Wildcard Wednesday: Bird Box Project

A male Eastern bluebird considers one of our boxes.

Since the spring of 2009 Hill Giant Farm has been involved in a bird box conservation project. As part of this project we have placed a dozen bird boxes along the fence lines of our property to supplement the natural habitats that exist on our farm. The main target of this conservation project is the Eastern Bluebird, but our boxes have also been used by wrens and tree swallows as well. Since the 1950's the population of Eastern Bluebirds in Ontario has significantly declined. Late winter snowstorms, heavy pesticide use, migration mortality and competition for nest sites due to the disappearance of natural cavities have all contributed to the birds' decline. 


The male Eastern Bluebird is the most recognizeable, having a bright blue back and rust coloured throat and breast. The bluebird is much smaller than the blue jay. The female and juvenile's have more grey on the back, blue in the wings and tail only, and a duller rust colour on their throat and breast. The song of the bluebird is made up of melodious whistling that can last for over 30 minutes. Here's a link to a site with various bluebird calls for you to enjoy. 


http://www.musicofnature.org/nsf/species_pages/_eastern_bluebird.html

Since putting up our boxes, we have had great success. Each year we have had an increase in the number of pairs that successfully nest and raise their chicks in our boxes. We only can account for the bluebirds that choose to nest in the boxes, however, we know that there have also been several pairs who have used cavities in our apple trees, sections of our many stone fences and other locations as their nesting sites. Our farm is an ideal location for bluebirds. Bluebirds are ground feeders who like open areas for feeding, but also look for sites with easy access to hedgerows and cover. They are also particularly fond of using dead trees, fence posts, boulders, and coarse weedstalks as perches. They also enjoy foraging in shorter grass, like what would be found in a recently grazed field. There is no shortage of these things on our farm. 

Yesterday, we noticed the first pair of bluebirds for this year checking out the nest boxes. Hopefully they will decide to stay.