Volume 5, Number 2 Spring 1983 8ia ia Pages 41·80

The Quarterly Journal Of The North American Bluebird Society Sielie means bluebirds. Hence the title of this journal. Technically, sietle is the NORTH AMERICAN Latinized, neuter plural version of the Greek BLUEBIRD SOCIETY word siells, a noun meaning a "kind of bird." Since the Eastern Bluebird was the first bluebird classified by Carolus Lin ­ Founder naeus (1707·1778), he gave it the species name sietis, though he placed it in the Lawrence Zeleny genus Mo/aeilia which is now reserved for President the wagtails. It was William Swainson Anne Sturm (1789-1855), who, in 1827, decided that the bluebirds needed a genus of their own with­ Vice President in the thrush family (Turdidae). He selected Martha Cheslem the generic name Sia/ia which he simply adapted from the species name sie lie which Treasurer Linnaeus had used . Therefore, the scien­ Delos C. Dupree tific name for the Eastern Bluebird is Sialia sialis (pronounced see-ahl-ea-ah see'-ahl­ Recording Secrelary iss). Sim ilarly, the Western Bluebird and Mark Raabe Mountain Bluebird, the two other spe cies Corresponding Secretary within the genus, were named Stelle mex­ Thomas Tait ieana and Sialia currucoides (coo-roo-coy­ dees) respectively. The ir species names are Directors descriptive of their locations. All three blue­ Art Aylesworth bird species are native only 10 the North Monlana Ameri can continent, although each in­ Angeline S. Cromack habits different regions generally sep­ Oregon arated by the Rock y Mountains and by alti­ Richard J. Dolesh Maryland tudinal preferences. Sadie Dorber While the adult birds all show differ­ New York Gay Duncan ing plumages, the young of all three North Carolina species look remarkably alike, prominently Lillian Lund Flies displaying spotted breasts and large wh ite Massachusetts eye rings. This similarity in plumage was Theodore W. Gutzke the prin cipal reason the Society chose the New Jersey Gerald L. Hartley juvenal bluebird for its log o. Since blue­ Alabama birds almost always choose to raise their George A. Hurst young in small enclosed cavities, a young Mississippi bluebird sitting near a nesting box seemed Joseph Ondrejko to -symbolize our mission. The hope of any Virginia Bryan Shantz species resides in its young. Because of Alberta bluebird nesting preferences , the survi val of Joseph G. Tail their young may depend on the nesting box, Maryland especially since natural cavities, for a va­ Executive Director riety of reasons, are disappearing rapidly. Mary D. Janetatos The theme of bluebird young nurtured in man -made structures will be a recurring one Editor in our art and literature. We hope that this Joanne K. Solem theme wi ll remind all about the pl ight of the bluebird, and will stimulate action which will allow this beautiful creature to prosper.

Sialia is published quarterly by the North American Bluebird Society, Box 6295, Silver Spring, MD 20906-0295. Subscription price is included in annual membership dues. Single copies: $2.50. Write for information about bulk quantities. Checks and money orders should be made payable to North American Bluebird Society and should be in United States funds. Issues are dated Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn and appear approximately on the fifteenth of January, April, July and October respectively. Deadline for submission of material is three months prior to date of publication; dated items only, two months. 8 ialia The Quarterly J o u r nal About BluebIrds

Volume 5, Number 2 Spring 1983 Page s 41·80

EDITOR Joanne K. Solem CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Lawrence Zeleny ART EDITOR Richard L. Woodward

COVER

The cover, in honor of t he Nort h CONTENTS America n Blu ebird Society's fif th ann iversar y, is t he work o f Presid ential POint s 42 our new art editor, Richard L. AnneLSturm Woodward. History of Bluebird Con servati on . . .. 43 Lawren ce Zeleny Inv ert ebrat e Fauna o f Eastern Sialia wel com es orig in al art icles , art B lue bird Nes ts 53 and ph otographs for publication. W illia m Cho w, Edward H Burtt, Jr. and D o n a l ~ E JOhns ton Al t hou gh this journal IS named for Contro ll in g th e Mal e Ho use the bluebird , material relating 10 all Sparrow 58 nat ive ca vity nestin g speci es will be Don Grussing considered. Manu scripts should be Plantin gs fo r Bluebirds and Other typed neatly and doub le-spaced. All Wil dlif e 60 material submitte d is subject to Karen Blac kb urn edi ti ng or rewriting. Submit the 1982 Nestin g Box Repo rt 62 o riginal ma nu script p lus a duplicate Delos C Dupree copy if yo u wis h to proof the ma te ria l In Memorium 64 before publicat ion . If ~ h e article has Gran t's Fol ly 65 Jo n E Boone been su b mitted e lse w he re (or Op eration Bluebird 68 previou sly pu blishe d) th at fact mu st Harold C Bieber be stated at t he time o f su bm is sion. Bl uebird Trail Direct or y 69 All manuscri pt s wi ll be ack nowl­ Question Corner 72 edged. Black an d whi te g los sy pho to­ Lawrence Z eleny grap hs are preferred . Print t he sub­ Cali fo rnia Blueb ird Story 73 je ct , nam es o f individuals pictured, Bruce and Joanne Benedict ph ot ogr ap her and return add res s on Dealing with t he Effects of Co ld the back of eac h photograph. Art is Weather on a Bluebird Trail 75 welcom e and should be in black pen­ Kar l Curt rs and-ink. We do not ass ume respon­ Blu ebird Express 76 sibili ty fo r manuscripts, pho to graph s Blu ebi rd Tales 78 Mary D Jansta ros or art submi tt ed. The edito r's address Poet ry 80 is 10617 Graeloch Road, Lau rel , Ma ry­ Allen Eugene Mel elmar. land 20707. Presidential Points Anne T. Sturm

ive years ago , whe n the blueb ird Fco nse rvat ion committees of the Maryland Ornitholog ic al Soc iety, the Aud ubon Natu ralist Soc iet y of the Ce n­ tr al Atlantic States , and the Prince Geo rge 's Co unty Audubon Soci ety banded toget her to form the Nort h co nse rvation. American Blu ebird Soc iety, not even Perhaps t he major thrust of the the most opti mis tic founding members So ciety has been t o encou rage expec ted to see as much grow t h as we pub lication of the bluebird s tory have experienced. The ori gin al concept whe rever possib le- from articles in of NABS was to be an educational rocal com munity week Iies to features c leari ng- ho u se fo r people a nd in magazines of nati on al dist ribution. or ganizat ion s interested in blueb ird Without do ubt the most success ful preservat ion. publicity for blue birds was Joan Ratt­ In r ev i e wi n g N A B S ' a c - ner Heilman 's artic le w hic h appeared co mplis hments ove r it s first fi ve yea rs, In Pa rade magazin e, Novem ber 27, th e fou nding of our popular quarterly 1979. journ al , Sia/ia , heads the li st. It is the A lth ough much has been accom­ informat ion cente r for the ser ious plis hed in our first five years, we are bluebird trail ope rato r and pro fes­ lookin g toward th e future. sio nal rese arch er as well as th e in­ D ick Tuttle's committe e IS plan­ dividua l bluebird lover. Sie tie is th e ning th e produ cti on of a mov ie. This lifeline o f the Soc iet y. wo uld enab le the television media to NABS has dis trib uted over a spread the word about the bluebi rd quart er of a million pi eces of educa­ even more effec tive ly. Board mem ber ti onal material inc ludi ng nestbox plans Rich Dol esh is stud ying how NABS can and instructi ons fo r monitoring a be nefi t fro m pi,bhc service annou nce­ bluebird trail. ment s on radio and television. Chairma n Dick Tu ttle and his Edu­ Research Co mmit tee Chairman, ca tion Committ ee have ass embled an Tedd Gutzke , with the help of hi s co m­ exce llent slide program. The one hun­ mi tt ee, will be ad minis tering grants to dred copies t hat have been so ld are sti m u la te n eed ed r es e ar ch on taki ng the bluebird conservation sto ry bluebirds. The know ledge ga ined from to youth grou ps, ga rde n and service suc h resea rch w ill help us aid the clubs, se nior citi zens, and others. bluebird and other ca vity nesters more Many more copies have bee n rent ed for effec t ively. the same pur pose. Bluebird research has shc wn that NABS has serve d as a cl earing­ other native cavity neste rs are ex­ house for the many problems faci ng perienci ng problem s due to lack of nestbox traiI op erators such as co m­ nat ural cav it ies. The ch arter of the petit io n from Hou se Wrens , Tr ee North Am erican Bluebird Soci ety is Swallows, and House Spa rrows . dedicated to helpi ng to preserve a ll of The Socie ty ha s en co ura ged t hese nat ive bird species. The best w ildl ife plant ings emp has izing the th ing about th is exci t ing fu ture is th at special needs of bluebirds and has we know NABS ' ef fo rts in educat io n, di s tri buted informa t ion co nce rning research , and communicat io n will their Winte r food. ult imately succeed beca use our cen­ NA BS has in itiated an awards pro­ tr a l te ne t -b l ue b i r d c on s er va­ gram to recognize some of th e out­ ti on-works / standing wo rk being done in blu ebird (Continued on page 64)

42 Sia lia, Spring 1983 History of Bluebird Conservation Law rence Zeleny

or man y years bluebirds have been F in trou ble try ing , usually in vain , to ma intain thei r pop ula tion. Vari ous fac­ tors have been involved in the bl ue­ bird popu lati on dec lin e, but t he prin­ cipal causes are beli eved to be a short­ age of the natural cav iti es they requ ire for nes ti ng plus sev ere co mpe ti tion fro m the alien Hou se Sparrows and Euro pean Starl in gs for mos t avai lable cavit ies. Con sequ ently, efforts to help the bluebird have been con f ined laroe­ Iy to supplying th em wi t h nesting boxes moun ted in su it able habitat , and in try ing to prote ct th e bird s duri ng th e nest ing seas on from their natural and imported enemie s. Publi c conce rn over the plight of t he bluebird has increased enormously in recent years . Hundreds of people have become ac tively invo lved in hel p­ in g th ese beautiful birds and many t housands of bluebird nesting boxes have been erected throughout t he United Sta tes and Ca nada . A brief reo view of some of t he important mile­ stones in t he bl uebird conservat ion ef­ fort should therefore be of interest.

Early Bluebird Aids

Before the advent of the white man in No rth America, American In­ dians were sa id to have erected hol­ lowed -out gou rds in their Villages to at­ trac t Purpl e Martin s. The purpose wa s evidently to help con trol objec t ionable flyin g in sects, si nce martins consume large numbers of such insec ts. Hol­ admired and was often called th e " blue lowed-out go urds are still used to at­ robin" since it reminded the colonists tract ma rtins, part icul arly in some of their beloved European Robin. The part s of t he South. Sin ce blu ebirds bluebird gradually beca me a symbol of frequently use these go urds for nest ­ love, hope, and happiness. Thi s sym­ in g, it is as sumed that they also used bol ism persists tod ay. Throu gh the some of th e go urds su pp lied by th e ln­ years the blueb ird has been menti oned dians before any Europ eans settled in more frequently th an any other bird in America. This then probabl y repre­ American poetry and in th e lyr ic s of our sents the beginn ing of th e cust om of popular songs. It seem s probabl e that attracti ng blueb irds by supp lying arti ­ some of the early col onists att rac ted ficial nest ing sites. blueb irds clos e to t heir homes wi th In early Colon ial ti mes t he East ern nesting boxes of some sort, although Blueb ird is know n to have been much documentat ion of this is obscure. Vol ume 5, Nu mber 2 43 Henry David Thoreau, the noted temptin g to defend their nests. The American naturalist and author, kept a United States Department of Agr icul ­ rem arkable 14 volume dia ry from 1837 t ure in 1912, recognizing the seri ous to 1861 at hi s home in Massachu setts. mi stake that had been made in brin g­ This wa s lat er all published in tw o vol­ ing these spar rows into America, is­ umes under the title The Journal of sued Farmers Bulletin 493 entit led Henry David Thoreau (1962). Lillian " The English Sparrow as a Pest" (Dear­ Lund Fil es (1982) in review ing this born, 1912). Then in 1914 the Depart­ journal fou nd ref erences to bluebird ment of Ag riculture iss ued Farmers box es und er t hree different dates, th e Bu lletin 609 " Bird Houses and How to first being September 29, 1842. This Bui ld Them " (Dearborn, 1914) giving reads as fol lows:" Today th e lark sings detail ed in structions fo r buil ding and again down in the meadow, and the mounting nest ing boxes for bluebirds robin peeps and the bluebirds, old and and ot her spec ies. young, have revisited thei r bo x, as if My own co nce rn with the pli ght of they would fain repeat th e summer the bl uebird began in 1918 wh en I without interventio n of winter, if Na­ found that with out constant vig ilance ture would let them." Since the word and interference on my part House "box " wa s used in eac h of th e th ree en­ Sparrows nearly alway s evic ted blu e­ tries it seems probable that wood en birds from th e nes tin g boxes I had built nesting boxes of some so rt were used for them. I wondered how bluebirds in those days. Th is 1842 refer ence may could possibly sur vive as a spec ies be among t he earlie st documentations without hum an help. And at th at time of th e use of bluebird nest ing bo xes. s tarlings were unknown in my home sta te of Minnesota. Alien Species Affect Bluebirds More than a half century ago Chap man (1924) predic ted that the The Hou se Sparrow wa s first suc­ sta rling, whi ch in Am erica was then cess fully intr oduced into North Amer­ conf ined to a small area within about ica in 1851 and th e Europ ean Starling 100 miles of New York City, would in 1890. Prior to th ese introduct ions eventually becom e a serious threat to th e bluebi rds had no part icular need th e bluebird.His predi ction came tru e for hu man hel p. Man had done little if within a remarkabl y shor t time and, anything to interfere w ith thei r lifestyle because of it s even mo re agg ressive and they were obviously qui te capable nature, the st arling became a greater of coping with thei r natural enemies­ t hreat t han the Hous e Spa rrow. Blue­ otherwise they wou ld have d isap­ birds usu ally found it almos t impos­ peared long bef ore. The use of blu e­ sible to nest su ccessfully in any area bird nesti ng boxes prior to the 1900s, w here starlings were abundant. Thi s therefore, was primari Iy for th e pur­ si tuat ion has greatly increased the pose of ent ic ing th e birds to nest c lose bluebirds' dependence on th eir huma n to human habitations where people frie nds to supply them with st arl ing­ could enjoy watching them rat her than pro of nesting boxes. So me of the early with any t hought of helping a spec ies ins t ructions for making bluebi rd nest­ in dis tress. ing boxes specified entrance hol es 1­ Soon aft er the tu rn of the century 5/8 inch or even 1-3/4 inch in diameter. it became qu ite evident that House It soon became evident, however, that Sparr ow s were a serious th reat to boxes w it h entrance holes larger than so me of our cavit y nest in g birds , par­ abou t 1% inch would be taken over by ti cul arl y th e blu eb ird . They w oul d com­ st arlings. Consequently, 1'/2 inch pet e with the bluebi rds for both natural hole s are now alm ost un iversall y use d cavit ies and nest in g boxes, and, be­ and are fo und adequate for all three ca use of th eir agg ressive nat ure, t hey sp ecies of bluebirds exc ept perhaps near ly always won these di sputes. The so me of th e Mountai n Bluebirds fou nd sp arrows wo uld break the blu ebird in a few limited west ern areas (Brink­ eggs, kill the nest lings, and often Id ll erhoff , 1980). The 11/2 inch hole effe c­ the ad ult bluebirds whic h were at- t ively excludes starlings from th e nest-

