. Janet said, “snags are good.” But many trees are being cut down, and there
are fewer opportunities for the Bluebird, and so a nest box is the best alternative
to protect the bluebirds from predators.
Janet said, “Starlings aren’t small enough to get
into the boxes we build, but House Sparrows are; so, we have to take other protections.”
As for how successful this program has been in
Loudoun, “We had about 1,300 bluebird fledglings in 2012, also 673 tree
swallows.”
“It’s when children asked in the 60s, what a
bluebird was that we appreciated what we were losing” Janet said, “and what’s
exciting is that we have brought back the bluebird from extinction in our
lifetime.”
The HOA President of the Dobbins Creek Hamlet, Chuck
Hedges and Betty Hedges, a Bluebird Trail Monitor in training, reviewed maps of
the “conservancy lots” with Janet and Holly Flannery, a Lovettsville Bluebird
Trail Monitor, to consider what sites might be suitable for nest boxes
The Dobbins Creek HOA clears trails in the
community’s open spaces through their conservancy lots. The four-some set out to consider whether that
trail in place might be suitable and to flag likely nestbox locations.
The boxes have to be spaced 100 yards apart. Nearby trees, hedges, bushes and winter
berries are a significant consideration for finding food and cover when the bluebirds
have fledged. Janet said, “Hedges are a
refuge for bird life.” Avoiding areas
that have insecticides is also important.
Holly said, “Leaving snags is critical for bluebird survival.”
13 locations were found by the foursome and Chuck
said afterwards, “the Dobbins Creek Board is optimistic that this will
contribute to the community’s ecological policy.”
The boxes may be bought, contributed or constructed
by volunteers in such a fashion as to protect against snakes, raccoons, feral
cats, and other predators. They are
often made so they are insulated against the cold for the winter. Holly said, “Keep your cats in during the day
and don’t put nesting boxes on your 3-board fences – these are called ‘lunch
boxes’.”
Once in place, Janet estimated that, “13 boxes with
2 nestings through the seasons might produce a clutch of 5 fledglings each
nesting, so it’s possible to have 130 bluebirds after the first full
year.” Anything else, “we may also have
a fair number of tree swallows.” There
won’t be much competition because, although swallows are territorial, Janet
said, “the swallows feed on the wing, and the bluebirds on the ground.”
Holly said, “We monitors must visit these boxes,
once they’re in place, weekly to remove House Sparrows nests.” Chuck reassured
that community members would want to volunteer.
As for what’s in store for these volunteers, Karen
Louise Lippy, writing for Bluebird Life, said: “Each person who looks into a
nestbox gets a magical window into the life of a bird. This glimpse can give them an appreciation
and respect for birds they would never get otherwise.”
No comments:
Post a Comment