• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Shop
  • A Rocha Intl

A Rocha USA

A Rocha USA

  • About Us
    • What We Do
    • Who We Are
    • Contact Us
  • Get Involved
    • Events Calendar
    • Join the A Rocha Community
    • Tackle Plastic Pollution
    • Take Climate Action
    • Wild Wonder Curriculum
  • Donate

Bluebird Nest Box Monitoring, 2020

A Rocha USA / July 9, 2020

  • Male Western Bluebird in all his glory. Mark McReynolds.
  • Photo 1: Natural Western Bluebird nest cavity. 6/6/2020. Karen McReynolds.
  • Photo 2: Box 12. 4/11/2020. Karen McReynolds.
  • Photo 3: Box 12. 4/15/2020. Mark McReynolds.
  • Photo 4: Female Western Bluebird with nesting material in beak. Mark McReynolds.
  • Photo 5: Five Western Bluebird nestlings. Box 9. 5/18/2020. Karen McReynolds.
  • Photo 6: A second clutch of Western Bluebirds with one recent hatchling. 6/8/2020. Karen McReynolds.

by Autumn Ayers, SoCal A Rocha

 

“Western Bluebirds know nothing about the pandemic,” declares Karen McReynolds, the lead of SoCal A Rocha’s Bluebird Nest Box Monitoring Program, “In fact, they are enjoying the now little-used regional park in which they are nesting.” Since monitoring nest boxes can be done solo, it is an ideal conservation activity during this pandemic. Nest box programs are valuable for conservation research and stabilizing bluebird populations; additionally, they are a means of extending hospitality to non-human creatures in this COVID-19 time when humans are physically isolated from each other.

Western Bluebirds nest in cavities in living or dead trees and since their bills are not equipped to dig their own cavities, they look for ones made by natural processes or woodpeckers. Although their conservation status is of low concern, Western Bluebird populations are hurt by habitat loss caused by logging, development, grazing, and forest growth due to the suppression of natural fires. Even in suitable habitat, people often “clean up” by removing dead trees where bluebirds and other cavity nesters would normally nest, and non-native House Sparrows and European Starlings compete for nest sites too. For these reasons, inviting bluebirds with nest boxes in a partially wooded yard or park gives them a much-needed home during breeding season, and allows us to monitor the development of their eggs and babies. Regarding Western Bluebird habitat, McReynolds relates the following:

The nest boxes we provide are a substitute for trees that once were in Los Angeles. These bluebirds still nest in cavities when they find them. When I was out on a walk along a road in the San Gabriel Mountains on June 5, I just happened to see a streak of blue and saw it crawl into the hole in the tree trunk below. I knew what that streak was and was pleased to find a natural cavity and certainly a nest as well (Photo 1).

As for our program, Western Bluebirds quickly took advantage of the thirteen boxes provided by the Southern California Bluebird Club that are placed high in the trees in Craig Regional Park. By April 14th, four pairs had created nests, and another already had three beautiful blue eggs (Photo 2). A week later, there were six eggs in this box, and several other nests were started or made more complete (Photo 3). Although male and female bluebirds find nesting sites together, females construct the nests, gathering grasses, straw, pine needles, moss, other plant fibers, fur, and occasionally trash from the ground (Photo 4).

The first babies of the season were seen on April 25th: in one box with six eggs, at least three had hatched. McReynolds counts nestlings by mouths since they are large and very differently colored than the rest of their bodies, which tend to blend together. She warmly remarks, “They are ugly at this stage, but charming, nonetheless.” Growth at this stage moves quickly: on May 10th, there were 56 eggs and 10 nestlings out of 13 total boxes in the north end of Craig Park.  By May 18th, the data had exactly flipped, with only 10 remaining eggs and at least 56 nestlings plus 2 that had successfully fledged (Photo 5). 