44 Sialia, Sprin g 1983 ing box es and th us protects the nest­ 1,500 persons . These newslett ers cover ing bluebirds almost co mpletely from a w ide range of conservation issues, one of the ir worst enemies. but Duncan's first fove was the blue­ bird, t he plig ht of which he mentions Pioneer Efforts in more frequently than any other sub­ Bluebird Conservation ject. Untold numbers of concerned people are now engaged in helping the Thomas E.Musselman of Quincy , bluebirds as a result of Dun can's urg­ Illinois, is generally credited with be­ ing . in g the originat or of a bluebird con­ Seth H. Low (1934) maintained 533 servati on movement of more than local nesting boxes on Cape Cod, Massa­ importance. Likew ise he originated the chusetts, in 1934 primarily to study co ncept of the " bluebird trail " as well the nesting habits of Tree Swallows. as the name itself. He began making Two hundred and ninety-eight Tree and experimenting with nesting boxes Swallows and 154 Eastern Biuebirds of his own design in 1926 and several were fledged from those boxes that years later established a bluebird trail year . Sin ce that time bluebirds have along country roads in Adams County, become quite scarce on Cape Cod . Illinois. The success of this trail en­ A highly successful bluebird trail couraged him to expand his activities was established at Percy Warner until his trails in the county consisted Park , Nashv ille, Tennessee in 1936 by of more than 1,000 nesting boxes. Mus­ Amelia R. Laskey (1940). This was con­ selman pioneered the effort to obtain tinued for many years dur ing which widespread public participation in time Mrs. Laskey kept careful records bluebird conservation partly through and made numerous observations of an article in Bird Lore (Musselman, scientific value which are recorded in 1934) calling for the establishment of the scientific literature. Later, with t he bluebird trails throughout the country. cooperatio n of John S. Herbert (Laskey During his later years he devoted much and Herbert, 1968) a simi larly success­ of his time to lecturing and helping ful trail was established along rural others get started in bluebird conserva­ roads near Ashland City, Tennessee. tion work through personal contacts and correspondence. National Bluebird Trail

William G. Duncan of Louisville, One of the most obscure yet most Kentu cky , like Musselman, is cred­ ambitious efforts in the history of blue­ ited as a major bluebird conservation bird conservat ion was the deveiopment pioneer. From about 1930 until Mus ­ of the National Bluebird Trail. It started selman's death in 1976, the tw o men with the Junior Audubon Club of Cape were in frequent communication, ex­ Girardeau, Missouri, organized by Mrs. changing notes, experiences, and Oscar Findley in 1938. Under her gu id­ ideas. Duncan designed his own blue­ ance the Club developed a successful bird nesting box, and his plans have bluebi rd trai I locally. Soon thereafter been used widely with much success. Mrs. Erie R. Jackson of the Better He operated bluebird trails consist­ Garden Club of Kirkwood , Missouri ing of hundreds of boxes, mostly i n secured permission from tne Missouri Jefferson County, Kentucky. By means Highway Department to pla ce nesting of talks and correspo ndence he spread bo xes along Missouri highways. Her the bluebird mes sage to thousands of club adopted this plan as their project people throughout much of the coun­ early in 1942 and began developing a try. state-wide trai I. Later that year the trail Dun can 's interests and concern was taken over by the State Board of with conservation is sues are broad and Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri deep . This led him in the 1950s to be­ and the Missouri Bluebird Trail con­ gin writing and di stributing newslet­ sisting of 2,680 nesting boxes was of­ ters to interested people. His mailing fi cially dedicated. Within three years list increased rapidly and now exceeds garden clubs in 23 states from coast to Volume5, Number 2 45 coast had joined the effort and on May Canadian Trails 9, 1945, the National Bluebird Trail was formally dedi cated in Springfield, John and Norah Lane of Brandon, Missouri. By 1946 a total of 6,728 nest­ Manitoba in 1959 organized a boys ing boxes had been erected. c lub known as the Brandon Jun ior Bird­ Unfortunately interest in maintain­ ers whose members took it upon them­ ing this mammoth project soon waned, selves to build bluebird nesting boxes proba bly because of lack of strong and set t hem out along roadsides. central leadership. The tr ail began to News of the su ccess of t his projec t disintegrate and before long ceased to spread and enc ouraged others in the exist as an ent ity. Segments of it , how­ Canadian prai rie provinces to estab­ ever, in various areas were con tinued lish blueb ird trai ls. Eventually various and t he project no doubt served a use­ of these tr ails were joined together into fu l purpose in arousing the interest of a huge net wo rk extending from near man y peo ple w ho have co ntinued to Winnepeg, Manitoba, westwa rd to In­ help the blue birds in loc al areas. A dian Head, Sas kachewan, then north­ more detaile d account of th e Nat ional westward to a point beyond Saska­ Bluebird Trail has been written by toon, Sas katchewan. The total leng th Grot h (1979). of the co mp os ite trail, including Its In 1951 Philip J. Hummel of St. numerous side trails, is approximately Croi x Falls, Wisconsin, established a 2,500 mi les. Some 7,000 nes ting boxes small bluebird trai l on hi s farm which have been mounted on the trai l and, In bec ause of it s su ccess attracted the a typical year , an estimated 5,000 att ent ion of th e Wisconsin Society for young bluebirds and 10,000 young Tree Orni thology. Th at Soc iety urge d 4-H Swal low s are fledged. The bluebirds Clubs to establish bluebird trails in are predominantly Mountai n Bluebirds their areas as cl ub proj ects. By 1971 although some Eastern Bluebirds are twenty-four of th e cl ubs had set out fou nd along the eastern part of the 354 nesting boxes from which 851 trail. The first con firmed obser vation of young bluebirds were fledged that hyb ridization between Eastern and year. The WSO issued a bulletin (Ro­ Mountain Bluebirds was reported by mig, M. an d Mrs. P.W., undated) en­ Lane (1968). Since that ti me a number titled Bluebird Trails Gu ide designed of cases o f su ch hybridization have primarily for the use of 4-H Clubs. been observed on the Canadian trai l. John Lane was awarded the honorary Charlie Elli s started a bluebird degree of Doctor of Laws by Brandon trail on hi s 11/2 sectio n farm near Red University in 1971 largely on the basis Deer, Alberta, in 1956. The trail even­ of his outstanding work in th e field of tually cons isted of 279 nesting boxes. bluebird conservation. His remarkable success is aUri buted Among the various operators in to the fact that he meticul ou sly elim­ addition to the Lane s who have con­ inated virtually all House Sparrows and tributed most to the mammoth Canad­ starl ings from his property. ian Pra irie Bluebird Trail should be mentioned Lome Scott of Indian Head , Wil liam L. Highhouse (1964) of Saskatchewan (see Sco tt, 1970) and Warren, Pennsylvania, has maintained Stuart and Mary Houston of Saska­ an active bluebird project known as toon, Saskatchewan. By 1970 Scott " Operat ion Bluebird" in Warren Coun­ wa s maintaining and mon itoring so me ty, Pennsylvania, since 1957. By 1974 2,000 nesting boxes virtually sinqle­ he and some thirty others who have handedly. This is possibly the mos t ex­ helped with the proje ct had mounted tensive one -person bluebird operation approximately 400 nesting bo xes along on record. The Houstons also organ­ about 100 miles of Wa rren Cou nty ized an extensive trail which ext ends roads. Since its inc ept ion this project to the western termi nal of the com­ has produced rou gh ly 14,500 Eastern posite Canadian Prairie Blu ebird Trail . Blue birds and 6,900 Tree Swa llows. Stu art Houston (1977) has published

46 Sialia, Spring 1983 an exc ellent review of th e origin and develop ment of the entire trail. Still farther west in Can ada im­ portant bl uebird trails were in iti ated in Alberta by Joy Fi nlay (1975) of Edmon­ ton in 1971; by Harold Pinel (1977) of Calgary in 1973; and by Duncan Mac­ kinto sh of Lethbridge in 1974. Thou ­ sands of nesting boxes have been d is­ tributed th roughout a large part of Al­ berta. In easte rn Canada through the ef­ forts of Leo Sm ith (1978) of Tor ont o, th e Oshawa Naturalist Club, the Wil ­ low Beach Field Naturali st Clu b, and the Ontario Bird Banding Association established exten sive bluebird trails in southern Ontario with a total of about 1,200 nesting bo xes .

Organizations Along with Individuals Work for Bluebirds

Raleigh R. Stotz of Gran d Rap ids, Michigan, working with the Grand Rap­ ids Audubon Club organized a " Blue­ birds Unlimited" proj ect in 1962. An ex­ perimental bluebird trai l was estab­ lished in that area to study meth ods of pred at or co nt rol and other aspe ct s of a succes sful trail. Educational mat erial The National Asso ciation for the including an ann ual report of the pro­ Prot ect ion and Propagation of the Pur­ ject was di stributed widely to int er­ ple Martins and Bluebirds of America, ested persons, and more th an 15,000 Inc. (NAPPPMBA) was organ ized in bluebird nes ting boxes were so ld vir­ 1964 by M.D.Angli n, an Ark ans as at­ tu all y at co st. torney, and Charles C. Butler, a Kan­ sas grocer. The orga nization issued monthly new sletters to its 400 mem­ Ralph K. Bell of Clarksvill e, Penn­ bers and d is tributed approximately at sylvan la, a successfuI pou ltry farmer, cos t abo ut 7,000 copies of bluebird started a bluebird trail in 1964 in th e nesting bo x plans and instructions and southwes tern part of th at state along 4,000 copies of a 16-page booklet en­ th e co untry road s he travell ed weekl y titl ed Bluebird s f or Pos terity (Zeleny to deli ver eggs. The trail consis ted of 1969). approximately 200 boxes , nearl y all of NAPPPMBA was di ssolved in them mounted on utility pol es with th e 1969 and it s wor k passed -int o the permi ssion of the local ut ility com­ hands of the Grigg sville Wild Bird So­ pany. Bell bel ieves that thi s type of cie ty (now The Nature Society) whi ch mounting greatl y minimizes predat ion published Purple Martin Capital News by cli mbing animal s. As man y as 800 (now Nature Soc iety News). Thi s pap er bluebirds have been fledged from hi s has published a monthly " Bluebird boxes in a single year , a rather re­ Trail " co lumn for man y years. The co l­ markable record. Bell monitored hi s umn was writt en by T.E. Musselman boxes weekly during th e nest in g sea­ prior to 1969, by Larry Zelen y from son and kept care ful record s. Annual 1969 to 1981, and sin ce th en by Ben sum maries of hi s work have been pub ­ Pinkowski. This co lumn has creat ed li shed in EBBA News. wi despread inte rest in blu ebird can-

Volume 5, Number 2 47 servaticn throu ghout mu ch of th e bl uebird t rail ever developed, parti cu­ United Stat es and Canada. la rly in view of the fact that th ere were The Audub on Naturalist Societ y of very few bluebirds in th e area befo re the Cent ral Atlantic State s (ANS) the tra iI was sta rted. Bas ed on their ex· laun ched a bl uebir d project in 1967, perience the Brinkerh offs belie ve that and a similar pro ject wa s begun In the Mountain Blu ebird s in their area re­ 1969 by th e Maryland Ornithologi cal qu ire a nest in g box ent rance hol e Society (MOS). These two proj ects slig htly larger than the 1'/2 inc h di am­ soon becam e int egrated and some 75 eter hole usually used. Thi s vie w is collaborato rs parti cipat ed in th e wo rk. suppor ted by Alfred Perry who oper­ By the end of 1978 ab out 3,100 nest­ ates a 238 box trail near Boi se, Idah o. ing boxes were being maintained and Thi s contention is being studied and , an estimated 28,600 East ern Bluebird s if confirmed, may result In more suc­ had been fledged from the boxes dur­ cessful Mountain Bluebird conserva­ ing the 12 years of the proj ect (Zeleny, ti on efforts over a co ns ide rable area 1979). of the Wes t. Edwin T. McKn ight of Bethesda, Lewi s L. Kibler (1969) is the aut hor Maryland has operated blu ebird trails of a fine pap er on how to develop and in both Maryla nd and Virgin ia sin ce maintain a success ful bluebird tr ai l. 1967, the most successfu l of w hich is His reco mm endation s are based on hi s in Stafford County, Virginia (McKnight, own experie nce as well as that of other 1973). Mo re tha n 3,000 young bluebirds succ essful trail operators. have been fl edged fro m hIS nest ing Hubert W. Presco tt of Port land, boxes. Through 1977 McKnight's re­ Oregon , has ran g been co nce rned by sults were included in the above-me n­ the dwindl in g population of th e West· tioned jo int ANS-MOS project. ern Bluebird, particul arly in the regi on of Oreg on's fert ile W il lamette Vall ey. In about 1969 he began a seri ous study Instructio n in blu ebird c onserva­ of the prob lem and conc luded that one tion has been initiated in some public of th e principal troubles was that, in sch ools to show the children how they the devel opment of the Vall ey's land can becom e personall y involved in fo r Intens ive ag riculture, the natural helping a deeply tr oubled spec ies of c avities needed by the bluebirds for w ildlife survive. Richard M. Tuttle nesting had been mo stly destroyed (1979), a junior hi gh sc hool teacher in (Presc ott , 1979). In 1973 Prescot t in­ Delaware County, Ohio sta rted his own itiat ed blu ebird trails in th ree separat e bluebi rd tr ail in 1968. Inspired by th e areas of the Willamette Vall ey. The pro­ success of th is opera ti on he instruc ts ject has been generally successful and his students by means of illustrated with th e ble ssin g and support of the lectures and by having them construct Portland Audubon Societ y has since and mount their ow n nesting bo xes in been co ns iderably expanded. pro per habitat. Some of these stud ent s then become su fficientl y interest ed to In Ill inois, Ralph M.J. Sho ok of develop th eir ow n bluebird tr ai ls. Tuttle Godfrey, remembe rin g th e abundance is now Chairman of the NABSEduca­ of blu ebirds in his nati ve Cal houn tion Committee. Cou nt y dur ing his boyhood, became Jes s and Elva Brin kerhoff in 1968 app all ed by how sca rce they had be­ starte d a small bluebi rd trail in south­ come by 1970. Det erm ined to do w hat­ ce ntral Washing ton w hich later devel­ ever he cou ld to remedy the Situation, oped into a trail of more than 800 nest ­ he began bui ldi ng nest ing boxes which ing boxes sc attered thr oughout an he then set out in rural areas. Som e area of about 150 square m il es (Brink­ he gave aw ay to others w ho prom ised erhoff , 1980). Practically all o f the to mount them in prop er location s. By boxes are used every year, mostly by 1973 nearl y 500 of hi s nesting boxes Mountain Bluebirds but w ith a few had been set out, rou ghl y half of which Western Bluebirds. This may well be were occupied by blu ebirds, and the the mo st co mplet ely successful large badly depl et ed bl uebird population of

48 Si ali a, Spring 1983 Ill in oi s' Calh oun County was making a sub stantial comeback. Unfortunately th e almost unprec­ edented severity of the weather in Illi­ nois during the winters of 1977 and 1978 near ly wiped ou t these gains and recovery has since bee n slow. The sa me catastrophic cond it ions oc­ cu rred in Indiana whe re Thomas Beas ­ ley of Oak land City had, for severa l years, op erat ed wha t wa s probably the most extensive and success ful blue­ not confined to girls) initiated it s bird trail in that state. " Project Save the Bluebirds." This was The beautiful Shenandoah Vall ey an outgrowth of a small project sta rted of Virginia lies bet ween the Blue Ridge in 1971 by Mary D. Janetatos, now Mountains and the central range of the Execut ive Director of th e North Appalachians. Most of it consists of American Bluebird Society. Mrs. excellent blueb ird habit at w it h pl ent y Janetat os was then a Camp Fire leader of natural tree cavities that formerly in Montgom ery Coun ty, Mar yland . Her provided homes fo r a t hrivin g pop ula ­ gro ups buil t and erected bluebird ti on of bluebi rds. But for at least 12 nest ing boxes in a local rural park. years sta rli ngs have take n over most of News of the success of thi s project these caviti es and the blueb irds have sp read quickly and the proj ect was all but disappeared in most parts of the adopted on a broader sca le by the Valley. In 1970 Ira L. Campb ell of Tim ­ Potomac Area Council of Camp Fire berville sta rt ed setting out nestin g Girls later in the sa me year. In less boxes in the Val ley and within a few than two years th is activity led to the years was maintaining more than 100 country-wide project administered by boxes along 32 miles of count ry roads . the Camp Fire Giris headquarters 01 ­ Bluebirds are now aga in common fic e in New Yor k. Details of the project along the cou rse of his Shenandoah were publishec in 1973 in t he Camp Bluebird Trai l. Several other persons Fire Blue Bird Leader's Resource BOOk, have established sma ller trai ls in the " Bl ue Birds " being the name applied to Valley wi th equal succe ss. It is hoped the girls si x, seven, and eight year s old. that still more people wil l joi n in th is Blue Bird leaders throughout the co un­ eff ort so that blueb irds may aga in try were urged to participate in the abound over t he ent ire 180 mile length pro ject and many of them did. of the Shena ndoah Valley. Spec ial commendation is due Probably the greatest success so Reuel Broyles of Spri ngfield, Missouri far achieved under the Camp Fire who almost single-handed ly has prob ­ projec t was that of the Cam p Fire Girls ably acc omplished mo re tha n anyon e Atlanta (Georgia) Council. Under the else in helping to bring back to Mis­ capable leadership of Mrs . C.D. souri its state bird, the Eastern Blue­ Woodward and Col. W.R.Robert son, bird . Broyles has his ow n successful Jr . (Ret.) approx imately 1,000 nesting bluebird trail, and, in addition, since boxes were set out in rura l areas near 1971 he has made thousands of blue ­ Atlanta , and an estimated 1,500 young bird nest ing boxes and give n them to bl uebirds were fled ged from them the persons and organizat ions in Miss ouri first year , 1975. who have agreed to make proper use of the m. He makes his box es of scrap lumber at an estimated cost of about Various Girl Scout and Boy Scout 35 cents each, exclusive of his own troops and 4-H Cl ubs have al so labor. org anized blue bi rd pro jects. The im­ portance of the part ic ipation of youth In 1973 the Camp Fire Girl groups in this eff ort cann ot be organizatio n (now Camp Fire, Inc. and overemphasized since it is without

Vol ume 5, Nu mber 2 49 doubt enriching the lives of hundreds own trail of more than 300 boxes near of thousands of our finest young Churchville. people at their most impressionable One of the most encouraging age by instilling into their minds trends in the bluebird conservation greater love and respect for Iivi ng movement is the gradual involvement things and an understanding of the of big industry. Perhaps the outstan­ serious problems that fa ce some of our ding example of such involvement is most cherished species of wildlife. The that of the Bowater Carolina Co mpan y futu re of all conservat ion efforts lies in of Catawba, Sou th Carolina . This is the hand of the co ming generation. one of a wo rld-wide family of co rn­ pames invol ved in lumb erin g and in the Under the leadersh ip of Jack R. production of woo d pulp, paper, and Fi nch of Bailey, North Caroli na, th e other forest products. In 1975 Bowater Rur itan Club of Mount Pleasant, No rth began it s participation in the bluebird Caroli na, became involved in bluebird cause by producing well-made nesting conservation in 1972. The Club ob­ boxes and givin g them wi th complete tain ed a charter and organized the non­ instructions to persons requesting profi t bl uebi rd conservation cor­ them in th e Carolinas and adjo in ing po ration Homes for Bluebirds, Inc. states wh o would agree to ma ke prop er Thr oug h this organization Fin ch began use of t hem and report the ir resu lts buil ding and set ting out nesting bo xes annually. More than 3,000 nestin g in caref ully sele ct ed locati ons boxes have been distributed under thi s throug hout much of both Nor th and prog ram and t he results have been South Carolina until eventuall y mo re hig hly encouraging. than 2,000 boxes had been placed in mo re tha n 70 locations.These included In 1975 the Northe rn Neck of nesting box es of seve ral di fferent Virginia Audubon Society, a chapter of or iginal desig ns, most of which have the Nat iona l Audubon Society , pro ved to be succes sful. Large in­ initiated a " Bring Back Blu ebi rds to creases in th e bluebird population ap­ Virginia" proj ect. Since that ti me the pea r to have oc cu rred in many of the Soc iet y has sold throu gh local mer­ areas where hi s boxes are locat ed. ch ants approximately 2,700 blu ebi rd Finch was the firs t person to call nesting boxes , eac h accompan ied by attention to th e heav y blueb ird instructions and a for m to report casualties result ing from the birds in­ nesting res ults . The proj ect under the vest igating and falli ng into t he leadership of Mary A. Marlar is prov ing open ings in t he flues of pot-type oil to be highly su ccess fu l. burn ers co mmonly used in tobacco­ In-dept h researc h on the nesti ng curing barns. Through his urging, this habits and beha vior of the Eastern hazard was SUbstantially reduced by Bluebird during the breed in g season th e use of protective hardware-cloth has been conducted by Bened ict C. sc reens on many of these flues. Pinkowski (1975) at Wa yne Stat e Mil ita ry reservations have often Universi ty and by T. David Pit ts (1976) been found to be good lo cat ions for at the. University of Tennessee. Bot h bluebird trails. One of the mo st suc­ Pinkowsk i and Pitts used th e results of cessful trails in Maryland is located at t heir research as the bases fo r the ir the Aberdeen Proving Ground which Doctor of Philosophy dissertations. consists of about 80,000 acres near t he Bot h dis sertations contain information northeastern corner of t he state, much of great value to anyone serious ly in­ of whi ch is exce llent bluebird habitat. volve d in bluebird conservati on wor k, A bluebird trail of approximately 300 Utility com panies in several areas boxes was esta blished there in 1974 by have joined the bluebird conservat ion Ellis Porter, game warden at the move ment by permitting th e placing of Proving Ground, and Wilso n For d of nesting boxes on th eir properties or by ChurchVille, Mary lan d. An est imated actually establishing bluebird trails. 675 bluebirds we re f ledged fro m this Both th e Pennsylvania Power and Light trail in 1975. Ford als o operates his Co mpany and the Philadelphia ElectriC

50 Sialia, Spring 1983 Co mpany have established trail s on th e unli mited enthusiasm of Mary D. th eir properti es in Lanca st er Co unty, J anetatos and Del os C. (Chuck) Dupree Pennsylvania start ing in 1977 (John­ who had co mplete faith th at th e ven­ son, 1982). Robert M.Schut sky (1979) tu re wo uld succeed and who later we re not only ope ra tes th e tr ail on the chosen as Exec utive Director and propert y of th e Phil adel phi a Elect ric Treasur er, respectively, of the new No r­ Company bu t co nd ucts one-day th Am erican Blu eb ird Soci et y. Much bluebird worksh ops several ti mes a credit is also due Rob ert M. Patterson, year for all interest ed persons. Par­ the Soc iety's fi rst Pres ident, fo r ticipants are instruct ed in th e prin­ guiding the Societ y throu gh its diff ic ult ciples of bluebird co nservation by fir st year; and Jon Boone, its Vi ce means of illustrated lectures, de mon­ Presi dent and first Ed ito r of Sialia for st rati ons, f ield observat io ns, and ac­ the excel lent receptio n and prompt tual experience in constr uc t ing nesting recogn ition t hat new per iodical re­ bo xes . ce ived. Junius Birch ard of Hac ket tstow n, The grea tes t and most rapid in­ New Jersey in 1977 began a campaig n crease in pub lic awa reness of th e to brin g back the blu ebird to that state blue bird's problems probably resulted largel y throu gh the public sc hoo ls. He from a we ll-wr itten popu lar art icle on has given num erou s illustrate d t al ks th e s ubject by Joan Ratt ner Heilman on th e subject of bluebird co nservation (1979). The artic le appeared in Parade both to sc hool child ren and ad ult rnaqaztne, a sup plement to Sunday groups . In add ition he has obtained newspapers and wide ly di ssem inated and sup plied at cost to interes ted per­ throughou t most of the United States. so ns precut lumber fo r co nstruc ti ng As a result of this artic le th e North nearly 5,000 blu ebi rd nesting boxes . Am eric an Blu ebird Society received Each person receiving thi s mat erial is so me 80,000 wri tten requests for ad­ sup plied with detai led ins tructions fo r di tio nal information on blu ebird con­ bui lding the boxes and se lec ting th e se rva tion. • most suita ble places to locate th em. Ass is ta nce and demon strat ion s are This review of the early his tory of the give n when need ed, es pecially to the bluebird conservation movement is by no sc hool c hil dren. means complete but IS intended to cover only the most significant developments prio r to the orga niza tio n of th is Society in 1978 that have come to the writer's atten­ North American Bluebird Society tion. Some Important work has very likely Founded in 1978 been overlooked. Developments since the Society was organized have been so numerous as to be beyond the scope of this By ea rly 1978 public inte res t in th e review.Reports on important recent work in plight of th e blu eb ird had reached a this field have been or it is hoped will be high level largely as a result of th e lon g published in Sia lia or elsewhere. ser ies of " Bluebird Trail" co lumns in Na ture Sociely News , a pub lic ati on of Literature Cited : t he book The Bluebird : How You Can Brinkerhoff, J . and A. 1980. Our success Hel p It s Fi gh t fo r Surviva l (Ze le ny, story. Sia lla 2:143·145. 1976), an art ic le on blueb irds in Chapman, F.M. 1924. Handbook of birds of Na tiona! Geographic (Zeleny, 1977), eastern North America. D. Appleton & and numerou s other rnaqazlne and cc., p. 356. newsp aper artic les. As a resu lt a sma ll Dearborn, N. 1912. The English sparrow as a group of expe rienced blu eb ird ers got pest. Farmers Bullet in 493, 24 p., Revised togeth er in the Washing to n, D.C., area 191 7, 22 p. ------1914. Bird houses and how to build to c ons ider th e possibili ty of a con­ them. Farmers Bull etin 609, 19 p., Re · t inent-wide organizatio n t o promote vised 1923, 23 p. the ca use of blu ebird co nse rvat io n. Files, L.L. 1982. " His most serene bird­ Th e dec is io n to proceed w ith suc h an ship! " The bluebird In Thoreau's journal. organization was due in large pa rt to Sialia 4:23-27.

Vo lume 5, Number 2 51 Finlay, J.C.· 1975. Edm onton blu ebird tr ail. Low, S.H. 1934. Blu ebird st udie s at Cape Edm onton Na t. 3:3-5. Cod . BIrd-B an ding 5:39-41. Groth, W.L.Jr. 1979. Best kept sec ret. SIaiia Mc Knight, E.T. 1973. A nest box pr oject for 1:105,111. bluebirds in Sta ffo rd Cou nty, Virg inia. Hell man, J.R. 1979. How yo u ca n hear th e The Raven 44:59-68. blu ebird's so ng aga in. Parade Nov. 25:26­ Mu sselm an. T.E. 1934. Hel p the bluebirds. 28. Bird Lore 36:9-13_ Hi ghh o use, W.L. 1964. " Operati o n blue­ Pin el , H.W . 1977. Cal gary bl uebi rd trail ­ bird" In Warr en County , Pennsyl vania. 1976. Blue J ay 35:43-44. Eighth report. 1964. King bird 14:210-212. Pinkowski, B C. 1975. A co mpa rat ive st udy Hou ston , C.S. 1977. The prai rie blue bird of th e behavior al and breeding ec o logy o f t rail. Na tu re Canada 6(2):3·9. th e eas te rn blu ebird iSielie slalis). Ph.D. Johnso n, W .J. 1982. Tw o Pennsyl vania util ­ disserta uon, 471p. pub li sh ed on demand it y co mpa nies ai d blu ebirds. Si alJa 4: by Xerox Univer sit y Mi crof ilms, P.O. Box 146·148. 1346, An n Arbor, MI 48106. Kib ler. L F. 1969. Th e establishment and Pltts,T.D. 1976. Nest in g ha bits of eas te rn maintenan ce of a blu ebird nes t box pro­ bluebirds in nor thwes t Tennessee. Ph.D. jec t. A review an d co mme nta ry. Biro­ disserta tion, Uni versity of Ten nessee, Banding 40:114-129. Knoxville, TN. Lane. J. 1968. A hybrid eastern bl ue bird x Prescott, H.W. 1979. Oregon 's W il lam ette mo unta in blu ebird. Auk 85:684. Va lle y. Stelte 1:52·56, 81. Laskey, A.R. 1940. Th e 1939 nestin g season Romi g, M. and Mrs. P.W. un dat ed Bluebird of blu ebi rds at Nas hville, Tennessee. trail s gui de.W isconsin Soc iety for Or­ Wilson Bull. 52 :183·190. ni t ho logy. Bullet in 137. Lask ey, A.A. an d Herbert , M.F 1968. Nes t­ Schut sky, R.M. 1979. Utility co mpanies can ing bl uebi rds at A shl an d City. The Mi­ help bluebirds . Sie tie 1:146-147 . grant 39:73·74. Sco tt, L. 1970. Annual report of t he Indian He ad blu ebird tr ail. Blue Jay 28:176-177. Smith, L.A. 1978 East ern blu eb ird boxes in Onta rio . Blue Jay 36:45. Thor eau, H.D 1962. The jo urnal of He nry David Thoreau. Dover Publica tions, 2 vo ls. Tuttle, A.M 1979. Plantmg seeds for blue­ bird trails. Sieti« 1:126·128. Zeleny, L. 1969. Bluebirds for pos terity. 16 p. Publish ed by NA PPPMBA . ------1976 The biueb ird - how you ca n help It s fight for survival. H Op. Indi ana Un iversit y Press, Bl oomingt on. ------1 977. Son g of hop e for the blue. bi rd Na tt. Geogr 151:854-865. ------1979. Th e centra l At lantic regio n bl uebird project-1978. Ssetie 1:7-9.

4312 Van Bur en St. Hyattsville, MD 20782

52 Sia lia, Sp ri ng 1983 Invertebrate Fauna of Eastern Bluebird Nests

William Chow, Edward H . Burtt, Jr. and Donald E. Johnston

oung Eastern Bluebirds (Sia/ia sia/is) share their nests with a remarkable variety Y of arthropods, a group of animals that in cludes insects, spiders, and mites. Some arthropod s (e.g. mites, flies) parasitize young bluebirds and may reduce reproductive su ccess (Moss and Carnin 1970, Pin kowski 1977). Other arthropods de­ pend on bluebirds onl y indirectly, either sc avenging among debris in the nest (e.g. mites, book lic e) or preying on the small arthropods attracted to the nest (e.g. spiders, wasps). The quantitative description of the ecological community within bluebird nests, particularly the co mmunity of mites, was the fo cus of our study.

METHODS Populations of mo st invertebrates were too small to permit statistical Duri ng th e su mmer of 1980, 13 ana lysis. Pears on 's product-moment bluebird nests were collected just after c arrelation coeffici ent (Rosc oe 1975) the young left. The nests were placed was used to evaluate the correlation in funnels within 48 hr. The funnels between populations of mites and were lined with a thin layer of ch eese­ potential influential fa ctors. Spear­ c loth to prevent debris from falling into man's rank c orrelation c oeffic ient the collecting jars at the bottom of the (Roscoe 1975) was used with the s mall­ funnels. A 60-watt bulb mounted 10 cm er populations of other species . above the nest caused the in ­ vertebrates to mo ve to th e bottom of RESULTS th e funnel away from the heat and li ght. Once at the bottom of th e funnel Bluebird nests were occupied by they fell into 5 % formaldehyde solu­ two families of mites and one family of tion in the collecting jar. Once a day spiders, all from the class Arach nida, the cheesec loth-wrapped nest was and eleven fami lies fr om the class ln­ lifted from the funnel; animals clinging secta (Table 1). However, comparisons to the c hee sec lot h were gently are most c lear wh en families are brushed into the funnel whence they grouped by diet instead of ta xonomy. slid into th e col lecting jar. At the end of three days, nests were removed from Para sites the funnels. The volume of the nest Among parasitic families (Table was calculated by measuring the 1), only Dermanyssidae (Mo ss and height, length, and width of th e nest . Camin 1970, Krantz 1978) and Each nest and its c or res pond ing jar of Calliphoridae (Maso n 1944, Pinkow ski invertebrates received an identifica­ 1977) parasitize nestling bluebirds and tion number. onl y Dermanyssidae, represented by a Using ta xonomic keys found in s ing le s pec ies, Dermanyssus birundi­ Borror et al. (1976) and Krantz (1978), in­ nus (Fig. 1), occurred in sufficient vert ebrates were identified to family numbers to pose a potential health and c ounted under a binocular dissec­ hazard to nestlings. D. hirundinus lives ting microscope. Because of their in the nest, climbs onto young small size and numerical import ance, bluebirds to suck blood, and returns to mites were photographed through a the nest between blood meals. Further­ scanning electron microscope at the more, larger bro ods of bluebirds sup­ U.S. Department of Agriculture ported s ignific ant ly larg er populations laboratory in Delaware, Ohi o. Repre­ of D. hirundinus (Fig. 2), whereas sent at ives of each type were then sent populations of lar val blowflies (Call i­ to the Acarology Laboratory, ThE) Ohio phoridae), the ot her bluebird parasite, State Uni versity, for spe cies identifica­ tion. were not correlated with brood siz e.