By the first week of June, several of the boxes were happily found empty, as clutches of eggs hatched, grew up, and left their nests for good. For Western Bluebirds, fledging takes more than three weeks. Notably, some pairs seemed to “swing immediately into producing a second clutch of eggs while other pairs take their time or do not produce a second clutch at all,” according to McReynolds. In one box, a second clutch was already forming with six eggs and one very young chick (Photo 6). In this photo, you can see a dark spot on one of the eggs; McReynolds explains, “It may be a hole pecked from the inside! If so, it is probably hatchling number two for this clutch.”

The good news is, you can care for birds in general and Western Bluebirds in your own area! There are also Eastern Bluebirds and Mountain Bluebirds, so there are bluebird clubs or societies in many states. Nest boxes can be placed in a partially wooded area before the Spring breeding season. These birds mainly feast on insects during the summer, and they can be attracted to feeders by offering mealworms available at bird feeding stores like Wild Birds Unlimited.  We would love for you to share in the joy of caring for these lovely and important creatures. 

Filed Under: Autumn Ayers, Birds, Mark McReynolds, Programs and Projects, SoCal Tagged With: bluebirds, citizen science, Karen McReynolds, nests

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Categories

  • A Rocha
  • A Rocha Arts
  • A Rocha Canada
  • A Rocha Ghana
  • A Rocha International
  • A Rocha Kenya
  • A Rocha Portugal
  • A Rocha USA
  • Advent
  • At Home
  • Au Sable
  • Autumn Ayers
  • Ben Lowe
  • Birds
  • Brittany Michalski
  • Bugs
  • Campus Chapters
  • Central Oregon
  • Central Texas
  • Church
  • Citizen Science
  • Climate Change
  • Climate Stewards USA
  • Climate Stewards USA
  • Community
  • Conservation
  • Core Commitments
  • Creation Care
  • Creation Care Camp
  • Dave Timmer
  • David Taylor
  • Dirt
  • Dr. Howard Snyder
  • Dr. Robert Sluka
  • Easter
  • Ecology
  • Economics
  • Ecosystems
  • Education
  • EEN
  • Election
  • Environment
  • Environmental Education
  • Extinction
  • Farm
  • Flo Oakes
  • Florida
  • Food
  • Forest
  • Global Partners
  • Gospel
  • Grant Shellhouse
  • John Elwood
  • John Stott
  • Kilns College
  • Leah Kostamo
  • Lent
  • Liuan Huska
  • Living Planet Report
  • Love Your Place
  • Marine
  • Mark McReynolds
  • Nashville
  • NW Washington
  • Partners
  • People
  • Peter Harris
  • Planet
  • Planetwise Blog
  • Plastic Pollution
  • Pollinators
  • Programs and Projects
  • Race
  • Recycling
  • Redemption
  • Resources
  • Restoration
  • Robert Campbell
  • Sabbath
  • Sandra McCracken
  • SoCal
  • Species
  • Theology
  • To Repair the World
  • Uncategorized
  • Washington DC
  • Wheaton
  • Wild Wonder
  • Worship
  • YECA

Archives

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • August 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • June 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • September 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • May 2019
  • December 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012

Tags

All Things Reconciled arocha A Rocha A Rocha Marine A Rocha USA arochausa biodiversity birds Christmas citizen science Climate Change Climate Stewards community conservation creation Creation Care Creation Care Camp Dave Bookless dirt environment explore place arocha arochausa saltandsteel trees nature gospel Gratitude hope internship Kellie Haddock Love Your Place loveyourplace making all things new Marine Miranda Harris New Year nwwashingtonarocha Peter Harris prayer Redemption Restoring people and places Richard Louv Sandra McCracken Seasons songwriting sustainable Together in the Harvest Tom Rowley Wild Wonder

Footer

A Rocha USA
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • ABOUT US
  • What We Do
  • Meet the Team
  • Careers and Internships
  • Contact
  • RESOURCES
  • Blog
  • Join Love Your Place
  • Multimedia
  • GET INVOLVED
  • Donate
  • Events
  • Join Our Community
  • Take Climate Action
  • Marine Conservation
  • Camp Curriculum
  • Projects

© 2016 A Rocha USA Environmental Stewardship

A Rocha USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 31-1751509
  • ECFA |
  • GuideStar |
  • Privacy Policy |
  • Faith Statement