Volume 5, Number 2 53 Table 1. Arthropod Occu pants of Nest s of Eastern Bluebirds. Number ! Forag i ng habl t s Family (co mmo n name ) Prop or t ion of occupied nests occupied n e s ~

p a r a s~ [ ~c on ve r[ebra ces De rtaa ny s s i. da e 1. 00 5381, . 0

pa r a s i ~i c on ve r t e bra ce s Calliphoridae (bl ov f l i es ) 0 . 31 1,.8

pa r a s ~ tic on bl owfl i es l c hneumonidae ( ichn eumon ~a s p s) 0. 31 11 . 8

p a r a s ~ ( ic on ichneumon was ps Per l ampidae (c halci d ~a s p s ) 0. 51, 5 .9

par as i[e ~ e no p o n i d ae (bird lice ) 0 . ~ 6 10 . 0

parasite Philop t e r idae (bi rd lice ) 0 . 23 4 . 3

de t r i t i 'lore Pyroglyphidae 1. 00 1762 . 8

de r.r i ci VQ re Ps yl l ipsocidae (book lice ) 0 . 46 ~ . O

de t r i t ivor e Cecidomyi i dae (ga ll mi dges ) 0.5 4 7. 9

de t r i t ivo re Bi bionidae (ma rch Elies ) 0 . 31 8. 5

de t ri t ivo re Xycel opb i l i da e (fungus gnacs ) 0 . 31 12 .2

de r r i r i vo re Syl vani da e ( f l a t ba r k bee tles ) 0.5 !. 7.6

pre da to r Sa lci cidae (j ump ing spi de rs ) 0. 54 7. 1

preda cor Forini ci dae (an t s) 0 . 77 13 . 9

Ic h n e u m o n wasps Sf, like th ose of D. hirundinus , the (Ic hneumonidae, Table 1) parasitize blood -suc king mite, were strongly and bl owflies and chalcld wasps (Perlarn­ posttlve ly correlated with brood size pidae, Table 1) parasitize Ichneumon (Fig. 2). Book li ce (Psyillipsoc.dae, was ps.None o f the four nests contain­ Table 1), als o scavenge detritus (Borror ing adu lt ichneumon wasps co ntained et al. 1976), however their numbe rs blo wflies. were only weakly correlated with brood Although bird lice (Menoponidae size (r = 0.422). and Philopteridae, Table 1) may The remain ing fami lies of detrili­ sca venge more than pa rasitize, they vores repr esent insects that feed on are obligate residents on the bird 's dead or decayin g vegetation. All were bod y. Thei r infrequent occ urrence and presumably attracted to t he nest small nu mbers represent indi viduals materials whi ch provid e an abundant that fell from an adul t or nest li ng. supply of fo od. Neither the occ urrence nor the number of these det rit lvor es Detritivores was co rrelated w ith brood size or volume of the nest material. The family Pyroglyphidae was rep­ resented in all nests (Table 1) by a Predators single spe cies, Dermatophagofde s evansi (Fig. 3), th at remains in the nest Jumping spiders (Sa lt ic id ae . where it feeds on fecal material from Table 1) are sol itary predators of smal l th e nestlings, flakes of feat her arthropods. Thos e fou nd were pro­ sheaths that fall int o the nest , and babl y reside nt in the nests occ upied. other organic deb ris (Krantz 1978). Ant s (Formicidae, Tabl e 1), on the other Such foods are referred to as detritu s hand , are colonial predators. Si nce on­ and detrit ivores are animals t hat con­ ly wo rkers were found, they were pro­ su me detritus Popu lat ions of D. evan- bab ly not resid ents of the nest. They

54 Sialla, Spring 1983 Figure 1. A dorsal view of Dermanyssus ntrunotnus, the blood-sucking mite, shows its eight legs, four on each side of the body, and the much smaller palps with which it pierces the nestlings ' skin to obtain its blood meal. The body is covered with num­ erous, small sensory hairs. Despite its adaptations for climb ing and feeding on nestlings , D. hir undinus is unable lo cling to humans or pierce our much thicker skin.

MOUTHPARTS

LE GS

may have been carried in on nest study (Table 1) may be due to light, dry , materia l or ent ere d while foraging from well-ventilated nestboxes. Alternative­ a nearby col ony. The latt er seems ly, Tree Swallows (Iridoprocne bicolor) unli kely, howe ver, as all nests were wh ose nest s were abundant along the mounted on greased, metal poles. bluebird trail may have effect ively Neith er predat or showed any correla­ preyed upon the ponderous bl owfly tion with brood size, nest volume, or adults, significantly reducing t he total number of arthropods inhabiting cal liphorid population. the nest. The lack of correlation among most arthropods and their food source, DISCUSSION whether nestlings, other arthropods, or vegetation in the nest, suggests that Previous authors have reported an for most occupants of the nest incidence of blowfly larvae between ecosystem dispersal is the limiting fac­ 82% (Pinkowski 1977) and 94% (Mason tor. Both species of mite can remain on 1944), with individual nests frequently the bird's body (Krantz 1978), and may containing 150-200 larvae. The low in­ initially enter the nest fr om an adult cidence of blowfly larvae in the present bi rd. Mites also overwinter in the nest

Volume5, Number2 55 or nestbox more successfully t han reported from bluebird nests (Moss other spe cies. D. evansi is remarkably 1978) wa s not found by us. However, co ld tol erant and D. hirundinus is the occu rrence of D. hirundinus in the known to overwinter in the houses of nests of Tree Sw allows and House Purple Martins (Progne subis) (Moses W rens (Troglody tes eedom (Moss et al and Camin 1970). However the y co l­ 1970, pers . obs .), whi ch also nest along onized the nests , mites occurred in all bluebird tr ails and the abu ndance of D. nests and their populations were hirundin us in nests we studied, suq­ highly correlated with the number of gest that it is a common inh abitant of nestlings (Fig . 2) on which they depend bluebird nests. directly or indi rectly for food . Despite large populations of D. D. hirundinus has not been hirundinus, a bl ood -suck ing mite, all previously reported from t he nests of nestling bluebird s left the nest suc­ Eastern Bluebirds (Mos s et al. 1970, cessful l y. Heavy infestations o f Roberts 1-981), although a related parasit ic mites are known to redu ce species, Dermanyssus prognephilus, fled gling weiqht in Purple Martins

Figure 2. The num ber of mites plott ed as a func tio n of th e num ber of neslling bluebirds /nest.

9 Blood - suc king m ile • ( D er man y ssus 8 / hir und mus ) / ( r = 0 .93 ) , ~ ,, , ,, 7 ,, ,, ,, ,, ./ 6 ~/..' Vl W I- , ,'/". ~ 5 ,// u.. . o r V>o z « / / V> :::> ,// o . Sc ovenq ing :r: , I- , • m i te 3 ,, ,, , ( D e r ma to pho qordes , / , / evons - ) , . ~ , ,1,1 JJ """ ... , ( r =0 .96 )

I / ,,""'I" " ,I ~ ...... ,

I" ...... ' . " , ..... ' ,'. ... . " , ..... , / , / " , .. .. I" ... .., ..' ,.. , / ',' 2 J 4 5 6

NESTLING EASTERN BLUEB IRDS /NEST 56 Sia lia , Spring 1983 Figure 3. A dorsal view of Dermatopha­ assisted by a Post-doctoral Fellowship from goides evansi shows its eight The Ohio State University and NSF grant legs , much larger palp s, and DEB 7911759 to Edward H. Burtt, Jr. A sub­ fewer sensory hairs. stantial portion of this pap er was presented at th e Fourth Annual Meeting o f the North MO UTKPAR1S AND PAl PS American Bluebird Society, 17 October 1981. • LITERATURE CITE D:

Borror, D.J., D.M. Delong, and C.A. Triple­ horn . 1976. An introduction to the study of insects. 4th ed. Holt , Rinehart and Winston,Inc. New York. Krantz, G.w. 1978. A manual of aca rology. Oregon State University Book Store, Inc. Corvallis, Oregon. Mason, E.A. 1944. Parasitism by protocal­ liphora and management of cavity nest ­ ing bird s. J. Wildlife Man age . 8: 232·247. Moss, w.w. and J.H. Camino 1970. Nest parasitism, productivity, and c lutc h size in purple mar tins. Science 168: 1000·1002. Moss , W.W., C.J. Mitchell, and D.E. John­ st on. 1970. New North Am erican hosts and distribution record s for the genus Dermanys su s (Ac a ri: Me so stigmata: Dermanyssidae). J. Med. Ent. 7: 589·593. Pinkowski, B.C. 1977. Blowfly para sitism o f east ern blu ebirds in natural and artificial nest sites. J. Wildl. Manage. 41: 272-276. Robert s, P.H. 1981. Parasites of the east ern (Mo s s and Ca min thereby in­ 1970) bluebird. Sialia 3: 92-94. creasing the probability of fledgling Roscoe, J.T. 1975. Fundamen tal research mortality. However , no study has both sta tis ti cs for th e behavioral sciences. censused parasitic mites and weighed 2nd ed. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc ., ne stlings, thus the quantitative effect New York. of mites on the reproductive success o f bluebirds remains unspecified. Department of Zoology, Ohio Wesleyan University (Chow and Burtt, Jr.); Depart­ SUMMARY ment of Entomology, Ohi o State Universi ty (Johnston). All co rrespondence to Edward H. Burtt, Jr ., Department of Zoology, Ohio Arthropods from 8 o rders and 14 Wesl eyan University, Delaware, OH 43015. families inhabit the nests of Eastern Bluebirds. However, only mites, Der­ manyssus hirundinus, reported from bluebird nests for the first time, and Dermantotagoides evansi, occurred in all nests with larger populations in nests with more nestlings. Despite large numbers of mites all nestling bluebirds left their nests.

ACKNOWLEDG EMENTS

Richa rd M. Tuttle collected the nests along his bluebird trails and provided valuable comments on the manuscript. Ohio Wesle yan University provided labora­ tory space and computer time. Writing was

Volume 5, Number 2 57 Controlling the Male House Sparrow Don Grussing

here is a quirk in the mal e House T Sparrow 's behavior. Bird lovers sho uld be aware of it for it is this be­ havior that all ows th e sparrow to com­ pete so su cces sfully with other cavity nesting bird s. This qui rk, which be­ longs to th e mal e al one , is th e fact that th e pair-bond (w hate ver it is that ties th e mal e to the fema le) is weak. The

bond that seems to be stronger is his ~ attachment to a chosen nest ing site. If yo u' ll forgiv e the anthrop omorphism, the sparr ow falls in love with his house, not his mate. When one understands that, one also realizes that the co mmonly recom­ mended means of sparrow control (re­ C!J movin g the nest and egg s) will not de­ ter th e male. The lack of su cc ess in using this method often fru strates peo­ ple who are trying to attract bluebirds and other cavity nesting speci es . This bonding beha vior is not usually typical of native bird speci es. If a bluebird or a chi ckadee nest con­ taining eggs is disturbed or vandal­ ized, the pair usuall y leaves the area. "QLnl The sam e seems to be tru e for Tree Swallows and ot her cavity nesting spe ­ Compare that action to that of th e c ies, though I have not witnessed th eir mal e House Sparrow. On ce he ha s nest de struction and subsequent be­ adopted a box, it is difficult to det er havi or often. him. If the nest is destroyed while It is being co ns truc ted, he w ill continue to On ce I saw a chic kadee' s nest rebuild it (for he is th e one who doe s destroyed by mice. I evi cted the mi ce much of the work). If the nesting ma­ and cleaned out th e remaining material terial is removed from the box dally the hoping the chickadees would rebuild. female may leav e, though often sh e They left. I also had occasion to watch will stay and sometimes lay her egg s in the last moments of bluebird nest de­ an unfinish ed nest ; however, once th e st ruc tion by a red squi rrel. I cleaned eggs are laid and the nest and eggs the nest o ut of the box, broken eggs then remov ed, the fem ale Will desert and all , but the blu ebirds did not re­ the site. Unfortunately , her leaving turn. does not fre e the nesting bo x for th e Co nversely, I've had male blue­ native spe cie s. birds ad opt my yard and su rrounding land as their territory and protect it The male House Spar row will con­ vigorously until they attracted a fe· tinue to tr eat the box as his territory. male, but if the male show ed the te­ He may co nt inue to haul in nesting ma­ male the ava ilable boxes and she did te rial. Althou gh he ma y st op nest build­ not accept any , the pair moved o n, ing except for an oc casional piece of seemingly without a mom ent 's re­ grass or straw, he will still sit o n or morse. near the box and si ng hi s " chir-rup"

58 Sialia, Spring 1983 song to attempt to attract a mate. He (It is legal to kill House Sparrows , dis­ will al so defend the bo x against com­ ch arging fi rearms may not be.) Trap­ peti ng spe cies and wi II defend other ping is perhaps the safest co ntrol boxes in the vicinity. Most oft en thi s method. Use a trap whi ch ret ain s the means he will d iscourage bluebirds or male sparrow inside the box so tha t it Tre e Swallows from attempting to can be captured and removed to an build a nest. If these species are suc­ area many mil es awa y. The Huber tr ap ces sful in nest building, the male which has been described in th is pub­ House Sparrow will often enter the li cation (Sialia 4:20) is one mean s of nesting bo x and drop th e egg s to the capturing territorial mal e s parrows. ground, de stroy them in the nest, or Sometimes baited sparrow traps even kill fledglings or bro oding adults. will enable you to ca tch the targeted Sparrow co ntro l efforts must be male . Th e Trio sparrow trap seem s to expanded from the obstruction of the work a bit better fo r this purpose th an nest building phase if you want to pro­ the Havah art trap bec ause it can be vide nesting opportunities for blu e­ more easily pole-mounted. It is harder bi rds and other native c avity nesting to at trac t spa rrows to baited traps dur­ sp eci es. That can mean trapping the ing th e nesting season than during the ma le sparro w in the box or, alternative­ winter bec ause during warmer we ather ly, making life so d iff ic ult for him th at their energy requirem ents are low and he will lea ve. food is ab undant. Mouse trap s pl aced in or near a A year-round program of spa rrow box will so metimes be successful in c ontrol to regulate local populations causing sparrows to vacate an area. will reduce the likelihoo d th at any spar­ Somehow s parro ws are able to trip a row will f all in love with your bluebird mouse trap without being senously in­ bo x. One man in Indiana started a spar­ jured, but it does frigh ten them. (Mo use row c ontr ol pro gr am 10 years ag o and traps should onl y be used when a box trapped over 1,200 s par rows th e fi rst can be watched so that oth er bi rds are year. He reported that in 1982 he was not harmed.) able to catc h only 14! Meanw hile, his I've seen male House Sparrow s martin col onies are full and a small frightene d so badl y by mou se traps blue bird trail is doin g well. th at they would not enter a bo x as lon g The author feel s that trapped s pa r­ as the sprung trap remained inside. In row s sh ould be destroyed since mo v­ one Ins tance, th e bird eventual ly ing th em only c auses probl ems else­ mo ved on and a wren bu iIt a nest over whe re. Howe ver, if you cannot do that, the trap and success fully raised a you sh ould t ake the birds a minimum brood. More often, though. a sparrow of 10 mil es (25 miles would be bett er) st il l wil l retain his bond with th e bo x. f rom th e box to which the y are at­ W ithout ever ente ring it (beca use of the tracted before rel easin g them. Rem em­ trap) he will sit on the roof or o n a near­ ber , a sparrow fli es fast enoug h so by perch , att rac t a mate and have her that if he get s his bearing s he c an be do the nest buil ding . back at th e beloved box almost as USing thi s method of control quic kly as you c an if you take him means you'v e been able to fri ghten a few er tha n 10miles . sparrow as well as slow the reproduc­ Whe ther you have a single nesting ti ve process, but it still does not free box in yo ur yard or hundreds of boxes the box for the more des irable species. on a trail, spa rrow contro l can mean an enormous difference in yo ur suc cess One of the best wa ys to solve this in attracting bluebirds and other na­ problem is to el imi nate the mal e spa r­ tive cavity nesting sp eci es. Don 't let row as soo n as he begins showing male House Spa rrows us urp your nest­ signs of being bonded to a nesting box. ing bo xes. • This requires an aggressive control pro gram . Where it is legal , shoo t ing 15404 La ke St. Ext. the mal e spa rrow is on e po ssibility . Minneton ka, MN 55343

Vo lume 5, Number 2 59 PLANTINGS FOR BLUEBIRDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE The Orchard -Oasis for Bluebirds Karen Blackburn ohnny App leseed may not have J known it, but as he travelled about the countrys ide planting his trees, he wa s ensuring future nest sites for blu e­ birds. Year s later, gnarled old app le trees behind abandoned farm s would provid e the natural cavities that blue­ birds seek each spring . Toda y neg­ lected orch ards remain ideal habitat for bluebirds, though suitable cavities are harder to come by due to co mpe­ tition from the introd uced Europe an St arlings and Hou se Sparrows. Unfor­ tun ately, these oases of prime bl ue­ bird habitat are oft en los t when the old trees are cut dow n for firewood or sim ­ ply becaus e th ey are deemed unsi ghtly or unp roductive. It's up to us to pre­ serve these ol d orchards for bl uebi res Habitat- Tole rat es a wid e range of w henever possible. soil ty pes but prefers clay-lo am soils. Althou gh appl e and crabapple tre es oft en serve as home s for blu e­ Habi t -Wide var i at ion am ong birds and Great Crested Fly catch ers, spec ies and vari et ies. Common Apple their value to wildlife is by no means reaches to 30 feet i n height. Som e restricted to cavit y nest ing birds. A crabapples are shrublike, whil e oth ers number of oth er bi rds prefer to nest may grow to 50 feet. among the branches of apple trees, and the familiar fruit IS enjoyed by Fruit and Flowers-Common Apple many birds and mammals. Apples produces fra gr ant, pink or white which rem ain on the ground or c ling to bl ossoms 1" -2" across. Fru it s are the branches Through the winte r round pomes, yell ow to red in color. months are often used by wildlife, and For in formation on spec ific cult ivate d sliced apples will attract a num ber of varieties and the ir suitabilit y te yo ur birds to a feeder. region, consult your local extension agent or nurserym an. Flowers of crab­ Apples apples range from white and shad es of (Malus sp.) pink to deep purplish-red and are usually fra grant. Fru it s vary In size from 1/4" to 2" in diameter and ma y be Native Range-The Common Apple red, yel low or green. Some variet ies (Ma/us pumiJa), from whi ch most hold fruit thr ough winter. cultivated var iet ies have been devel­ oped , is a native of Europe. Introduced Landscape Value-Showy displays of in the U.S. in colonial period; now fr agrant fl owers from April to June. naturalized in so me area s. Crabapples are commonly used for landscaping streets and parks; wide Hardiness-Common Apple is hardy to select ion of small or large vari et ies Zone 4. Several crabapples are hardier all ows them to be used in nea rly any and mo re useful in colder regi ons. land scape plan . 60 Sialia, Spr ing 1983 Cultu re-Does well on most soils ex­ bird , Northern Mo ckin gbird, Cedar cept dry, sandy so ils or t hos e that are Waxwing , Eveni ng Gros beak, Purple poorly drained. Apples are subjec t to Finch and many woodpeckers and several diseases suc h as rusts and gam ebirds. Rub y-throated Humm­ f ireblight. Boring in sects and th e fa ll Ing b i rd s, Orch ard an d No rthern web worm may als o be troublesome in o rioles, North ern CardinaIs, so me areas. (The w ide spread pract ice and Red·eyed Vireos are amo ng the of sp raying pestic ides to contro l such many species that frequentl y nest in probl ems should obvio usly be avo ided appl e trees. Suitable cavit ies for where appl es are used to attrac t w ild­ nestin g a t t rac t blu ebird s, Gr eat life. ) Cre st ed Fl y c atch ers , C omm on Screech Owl s and European Starlin gs. Wildlife Value-The fruits, seeds , bud s The fruit and/o r bark of app le trees is or fl owers o f apple and cra bap ple trees eaten by the Bla ck Bear, Red Fox , Rac­ are eaten by a number of birds in­ coon, Wh itetai led Deer and many other clud ing the Am eri can Robin, Gray Cat- mammals.

ZONE 1 BELOW -5 0 Z O N E 2 - 5 0 ' TO -40 ' Z ONE 3 -4 0 ' TO -3 0 ' ZONE 4 - 3 0 'T O -20' ZONE 5 - 2 0 TO - 1 0 ' ZONE 6 - 1 0 TO O' ZONE 7 0 ' TO 10 Z ONE 8 1 0 T O 20 Z O N E 9 2 0 T O 3 0 Z O N E 1 0 3 0 T O 4 0

Figur. 1. Ha rdin.-"" Zone for the United SfOI.-t and Ulu,h. rf1 Canada. When no :to""" ore mentioned wi th th.. plGnl de-scription. plGn', a re ha rdy anywh.,... If (I :lone it given, it jndicat.~ tko' pla nts or. ha rdy within th. :lone a nd in a ll o reG. so uth of it.

A Sampl er of Crabapp les for Wild life Sib eri an Crabapple (M. bacca ta )-a hardy crab th at ca n be grow n in Zone 2, A broad tree to 50 feet in hei ght and bearin g large w hite flowers foll owed by '12 " red or ye llow fru its. Hopa Crabapple (M. hopa )-to 30 feet. Has den se foli age, rose-col ored bl ossom s and red tru it s. Cutleaf Craba pple (M. torin goides)-Shrub or sm al l tr ee w ith red-ch eeked yellow ap ples. Wh ite flowers are not as show y as ot her cra bs . Sargent Crabapple (M. sarg enti/)-A 6 to 10 foot shrub w ith w hite bl ossom s and if," red fruits. Good fruit producer fo r w ildlife. Hardy toZon e 5. " Midwest " Manchu rian Crabapple (M. Bacca ta var. man dshuric a)-Another good frui t produ cer recom mended by the Soil Conservation Service for use in w ind­ break s in the upp er Great Plain s region. •

P.O. Box 110 E. Ha mpstea d, NH 03826

Vo lume 5, Number 2 61 1982 Nesting Box Report Delo s C. Dupree

Respon ses to last yea r's nesting habit at may minimize co nflict for box survey incr eased over t he previou s boxes in th e cas e of the Hou se Wren . yea r. They conta ined a few surp rises A lt houg h Caro lina Wrens may pose a and provided many interesting leads co m peti tion probl em fo r blu ebirds, for th e Research Co mm ittee to follow . nothing about t his was inc lude d in th e A to tal of 281 report s we re re­ report s. ce ived: 169 fro m the East, 79 fr om th e Carolina, Black-capped and Moun­ Midwest and 33 from th e Wes t. Thi s t ain Chickadees; Tufted, Pla in and mor e or less refle ct s th e distribution of Bri dle d Titmice; White-brea st ed Nut­ th e membershi p, but it is only seven hat ch es; As h-t hroa ted an d Gr eat percent of th e total. So me members Crested Flyc atch ers ; Red-headed and may feel th at th eir co nt rib ut io n is in­ Dow ny Woo d p ec ke rs ; a nd P ro­ sig nifica nt because th ey onl y have a th onot ary Wa rblers were repo rted as few boxes or th ey di dn 't have any usin g nesting boxes during the past blu ebirds. Knowledge ca n onl y be seas on. Th at is great. Fifteen native gai ned by sha ring experiences and cavity nesting spec ies out of eig hty-six da ta wi th ot hers. have used blueb ird nesting boxes. One Accordi ng to th e survey, in the member even had th e di st inct ion of East and Mi dwe st 5" x 5" nesting repo rti ng th e sout hernmost nestin g of boxes were used by a larger perce nt­ th e Mountain Blu ebi rd. age of blu ebirds and by other cavity Inf ertil e eggs have lon g been a nest ers th an 4" x 4" nestin g boxes. ca use for a lack of nesting success. Qu it e th e opp os it e was tru e for blu e­ One reason for t his infer tility IS at­ bird s in th e Wes t. Th is can be ex­ tributed to bad weather conditio ns, plained by the fact th at severe wea ther w hen th e fema le mu st leave th e nest in th e Far Wes t prevented ear ly blue­ for lon g per iods of tim e in order to bi rd nestings in 5" x 5" boxes, w hile search for fo od. Last yea r weath er was bluebi rds using 4" x 4" boxes in th e the pr ime cause of nesting failure In Plains States were successful. Mo un­ the Wes t and the thi rd lead ing ca use in tain Blu ebirds prefe r larger boxes be­ th e East. The Research Com mittee IS cause of larger c lutc h sizes , but it is pl anning a st udy of another poss ible surpr ising t o learn th at East ern ca use of inf ert ili ty: inbreedin g. When BI ueb iros and other cavi ty nes te rs pop ul ati on s decl in e as much as th e used an average of 90% of the larger bluebirds have, thi s is always a boxes in th e East and Midwest. Dat a poss ibi lity . on other nesti ng boxes use d were to o Predati on by Hou se Sparrows was sca ttered to sugg est any co nc lus io ns, li sted as th e pri mary ca use o t lo ss in but it was interesting to not e that th e East and the seco nd hi ghest althou gh ga llo n j ugs we re qu ite suc­ reas on in th e Midwest. Hou se W rens cess ful in one in st ance , th ey we re ca use d probl em s in t he East and Mid­ to tall y un successful in another. More west , w hi le th e Wes t repo rte d snakes data wo uld be useful. and ca ts as secondary tr oublesom e Swa llows , both Tree and Vio let­ pred ators. Reports from t he Midwest Green, benefi ted most from box es not ind icate raccoon s as th e most serio us oc cupi ed by blu ebirds. The se highl y threat to blu eb ird s. Whi le records in­ benef ici al bi rds have been repo rted dic ate sq uirrels were usurpers in th e nes ti ng quite close to blueb irds w hile East and Midwest, weasel s we re th e no t colonizing wit h ot hers of t heir own culp rits in th e West. Mor tality fro m spec ies . Hou se and Carol ina Wrens blow flies was surprisi ng ly low and we re the sec ond hi ghest users of th ere was only one reco rde d fat ality "bluebird" boxe s. Placing nes ti ng ca used by swa llows . boxes in a more sui tab le bluebird (Text continued en page 64)

62 Slalra, Spring 1983 < 0 Ta bl e 1. 1982 Blue bi rd N eslbo x D a ta A c c ording t o G eo gra phic Re Qlon. c: 3 <0 Type of Boxes Used 4" x 4" 5" x 5" OPEN-TOP JUG OTHER TOTAL U1 RegIOn E M W E M W E M WE M W E M W Z c: 3 cr Tol al No. of Boxes 2.915 1,389 429 91 1 724 1,7 16 37 168 0 5 10 2 113 23 10 8,452 <0 1,200 369 429 339 7 35 0 5 0 31 9 0 3,143 f\)"'" Boxes Used by Blueb irds 534 185 0 No. of Blueb irds F ledg ed 5,9 41 2,788 795 1,488 1,566 1,514 25 144 0 23 0 0 160 55 o 14,499

Boxed Used: Chickad ees 92 77 11 34 8 36 0 8 0 0 0 1 16 0 0 283 Boxes Used: Tit mi ce 50 26 7 6 6 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 106 Boxes Used: Nu lhat ch es 3 5 0 0 3 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 29

Boxes Used: Swallows 311 366 6 358 155 274 2 10 0 0 0 0 25 0 0 1,507 Boxes Used: Wrens 222 64 11 53 40 57 3 7 0 0 0 1 17 3 0 478 Boxes Used: Fl ycatch ers 2 1 0 5 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20

Total No. Boxes Used 1,880 1,073 220 825 641 743 12 60 0 5 0 2 90 13 2 5,566

% of Boxes Used by A ll Species 64 77 51 9 1 89 43 32 36 0 100 0 100 80 57 20 66 % of Boxes Used by Blu ebirds 41 50 43 45 59 20 19 21 0 100 0 0 27 39 0 37 % of Boxes Used by Others 23 27 8 46 30 23 13 15 0 0 0 100 53 18 20 29

E - East (169 reports) G eo gra p hi c Reg ion s A c c ording t o S ta tes and PfOv in c es M - MIdw es t (79 rep orts ) W - W est (33 reports) Total (261 reports) East : Maine, Vermont, New Ham pshire, Massach usett s, Con nec ticul, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pen nsylvania, Virginia, D.C., Maryland, North Carolina, Soulh Carolina, Quebec, New Bru nsw ick , Nova Scoti a.

Midwest: Minnesota, Iowa, MI SSOUri, Ark ansas , LOUISiana, MI SSissipPi, Wi sconsin, llt inors, Indiana, Mich igan, Ohro, Kentuck y, Tennessee, Alabama, Fl o(l da, Georgia, West Virginia,Ontario.

West: Washington, Orego n, Califo rnia, Idaho, Nevada, Utah ,Arizo na, Monl ana, Wyoming, Colorado, New MeXICO, N orth Dakota, South Dakot a, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Hawaii, Alaska, Manitoba, Saskatcne- 0) w wan, Alberla, Briti sh Columbia. The number of available boxes the total would have been hi gher. reported in 1981 was 4,693 with the number of young bluebirds fledged As always there have been report s total ling 10,080. Figures for 1982 were of success in some areas and failures considerably higher with 8,452 boxes in others, but the overall picture ap ­ available and a bluebird fledging report pears to improve. Nothing beats suc­ o f 14,499. Not in cluded in the totals ces s but something can be said fo r were 839 Mountain Bluebirds and 278 fai lure . Glad ys Galli of Great Falls, Western Bluebirds fledged in Montana Montana, optimisti call y wrote , because I couldn't determine the " Despite our poor resu lts for 1982 ou r number of boxes used. Severe spr ing local group plans to increase our snowstorms caused heavy losses or bluebird bo x program for 1983."

We Need YOU!

The North American Bluebird Society numbers 4,000 members and is st ill grow ing. We are see king a group of committed, interested indi viduals to help guide the Society for the next .r: r: !-'.'- several years. ' ;//fA-' -./. 7 / Members with leadership ex­ .. _ "--/' /111-.VI ,:/--:>.0 ;:-V . 11' • • . / ;/. ,/ '/ - / 1' . ' -, perience and backgrounds in fields ,.-// /. . ?, __, . U-"A/A /Y / !' /_ '" / /1 . _ ._ /~'- s : /0"'7": ,/ ,/ f' . - / .'./. • / / ....-""l" _.....-vj/ / / .- such as adm inistration, public rela­ // ti ons, finance, wildlife biology, educa­ I t ion, etc., are needed to serve as of­ IN MEMOR IUM ficers next year or as directors for two­ year terms. New officers and directors will be elected and assume office at Each year the Spr ing issue of Sielte th e annual meeting in t he autumn of carries a Jis t o f memori al gi ft s w hich have 1983. been received by the North American Blu e­ Wh ile for most of us " happiness is bird Soc ie ty dunnp th e precedi ng yea r. Oon­ being out on a bluebird trail," the in ­ tributions In mem ory of fam il y members o r valuable endeavors of the Society help friend s can be mad e as general donati ons make our individual efforts even more to the So ci et y or can be spec ified for re­ rew ard i ng. The North American searc h, educa tion, or gi ft member ships. Bluebird Society has supplied the missing link in bluebird conservation In memory of Mr. and Mrs. George by coordinatlnq the efforts of groups Titrington. By Robin Swope. and ind ividuals across the continent. Blu ebirds and the Society benefit (Pres /den tml POints -continued from page ~ 2 ) from human involvement. If you are able to devote some time to serving in I would like to announce two re­ a leadership capacity or kn ow some­ cent appointments. Tedd Gutzke, of one who mi ght be able to do so, Basking Ridge, NJ, has been named to please contact either Mary Janetatos, head the Resea rch Committee. He Executive Director, NABS, Box 6295, hopes to be able to announce the Silver Spring , MD 20906·0295 or Bob names of his committee members in Bodine, 61 Gordons Drive, Medi a, PA the near future. Richa rd L. Woodward, 19063. Please submit your nom inations of Marysville, Penn sylvania, has been so on; we need a complet e slate of can­ appointed Ar t Editor of Sialia. The didates by July. Society appreciates the willingness of Bob Bodine, Cha irma n Tedd and Richard to ser ve in these Nominating Committee capacities. •

64 Sialia, Spring 1983 Grant's Folly Jon E. Boone

mi xed a bag of cement and installed the sturdy wooden post on which the box was mounted. The first year (1981) she got van­ / dais who removed the roof; she also got House Wrens . People knowledgeable about bluebirds were kind enough. But Alice knew they thought her project a bit futile. Grant's Folly. Grant's House Sparrow Bo x, at worst. On Sunday, 9 May, 1982, my son Jon and I returned from checking one of our up-county bluebird trails. On an ~ ' ..~.,.:~7'"'....-'-, - / impulse we decided to visit the library. i i~ ·: ·: ~ -: ":: ;\ It was 1:00 p.m. As I locked the car -- .~-_. door, my eyes, through habit, wandered toward the wooden obelisk. A familiar silhouette perched atop. With practiced quickness I moved my binoculars for a closer look. While the movement caused the silhouette to disappear, I nonetheless confirmed ( that it was a female bluebird-and she was not alone. The bright cobalt now atop the box announced the sp lendid It is fitting that the issue marking the fifth male. anniversary of the founding of the North Exc itedly transfi xed , Jon and I sat American Bluebird Society should find us down along a small brick retaining wall publishing an article by Jon E. Boone, adjacent to the pa rking lot about 90 Sie tte 's firs t editor and the Society's initi al feet from the box. The re were a number Vice President. Jon, along with NABS' first of small to medium-sized oaks and President, Robert Patterson , designed M. tulip trees between us and the nesting this journal and worked dili gently in its ear­ Iy years to establi sh it as the primary voice site. We watched to enjoy and to learn. for the bluebird conservation movement. The female flew to a spot 150 We believe they succeeded admirably. yards di stant. Five minutes passed. The male, still on the bo x, jumped to ot far from a large shopping mall, the ground, snared a small piece of N in the midst of the planned urbanI grass and, without hesitation, flew to suburban complex which is Columbia, the entrance hole. He went in, came Maryland, Alice Grant put up a bluebird out, went in again, all the while warb­ box. She did it as part of her project to ling stridently. The female moved beautify the grounds of the new central closer, took an insect, seemingly library in Howard County. Although the unaware of the ma le's actions. bo x was meticulously crafted by her Undaunted, the male gave it his husband, Clif, and although there yet best shot with a display I had never remains a patch of ideal " open space" seen before. The bird left the entrance habitat between the library and a small hole flying rapidly but in an upward lake, no one seriously thought Alice arc . About 100 yards from take-off, he Grant would get bluebirds. They told re-ena cted the flutter-flight of a Yellow­ her so . Nonetheless, Clif dug a hole, breasted Chat. He was in full song,

Volume 5, Number 2 65 win gs and tail in a frenzy of movement. visited th e library at 9:00 a.m. The And then , as if he were attached to a adults were at th e box feed ing bu sily at yo-yo string, the ebul li ent male retrac­ about fiv e minute intervals. Bot h male ed his arc bac k to th e box.He con­ and fem al e shared equa lly in the task. tinued this display several more There was no indication the yo ung times-out, up, flu tt er, back-each would fly t his day; howe ver, to be sure, time with feeling . East ern Blu ebirds in I returned in th e evening. But I saw the courts hip acti vity, free, in color, at th e same patterns of behavior w itnessed loc al library, nea r th e Co lumbia Mall. earlier. Our eyes soon found the fem ale at On 16 June, mu ch more certain th e box; apparent ly she was unabl e to that th is was departure day, I again resi st any long er. She went in while the called at 9:00 a.m. For much of the en­ mal e sang co nfident ly on th e roof. My suing hour, the adu lt birds emitt ed son and I left knowin g th e pai r needed typically so ft " chur-wee" not es. They time. Whe n we returned that evening, fed the nestl ings w ith much less fre­ the bluebirds were sti ll there, but this quency. There seemed to be a genuine time they were businessli ke. I checked effort to get the youn g aroused. To no th e interior of th e box. The female, avail. Lat er that evening , I watched the urged on by her mate, had alr eady co m­ female feed the young unti l 8:50 p.m., a pleted one-half of the nest. time well afte r dusk. Only occasio nally The follow ing Sunday, 16 May, I did I see the mal e visit the bo x. At 7:30 checked the box aga in, this ti me at p.m. the area became completely sil ent noon . The nest was co mp lete d and it fo r a ti me; even the squirrels were contai ned thre e bluebird eggs. The still ed. It was then that I noti ced a Red­ parents rema ined close by in the oaks, shouldered HaWk, a fr equent visito r to chatt ering nervou sly. I moved away the area.It was perch ed on a fav ored qui ckly th is time and did not return un­ blu ebird lookout post. The hawk held til 24 May, a Monday evening. At that co urt for te n minutes, the n fle w of f time th e fem ale wa s incubating fiv e toward the lake. Five minutes later th e eggs. All seemed normal althoug h squirrels moved agai n. sc ores of people passed by. When we checked the box on The next morning, 17 June, w ith Memorial Day, 31 May, at 1:30 p.m., Jon the male still bar ely visible in the dawn­ and I found fou r bluebird young just in g light , the young began to appear at out of the egg . One egg was still intact. the entrance hol e for food. At 10:00 The adult birds were so highly agitated a.m. three Gray Squirrels vent ured out th at we retreated promptly to watch to the base of the nesting box post. from a distance. Both adult bluebirds cooperated in A week later, 6 June, there were driving th e intruders away, wo rki ng the fi ve young bluebirds occupying Gra nt's squirrels over wit h repeated pendulum Fo lly. All seemed well, but the follow­ sw in gs w hich ended with beak against ing week I heard that a House Wren fur.That evening I returned at a time had been seen entering t he box, usual­ between two thunders torms (neither of ly a sign of a problem. I retu rned to which seemed to bother th e bluebirds), check the box on Satu rday, 12 June, nor did the antic s of a wandering resigned to be disappointed. To my Hou se Sparrow whi ch descended to surprise and delight, fi ve 13-day old the box top but chose not to enter the bluebirds huddled together flat upon cavity. the nesting box floor. Both mal e and The following day, 18 June, I came fem ale blu ebirds looked down fr om upon the site at a relatively late 1:00 th eir perches atop the metallic lamp­ p.m. Thi s wa s the nin eteenth day, posts scattered throughout the library somewhat behind th e schedule for parking lot. I watched the you ng being most bluebi rd fledgings in my ex­ fed before I returned home . perien ce. But the ent ire month of June In anticip ation that Tuesd ay, 15 this year wa s extremely wet and damp , June, would be th e day of fledging (the a fact whi ch may have slowed the young were in their si xtee nth day), I feeding process and perhaps inhibited

66 Sialia, Spring 1983 the growt h of the young. In any event, vio us ly from the fi rst brood, helped fill wh en I approached the box I heard and th e air wit h alarm notes whenever the saw no bluebirds. Naturally, I inferred Red·shouldered Haw k put in an ap­ the birds had fle dged earlier that morn ­ pearance . They also scolded a wood­ ing since bluebirds typi cally depart the chuck whi ch wandered too c los e to th e box bef ore noon; however, when I nest ing box. ope ned th e box, I wa s astonished to Finally, on Sunday, 7 Au gust , the see four solid , healthy young bluebirds 18-day old nestlings left th e second st ill within. Then I saw th e adult female nest. The first bird fl edged around and beat a hast y retreat. Obvi ou sly, noon. Two and one-half hours later, one bird had already moved out. just befo re a thun derst orm, th e other I returned several more times that th ree pop ped out, one by one, all within aft ernoon to observe from a distance. seven minutes. The y flew upward at a Two young birds scrambled to the hole, 45 degree angl e into an oak tre e 60 feet wait ed long minutes, th en flew 30 feet fr om the box. Their target wa s th e adult mi dw ay int o the nearest oak. They did male whi ch ha d been wa rb l i ng it on their ow n, looking as if they were vigo rously to encourage their depar­ two large bumble bees. ture. During this time, the adult femal e At 5:00 p.m., I saw both adult birds occupied herself by dr iving away a on th e box. Apparently, th ere was sti ll squirrel w hic h had wan der ed too c lose at least one young bird rem aining to to the nest. co ax out and away. Fin ally, at 8:00 p.rn. Thr ou ghout th e day bot h parents I opened th e box and found an empty stayed with th e young in th e oak tr ee. nest. There wa s a continuous patter of The fledglings test ed th eir win gs with bluebird notes high in the trees above. I short fli gh ts from branch to branch. look ed around for any sig ns of trouble The parents co ntinued to feed th em and found none. The plaintive calls and to so und appropriate alarm notes decr eased in fre qu ency and volume. while th e young maintained an Inces­ Ni ght was sett ling in around Columbia sant patter of " tew " ca lls. Late in the and the city was li ghting up to day a floc k of crows descende d upon celebrate its fifteenth birthday that th e tree sil encin g th e yo ung, but the evening. Man y thousa nds of peopl e adu Its attac ked th e flock repeat ed Iy pass ed by, their au tom obile exh austs eventually cau sin g th e c rows to leave. thr eatenin g th e charm of the mom ent. I They defend ed the oak tree fiercely moved out onto the field hopin g to rou s t in g g r a c k l es , a h u m ­ glimpse th e bluebirds, now full y min gbird-and even me, whe n I ap­ reunited, but th e darkness made suc h proach ed to o close Iy. a sig hti ng imp ossibl e. I returned home The next evening the area was with th e sense of regretful sat isfaction bereft of bluebirds. Und ou btedly, the y whi ch co mes with the know ledge tha t had gone int o deeper woods. I had fi ve blu ebirds fl edged successfully, wit h man y dan gers yet ahead . A few days later I remo ved th e empty nest , inspect ed it for parasites (found none), then gave it to th e children's section of the library. Since it wa s st ill early in the summer, I con­ tinued my survei llance in expectation of another brood. It was not until 25 Jul y that I had the opport unity to visit th e box again. On that date there were four yo ung blu ebirds, fou r days old , in th e second nest. Four immature bluebirds, tw o male and tw o female, fl ew close by whil e the adults fed the nestlings caut iously. The immature birds , ob-

Volume 5, Number 2 67 hoped to see the immature birds of the 9505 Good Lion Rd. first nesting again; however , the y did Col umbia, MD 21045 not reapp ear in th e territory more th an a few days aft er th e youn g of the se­ co nd brood hat ch ed. Editor's Note : Th e nestlings of th e fir st I looked out over t he field . It wa s brood we re bande d by Mary Janetatos on now aw ash wi t h th e brilliance of 10 Jun e, 1982. She was ass isted by Marty goldf inch, mullein and thi stle. Alice Che ste m, M ar jorie M ount jo y, Nan cy Grant's gard en wa s in ful l splendor. It Rich ard son and Elise Seay . This ar ticle was fir st published In three compleme nted the blu ebirds rather port ions in the newsletter of th e Howard well. I mu st remind Ali ce to tell Clif to Co unty Chapter of the Maryl an d Or­ appl y for a buildin g permit. Ther e is a nitho logi cal Societ y d uri ng lat e 1982 and need for mor e nesting boxes in early 1983. The illustrations acco mpanying downt own Co lumbia. • th e art ic le are th e author's .

OPERATION BLUEBIRD ~lephone Harold C. Bieber pfA~~oneetS The Adirondack Emp ire Chapter of th e Telephone Pioneers of Am erica C,/""U,j,jenca und ertook " Operatio n Blu ebird " as its 1982 Environmental Proje ct. The chapter's bluebird proje ct has as its The Telephone Pioneers of Am er­ ai m the com ple ti on of a trail wh ich was ica was founded in 1911 conferring its start ed in 1981 by the Dixie Chapter in number one memb ership on Alexa nder Geor gia. Grah am Bell. The members are em­ When the fi nal li nk is co mp leted, ployee s, both active and ret ired, who from Catskill on t he Hudson River to have served at least 18 years in the the Canadian border near Plat tsburqh, teleph one inud str y th rou ghout the the Adirondack Empire Chapter will United States and Canada. The organ­ have pl aced approx imate ly 600 nesting izat ion is the lar gest of its ki nd in the boxes. The t rail will also be ext ended world with a total memb ersh ip of over along th e Mohawk River-Barge Canal 500,000. Pioneers are go od neighb or s as fa r wes t as the Uti ca-Rom e area . who volunteer to work on the special Operati on Blu ebird invol ves a needs of the community. They repair broad spectrum of participants both " talking books" for th e blind , make de­ wit hin the Pion eer organization and in vices to aid th e motion and speech the local co mmunit ies as well. In the handicapp ed, sc reen pre-school chilo Tri -citi es area (A lbany-Schenectady­ dren for evidences of sight or hearin g Troy) active Pionee rs, retired life mem­ defi ci encies, teach ski lls to th e re­ bers, Future Pioneers, enviro nmental­ tard ed, ent ertain at hospitals and nur s­ ist s, Boy Scout s and Girl Sco uts are in g homes with their clown t roupe s, part ici pating. The Govern or Clinto n hold f ree aut o emission testing, help Counc il, Boy Scouts of America, w ill be create and renovate parks, hold re­ provid ed 100 bluebird nest ing box kits cycling drives, and get involved in pro­ whi ch will be construc ted at Camp Ro­ ject s like " Operati on Blu ebird" to help tary, their summer camp. The Scouts bring back the state bird of New wiII th en tak e th ese home and put th em York. • up for the foll owing season. Fun ds for the nesting box ma­ terials were raised by selling bum per stic kers. The sti ck ers have a bluebird, Room 329 the Pioneer emblem and the motto: 800 Nor th Pearl " We love NY." Alb any, NY 12204

68 Sial /a, Spring 1983 Blueb ird Trail Directory

Bluebi rd trai l operators with 50 or more nest ing boxes monitored on a regul ar basis over a per iod of severa l years have volu nteer ed the ir hel p in ass is ti ng other members eit her by ar rang ing tou rs or provid ing in for ma tion Add it ional nam es will be added in the fut ure . NABS hop es to bring bluebird conservat ion clo se r to th e individua l me mber by pub lishi ng this d irect o ry. Sometimes things happen w hic h need a qurck respon se. To many peo ple , the headqua rters 10 Maryland is a lon g way off. Telephone ca lls are expensive and mall is ti me­ consuming. The d irector y wi ll provide a read y source of expe rt ass istance in your own area. Wh en ca lli ng plea se be co nsi de rate abou t the time of day that ca lls are made. No co ll ec t calls will be accepted. Tour s can be arranged on ma ny trai ls for individual s and sma ll groups by wntlng to or tete­ phoning the trail ope ra tor In advance. Nes ting seasons vary , of cou rse, but generally May thr oug h Augus t are the best months \0 arr ange to urs. The fol lo wing 32 trail s are Just a beginn ing. If you have moni tored a trail of at least 50 boxes for a minimum of three yea rs, let us know so your trail can be listed in a future update. You need not offer tours or infor mation , but t he locati on of yo ur trail may make II idea l for cer ta in types of resea rch. Mall necessa ry in fo rmat ion as shown In t he listings to the fol lowi ng address: Blueb ird Trail Dir ector y North Ame rica n Blu ebird Soc iety Box 6295 Silver Spr ing, MD 20906·0295 Ent ries are listed alpha bet ically by sta te and province, th en alphab eticall y by trail oper­ at or 's las t name.

TRAI L LOCATI ON TRAIL OPERATOR AD DRESS INFO AND PHONE TOURS ALA BA MA Birmingham, AL Findl ay, John III 2129 Gr eentree Dri ve W: D·E; SS:D·E 205·987-0909 Birmi ngham , AL35216 Tou rs' Coffee County Hartl ey, Gera ld & Iris Rt. 1, Box 72A W:E; SS:E New Brockto n, A L 205·347-3704 New Brockton, AL 36351 Tours' IDAHO Ow yhee Co un ty Perry, A lfred & Mary '139 W illoway Drive W:D· E; SS:D-E BOise, 10 208' 344-2784 BOise, 10 83705 To ur s' ILUNOIS Mc Henry Coun ty Moreland, Gillian 812 Three Oaks Road W:E;SS:E Cary, IL 312·639·4092 Ca ry, IL6 0013 Tours ' Crawf ord Coun ty Wa lden, Furl E Star Route W:D·E; SS:D·E Hob mso n. fl, 618·544·7 308 RObinson, IL 62454 Tours' IN DIANA Po lk Coun ty Mosman. Dean RR 1, BoX I 12A W:D·E; SS:D-E Elkha rt, IA 515-967-2951 Elkhar t, IA 50073 Tou rs' MA RYLAN D Cecil County Newma n, Jerry & 120 Cooper Street W :E; SS:D-E Risin g Sun, MD Madeline P.O. Box 53 Tours ' 301-658-5187 RISing Sun, MD 21911 Car roll Cou nty , MD Zer husen, Peter A 7014 Lan caster Road W:E;SS.D·E 301-653-0564 Balti more, MD 21207 No Tours MICH IGAN Muskegon County La Pres, Bo b & Carol 2121 Norm an Road W:D-E, SS:D-E Mu skegon, MI 616·755·3612 Mus kegon,MI49441 Tours ' MISSOURI Lac lede County Broy les , Reuel & 647 S.Fort Street W:D-E; SS.D-E Lebanon, MO Desolee Springfie ld, MO 65806 No Tours 417·869·1500 Maco n Co un ty Romine, Marc W. Rt.1 W:E; SS·D·E Co llege Mou nd, MO 816·385·3540 Macon, MO 63552 Tours ' Dent County Sam ple, James E. 1013 Carole Lane W:E(not Fri.) Salem, MO 314·394·58 39 Ell iSVil le, MO 63011 To urs' Volume 5, N umb er 2 69 NEW JE RSEY Cumberland Cou nt y Gand y, Ja y Bx 109, RD 2 River Rd. W:D·E, SS:D·E Bridget on, NJ 609·451·5586 Brid geto n, NJ 08302 No Tours NEW YORK Oneida County Hanes, Miss Frances 138 Mel rose Avenue W:E; SS:D·E Clin ton , NY 315·735·3527 Ut ica . NY 13502 Tou rs ' NORTH CAROLI NA So uthe rn Pines, NC Cran mer, Carl 145 S.May St reet W:E; SS:D·E 919·692·7990 Southern Pines, NC Tours ' 28387 Harnet, Lee, Yadki n Haynes, William D. 1411 Elm Street W: D·E; SS:D·E Irdell Counties, NC 919·497-5013 Spring Lake, NC 28390 Tours ' OHIO Rich lan d County Caldwe ll, F. Reid Ma laba r Fa rm Sta te Park W:D Lucas, OH 419·892·2784 RD#1, Bro mfield Road Tou rs' Lucas, OH 44834 OREGON Bent on County Eltzroth, Elsie K. 3595 N.W. Roosevelt Dr. W:D·E; SS.S·E Corvallis, OR 503·752·0666 Corvallis, OR 97330 Tou rs' Lane County Prig ge,All en A. 283 E. 38th Avenu e W:E; SS'E Eugene, OR 503·343-9504 Eugene, OR 97405 Tours ' PENNSYLVANIA Perry County Boy er, Steven (Skip) 408 Front St reet W:D-E; SS:D·E Marysv ille, PA 717-957·2520 Marysvil le, PA 17053 Tours ' Cumberland Count y Hoff man, W ar ren O. 45 N. 10th Street W:E; SSD-E Huntsdale, PA 717·737·8201 Lemoyne, PA 17043 Tours ' Union County Sc haefer, Mrs. Chri st ine P.O. Box 135 W: D-E; SS'D-E Lew isburg, PA 717·433-3554 Muncy , PA 17756 Tours ' Lan caster County Schutsky, Robert M. MUddy Run Ecological Lab W:D Holtwood, PA 717-548·2121 P.O. Box 10 Tours' Drumore, PA 17518 VI RGINIA Prince William Co . Holladay, Col. Van D. 8004 St illbroo ke Road W.E; SS:O-E Dale City/Ha ymarket Mary Evalyn & Dou g Manassas, VA 22111 Tours ' Stafford Cou nty Mc Knight, Edwrn T. 5038 Park Place W:D·E; SS D·E Brooke, VA 301-652·1107 Be the sda , MD 20816 Tours ' WISCONSIN Mo nroe County Att n: Mello,Klm(LM B) Commander, Ft. McCo y W 'D; SS:D Sparta , WI 608·388·2252 Spa rta. WI 54656 Tours ' WASH ING TON Klickalat County Brin kerhoff, Jess & Elva 703 Smith Avenu e W:D-E; SS:O·E Bick let on, WA 509-943-3811 Rich land , WA 99352 Tou rs'

CANAD A A LBE RTA Ca lgar y, Alb erta Sti les, Dona ld J. 20 Lake Wa pta Rise S.E. W:E, SS:D·E 403·27 1-4689 Cal gar y, A lberta Tou rs ' Canada T2J 2M9 Lethbrid ge, Mackintosh , Dunc an 1719·9th Avenu e S.W:D·E, SS:D·E Albert a 403·327-5466 Let hbridge, Alberta Tours' Canada T1J 1W4 Lanark Co unty Bra ley , Rob ert C. 96 Drummond Stree t W:E, SS:E Pert h,Ontario 613-267·3028 Pert h, Ontar io Tours' Canada K7H t G8 Lanark County Braley, Rob ert O. 30 Champlai n Crescent W:E; SS:E Perth, On tar io 705·743-6733 #21 Tours' Pete rborough , Onta rio Canada K9L 1T1

70 Sialia, Spring 1983 SASKATCHEWAN Saskatoon , Houst on, Mary I. 863 Univ ers it y Drive No Phone Info Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Tours' Canada S7N OJ8

•- teleph on e o r wr ite to arrange tours W -weekd ays (Mo nd ay-Friday) SS-Saturday, Sun day D -days (8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.rn.) E - evenings (6:30-9:00 p.m.)

At the Fifth Annual Meet ing ot th e North Ameri can Bluebird Soci ety, one of th e John and Norah Lane Awards for an out standing co nt ributio n t o bluebird co nse rvati on was made to William L. Hiqhh ouse of Wa rren , PA. Bec ause he was unable to attend the conventio n, Mr s. Lynn e Peterson , of Jam estown , NY, delivered th e award on her way hom e from the conven­ ti on. An articl e in the Warren Times Observer included the above photograph ot Mr. Highh ouse holding his award. It is rep rinted here wit h their permission .

Volume5, Number 2 71 QUESTION CORNER Lawrence Zeleny

Do the same bluebirds return to the same nestings boxes each year? Eva LeViness South Paris, Maine

In those parts of the country Some favorable as well as unfav­ where bluebirds do not migrate far­ orable results have been repor ted ther south for th e wi nter (generall y for these open-top nesting bo xes . the southern half or two-thirds of Although further studies are the U.S.) the bluebirds usually re­ need ed and are being conduc ted, main in or return to the same gen­ it is safe to say th at the ope n-top er al area to nest each year. bo x is su rely not fu lly effect ive in Whet her or not they wi II use the control ling House Sp arrows. sa me nest in g box in subsequent years de pends largely on chance We live fiv e miles west of the ocean. an d on the number of su itably lo­ Are there bl uebirds in the are a or doe s cated bo xes in t he vicin it y. In t he salt water deter them? Nort h wh ere bluebirds do not re­ Carol Walters main al l winter, the chance of the Virginia Beach, Virginia same birds ret urni ng to the same The fact th at you are five m iles pla ce each year is considerably from the ocean sh ould have no less, but even so t hey fa irl y often si gn ificant effect on the bluebirds do. in yo ur vic inity if t he habitat . IS otherwise favorable. After bluebirds built a nest and laid eggs in our box, we began find ing blue­ How do we keep flying squirrels out bird eggs on the ground with a hole of our bluebird boxes? pecked in each. What could have don e this? Robert J. Frazier Sue W. Hensley Lamar, Al abama Greencastle, Pennsylvani a A nesting box mounted si x feet A House Wr en was the most or more above the ground on a like ly c ulprit. These wrens are less smooth metal pole , su ch as a likely to interfer e w ith nesting piece of galvanized water pipe, and bluebirds if the nesting bo x is in a located 75 feet or more from any rather open area away fr om shrub­ w ooded area is un li kely to be of bery and underbrush. any inte rest to f lyin g squirre ls. These beautiful little animals feel I have read that the most effective at home on ly in or very c lose to design for keeping House Sparrows woodlands. Jf the mounting po le is out of bluebird boxes has a screened kept covered w it h soft automobile hole in the roof so light and rain reach grease durrnq the nesti ng seas on the nest. What do you think of that de­ the box wi ll be st ill be tter pro­ sign? Helen L. Dorries tected from squirrels and most East Peoria, Illinois other c lim bing pre da tors.

72 Sialia , Spring 1983 A Californ ia Bluebird Story Bruce and Jo anne Benedict

e moved from our Californi a first nigh t ou t of th e bo x with th e par ­ W Beach city hom e to an agr ic ul­ ents nearb y. tural val ley j us t over the c oast al range of mountains in 1974. Thou gh we had never been part ic ularly interested in The mal e cont inues to feed th e birds, we knew the co m mon ones and yo ung while the female brood s the had fed Blu e Jays and spar rows in second clutch. Abo ut the time th ese the cit y. We began to noti ce occa­ fl edge th e fi rst group leaves, but some sional hawks and Turkey Vultures and, may return within a wee k or so. We as our interest grew, we bega n to ofte n have as many as 10·12 bluebi rds notice th e so ngbirds . We plan ted two aro und all summe r and autumn , sorne­ ac res in wi ne grapes and abou t th ree­ tim es fo ur to six until late January, quarters of an ac re in vegeta ble s and afte r which, usually only the bree ding f lowers. To enco urag e birds and to pair is prese nt. furt her our inte rest In nat ural garden ­ We believe th at th e birdbath is a Ing, we planted a wild rose hedge and major attraction. It is a me morable berry-producinq shrubs and Installed a sight to see six bluebirds in th e bath at s impl e birdbath wit h a cons tan tly drip ­ the same ti me all se nding spray into ping hose . the air. During the plan ting period we had In 1980 we th ink a new breeding noti ced brilli ant flashes of blue in the pair took over. They appeared to be pines or hoverin g over the pasture and sl ightly sma lle r and the ma le wa s more heard sof t. pla int ive cal ls. We fi nall y bri lliantl y col ored. They chose to nest Identified our first W estern Bluebir ds in a bo x with a large opening for wo od­ bathing an d dri nk ing at th e birdbath. peekers we had placed 25 feet from the In the sp ring of 1976 we put up our ground in a pine tree. Thi s pai r was f irst bluebird bo x fa irly cl ose to cu r more wary and secret ive than th e first fro nt po rc h. On 10 June there were fou r pa ir and th e male was not as at ten­ eggs . All hat ch ed so we had SIX blue­ ti ve and helpful with the feed ing. Four bi rds the rest of the summer; four young wer e succ essfully fl edged on 5 st ayed around mo st of t he wi nter. May .The female then moved to th e old In 1977 we moved the nesti ng box nesting box and on 4 July fou r more far ther from our house. Th is box, from you ng blueb ird s fl ew. There was a which most of the young have co me, is great commot ion that day as th e last a s tanda rd size on a ste el pole about one to try his Wings hung halfway out six feet from the ground. It adjoins our of th e opening fo r about thr ee hours garden and is inside the chick en yard. refusi ng to fl y. After mu ch c oax ing he The parents are disturbed neither by finally made it. the chickens no r by our ac ti vities. The In 1981, fiv e youn g one s fledged box is shad ed most of the day by large on 9 May with five more on 3 July. pine s on east and west; th e trees also There had also been a house change serve as Initial landing places for between broods that year. fledg lings . Some Ho use Sparrows' had come Fou r young were fledged from t his on to the pl ace and had bui lt nest af ter box in 1977, two broods of five eac h in nest in th e or igi nal bluebird box . We 1978, and two more broods of five each wo uld remove th e spa rrow s' nest, th e in 1979. We have noticed that the ad ult bluebi rds would star t to bu ild, and th en pa ir w ill start to c heck the box as early th e bo x wou ld be taken over aga in by as mid -February. th e spa rrows . Fin all y, the blueb irds One of ou r pleas ures has been to won , but their eggs we re lai d in a wa tc h the yo ung ones gat her and hud­ messy sparrow's nest rather than in d le close to get her on a pine branc h the thei r usu all y neat circle of grasses. We

Vo lu me 5, Number 2 73 had, in the meantime, put up another Bluebird Slide Show box and there the second brood was raised. The NABS slide show is available for In 1982 our second box in the vine­ rental at $5.00 or pu rchase at $50.00. yard had five eggs on 15 April. The The show consists of 141 coll ated original house wa s occupied aft er a cardboard-framed 35 mm slides and a few half-hearted territorial di sputes printed script (no s lide tray). If a and on 28 Ap ril th ere were six eggs. cassette narrat ion is des ired add $5.00 Fi ve fl edged in ho use no. 2. After the to the purc hase price. eggs in house no. 1 hatc hed we were The show has been revised recently. su rpri sed to see one of t he young from Ninet een slides have been substituted house no. 2 helping to feed the nest­ t o im prove the quality of the show, an lings. All six fledged. Both boxes audible sound now signals the speaker fledged a second brood: five from to advance the slide t ray, an inaud ible house no. 2 and four from house no. 1 signal advances the tray when which brought our total fo r the year to automatic equipment is used, the nar­ 20. rat ion has been slowed , and script let ­ In the seven years since we erect­ tering has be en enlarged for easier ed our first nesting box, 66 bluebirds readi ng. There wi II be no price inc rease have fledged. Only other bluebird lo v­ for this revised show. Revision kits are ers will understand how mu ch pleasure being prepared for past purchasers of these small cre atures have added to the show and will be furnished to them our life in the country. • at no charge. To rent or purchase the bluebird slide show, write to Dick Tuttle, NABS 759 Refugio Road Education Committee, 295 W. Central Santa Ynez,CA 93460 Ave., Delaware, OH 43015. •

Research Committee Request

Tedd Gutzke has assumed the duties of Research Chairman for NABS and is currently in the process of forming a full committee. Tedd has asked that any correspondence pertaininq to research should be sent to him at the address below. Information involving conservation , management or general inquiries should continue to be sent to the main office. The Research Committee is interested in the concerns of the members and areas toward which they feel research should be directed. A bibliography is being formulated and anyone with articles from journals or techn ical publications, past or present, is encouraged to send them to Tedd. Theodore W. Gutzke Research Chairman, NABS R.D. #1, Box 147 Basking Ridge, New Jersey 07920

, ~~ ~. I< '- ~~~ - -'-'~

74 Sialia, Spring 1983 Dealing with the Effects of Cold Weather on a Bluebird Trail Karl Curtis

have been trying to attract Eastern ling died in the bo x on 25 May and I Bluebirds for several years. For the another on 2 June. On 11 June the two past three years I have had a tra il of 40 sur viving young fledged and were soon to 50 boxes in southern Onondaga sitting in a nearby tree being fed by County,NY. In 1980 no bluebirds were both adults. I saw them again 18 days even seen near the bo xes ; in 19811 saw after fledging, alive and well following one pair. I was jubilant when, on 25 the adu lt male around. April 1982, bo x no. 4 contained a nes t George Grant told me that many and a pair of bluebirds sat on the fence early broods of bluebirds are lost eac h beside it. year to cold weather and that, when an My ju bilation turned to dismay entire brood is lost, the adults often when, on 23 May , the five nestlings leave the area to start anew. My hope were found nearly dead from the ef· was to save (ll ;S brood so that the fects of a cold , wet, windy day. Upon adults would renest in th e same vlcini­ cal ling George Grant (former NABS ty. President), I was advised that young "My" pair of bluebirds did stay bluebirds between 7 and 12 days of age and renest, twice in fa ct. But, in bot h are qu ite vulnerable to cold weather. cases, a House Sparrow de stroyed Apparently, the female stops brooding their eggs-in sp ite of my efforts to after the nestli ngs are about a week control the sparrows . old , but t he babies are not feathered Although the nesting season end­ enough to withstand cold weather until ed on a sour note, I believe that nur tur­ they are about 12 days old . Mine were ing birds th rough a c old spell may help just about one week old . reduce the number of young birds lost Convinced that the nestlings and keep nesting pairs establ ished would die if left in the bo x, I took them along a trail where their numbers are out, warmed them in my pickup, and low. took them to my house. Within minutes Before at temp ting to intervene as of being warmed , they begged for food, I did, an experienced, knowledgeable but it was so cold and late in the day bluebirder should be consulted. I that I didn't think they could survive the would never have done such a thing night if put back into the bo x. I placed had r not been convinced that those the nest ina strawberry bas ket and fed birds were on the verg e of death. Had it th em every half-hour with small pi eces been necessary to harbor them for of earthworms. At fi rst I had to careful­ more than the few hours that I did , a Iy pry th eir mouths open and get the diet of earthworms alone would not food into th eir throats before they have been sufficient and it would have would swallow it. But, after one or two been necessary to obtain a permit to feedings, they eagerly took food that keep them. • was put into their mouths with the blunt end of a toothpick. One, a runt , 6420 Coy e Road did not respond well and soon died. Jamesville, NY 13078 The next morning I fed th em at 5:00 a.m. and again at 5:30 a.m. and took them back to th e box , unsure of what to expect. As soon as I walked away Correction from th e box, the ad ult birds went right about their business of tending and In Sietie Vol. 5(1) :9, change the label on feeding the nestlings. LUCkily, the the box opening in Figure 2 to " Sl ot­ weather improved that day . One nest- type Entrance."

Volume 5, Number 2 75 BLUEBIRD EXPRESS

SIAL/A we lcome; th e co rrespo nd ence 0 1 1/5 m emb erstup . Btuebud i xpres s sho uld become a iot u m for all wh o are Interested In co rom uru cs u ng the" Ideas and actions co ncern ing bluebitd cense r­ veuoo We will auemot co p ub lish

76 Sial ia, Spring 1983 th e ca bbage worms off my cabbage­ Dear Editor: ty pe crops wh en they are feeding their Eac h year my bluebird trail ex­ brood (t he box is right next to th e veg­ pands-a sure and pos iti ve proof th at etable garden). my effor ts are workin g to the advan­ We have five bluebird houses and 22 ta ge o f bluebirds. I now have 12 active wren houses over ou r sever al acres. nests in Loudoun fr om Hamilton Mill We find that havin g lots of houses Station Road to Beaverdam Creek. My gives everyone a chan ce (wrens and tra il contains in allover 110 boxes. chickadees don 't bother blu ebirds as the y have plenty of their own houses). Elizabeth D. Peaco ck All the houses get used . We had Fairfax, Virginia trouble w it h blac k snakes but put Dear Editor: alu minum flashi ng on the post s and Many blu ebird houses are go ing up tha t seemed to help . in th is area. I get ma ny cal ls abo ut Kitty Ackerman them and requests for plans. So glad I Ashton, Maryland wa s encouraged by Dr.Zeleny when we were at Ft. Meade (MD) and all t he Dear Kitty Ackerma n: friends I made while there.Hope to in­ With all tho se wren s and bluebirds terest many more peo ple in bluebirds. there shouldn't be a cabbage worm Look forward to each copy of Sialia, Jo. anywh ere near your vege table garden. Rena Bishop Dear Editor: Mooresville, North Carolina The biggest opp ortuni ty that we have in co nservation of the bluebird I S Dear Rena: on America 's go lf courses . The in sect s Even though you are busy, all of your are th ere, th e open spaces are there, Ma ryland friends know that you will and with minim al educat ion th e mem­ con tin ue to spread the bluebird word bers quick ly respond. Thi s has been wherever you liv e, wh enever you can. our experience here in sou thwest Hope the 1983 breeding season is a Mi SSISSiPPi. good onel We have a nine-hole go lf course at our country c lub and have pla ced tw o Dear Edit or: bluebird houses on each fairway. One Sin ce I saw an article by Li ll ian Lund regular golfing mem ber is assigned to Fi les (MA) on the blueb ird, this has a fa irway to keep th e houses clean been one of th e most in teresting and and to monitor them. This has created rewarding sum mer s in a long ti me. a lot of interest and out of our 18 boxes On Memor ial Day I put out my first we had 11 occ up ied on two to th ree nesting box.Two day s later a pair of occasi ons last spring and summer. Al ­ bluebirds came to look it over and thev though our co unt is not accurate, I am made a nest. It was blessed wi th fiv e certain we hatched out over 30 bl ue­ eggs . All hatched and the y left the nest birds. Jul y 12th. On Ju ly 14th I cleaned out All it tak es is a di scu ssron with the the nestbox and th e 16th there was c lub profe ssional or chairman of the grass in it and the same (?) pair ca me board of directors and, of course, a back. They lai d two good egg s and one sup pl y of boxes. If everyone di d this we th at did n't hatch. The youn g left the beli eve the con se rvation of bluebirds nest on the 24th . would reall y be improved. I do hope they return to our yard in the spring. I'll be loo kin g fo r the m. Richard J.Field, M.D. Cen trevill e, Mississi ppi Barbara E. Lovering Town send , Massa chu setts Dear Ric hard Field: The Socie ly undersc ores your en­ Dear Barb ara Lovering: thusiasm f or golf courses as prime You couldn' t ask for gre at er success bluebird habitat. We hope man y read­ on your in itial tr y. How thrill ing it mu st ers take your advice. have been for you.

Volume 5, Number 2 77 BLUEBIRD TALES

Mary D. Janetatos

As I write th is in January th e lack of bac kyard bluebirds is di sapp ointing . As you read this in April I hope the blu ebird s w ill be bu::.ting o ut all over. Some reports are reac hing this office of " high counts" of bluebirds during the National Audubon So ciety's Christmas Counts. Bob Schu tsk y reports from sout hern Penns ylvania that a 'I i to tal of more than 250 were seen, double ~ It las t year's record . Joe Ondrejko also re­ 'I ports large fl ocks of bluebirds from Wash· ing lon, Pennsylvania's count. Jo e the orized on on e of hi s trips to Sil ver Spr ing to vo l­ un teer his help in th e office," The bird s aren 't in you r bac kyard , Ma ry, becau se Robert Hanson, of Bluebird Hollow the y're enjoyrnp the mse lves with th eir rela­ Farm , Highland, WI, repo rts that on one ti ves o ff in th e woods somep lace!" Well , autumn day " ...Larry, a park worker (a tha t may be, whi ch go es to pr ove th at they fellow bird watch er) and mys elf we re aren't " my " bl uebi rds any way, but wild , free tr eated to a... show put on by a fl ock of creatur es. I still miss them, th ough ! about two dozen East ern Bluebi rds. We Tom and Norma Smith, o f Ravenn a, were eat ing ou r lunc h In my tru ck wh ich OH, lamented that they were unable to at ­ wa s par ked near the shop of Blackhawk tend th e annual meeting this year. Norma Lake Recreat io n Area where I am the main­ recounted the ir blu ebird story." The week tenance foreman. the Campfire gir ls vis it ed coincided with " The bluebird s were very ac tive, flYing the emergen ce of th e 17-year c icadas so about, eat ing weed seeds, cat chin g Ins ects , everyone went home With a handful of wal king about on the ground and gra vel shells as a souveni r. Beli eve i t or not , those road and even perching o n top of th e air big, ugl y, destructive bu gs brou ght blue­ vent of the bu ried gas tank. They were o nly bird joy! They proved to be ideal prey for a sho rt distance fr om th e tru ck, often only training fled glin gs to find their ow n food. a few feet from it . It was a most enjoyable The fledg lin gs sw oop ed like eag les after lun ch hour for both of us ." t he sl ow movin g c icadas an y time they were A.J. Bradley, of Charlottesvi lle, VA, hungry. We have no scientific proof, bu t we in a December letter describes th e same think the abundance of food could have tn­ behavior other bluebirders have noticed: creased the fl edgling survival rate . We hav e the family group returns In autumn to check never seen more than eight blu ebirds at the nestbox whe re they were rais ed .He once before. This year we saw 20 or more al so says , " I have been a (NA BS) member... several times. for several years and am on my second From Lena rk, IL, Mrs . Bob Raleigh re­ project to bu ild 50 blu eb ird houses USing ports that althou gh th e Sialia statist ics say your top-op enin q plan and sh ould have that " bluebirds are co ns idered rare in our th ese distributed In the spring, makin g 150 part of Ill inois (the northwes t corner of th e hou ses by that time . Until I st art ed ouu c­ sl ate), we hav e been thrilled to have a pair ing and di stributing bird hou ses I was not of bluebird s nest in one of our boxes." even aware th ere w ere blu ebirds in th e area. Aft er rais ing fiv e yo un g from five egg s she Since then I ha ve been overwhel med by reo says the parents left and th e yo ung reo po rts of bluebirds nest ing in the houses I turned to the box. " It is suc h a thrill to hear distribu ted. (I give them a co py of NABS ' in­ th eir soft war bling song. Today (September struct ions for pr oper pla cin g in a favorable 19) al i f ive were c lose to th e hou se singing, blueb ird habitat.)" chasi ng each ot her and checking out lhe In so do ing , Mr. Brad ley joins a ho st of blu ebird house." bluebirders who do the same thing: pro­ Mrs . Sharon Sheppard of Lexington, mot e blu ebirding and membership In th e SC. says, " We had the pure pleasure of North Am erican Bluebi rd Society Nancy watching a pair of bluebirds nest in a Wood Hicks, a teache r from ROChester, NY, say s Duck hou se on o ur pond this su mmer . They th at " alt ho ug h I've c hanged sch ools ...my raised tw o hat chings." c hi ldr en are still 'Bluebirds .' Please send

78 Siali a, Spring 1983 12 of the 3·inch ro und patches w it h logo. Rona n, MT, sent an artic le from the Dakota The t heme wo rks very well, and the patches Farmer. It descr ibes the prob lems Art Nel ­ ad d a spec ial touch." son, of Sherburn e County,MN, had co pin g Ton i L. Parrish, o f Tallahassee, FL , w ith insects on his Chris tmas tree far m. sent a c lipping fr om the Florida Times­ Heli copt er spraYing was dee med too ex­ Union in Jackson ville which desc rib ed ef · pensive. Nelson 's so lution, putt ing up nest­ forts by the Telephone Pioneers of North in g bo xes, was ar rived at mor e or less by Florida to provid e nes tbo xes in their area . acc ident . From hiS yo uth he had been ke en­ It is hoped that " Their birdhous es w ill joi n Iy in terested In birds , so he bega n to st udy a network of houses stretc hing from Man­ reasons fo r th eir decline aro und hrs farm. hattan to Miami." He observed that some species were cavi ty On a less grand iose sca le, Carol nest ers, and rea liz ed th at the lack of nest­ Murphy, the leader 01 on e Camp Fire group ing ca vit ies wa s preventing the se birds in Pas adena, MD, has used NAB S' ln to rrna­ fr om raising young. He soon d iscovered t.o na l pac kets an d passed t hem on to th e th at th ese birds, especi all y Eas tern Blue­ Council w here she lives. Ethel Posou r of birds, would ac cep t man made nesting Dallas ,NC, wr it es that the Hoe and Hope boxes as well as nat ural cav it ies .He began Garden Clu b ha s acq ui red 16 blu eb ird to ere ct nesting boxes but it took him four boxes which they pl an to put up " a t the year s to attrac t his first pair of blu ebirds. rig ht time." In Nort h Caro lina t hat mus t be Now, Nelson's bird house project has made an y ti me as , at la st observat io n, the y we re possib le th e fledg in g of 110-150 bl uebi rd s knee-d eep in bluebi rds. Bu t there's no such each season along wi th about 50 Ho use t hing as enough bluebirds! Wren s and 400 Tree Swa llows . On ce ag ai n Nature's way has pro vided Louise Shaffer of Uni versity Park, MD, a ma rvelous an swe r to inv ading insect s. wr it es, " Enough is enough . Did yo u know Su rely this tec hnique co uld be repeated in t hat some people actually confuse blue­ many othe r agricultural areas-to t he ben­ birds with Blue Jays?" Lou ise is a member efit o f our native bi rds and crop s and our of the Prin ce George's (Co unty, MD) Fed· ow n aest hetic enrichment. erat ion of Wom en 's Clubs. She and fellow In a le tter received in the sp ring of 1982 members o f th e Sixth Dis trict are det er­ from Jack and Marykaye Weinmann of Man­ mi ned to clear up the con fus io n in a cru­ chester, MI. Marykaye says th at , si nce they sade to save th e co unty's offici al bird- the have no children as yet, they have " more bluebird. " Some peop le didn't even know or less adopted our lovel y blue gues ts. Peo­ what a bluebird was," sa id Louise, in as­ ple come out to visi t speci fica ll y to see tonis hme nt. As report ed in the Dec ember them....We co ntinue to learn, work and hope 2 Prin ce George's Sentinel, during Novem­ for t he ir survival." ber the co unty women's c lub launc hed th e I'll say " Amen" to th at , Marykaye, as I beginning of what the y hope w ill turn into an t icipa te t he ar riva l o f sp rin g. And I w is h a county-w ide " Operation Blu ebird." Thi s to all of you the sight and sound of our ban­ projec t w ill provide a bulwark of new su p­ ner bird, the bluebi rd, heralding that port for the bluebird in Was hington, DC· spring ! • subu rban Prin ce George's County. In 1976 the county, t hro ugh the ef fo rts o f its Beau­ ti f ica ti on Commi tt ee, declared t he Eastern Bluebi rd to be an off ici al county symbo l. As a result , eac h year in early Ma rch, WANTE D: Back Issues of Sialia " Bl uebird Week" is dec la red by the eleoted county of ficial s. This observance has stim­ Don't di scard bac k iss ues of Sia /ia ! ulate d many c it izen s an d youth groups to If, for any reaso n, you cannot keep past se t ou t their winter-built nesti ng boxes in copies of the bluebird jo urnal return ap propriate habi tat. A not iceabl e res ult has them and claim a ta x ded uction of been an inc rease in th e number of b lue­ $2.S0 fo r each. birds in th e cou nty . So, th e need fo r a geo· Many new members desire complete me tr ic progression in the num ber o f avail­ se ts of back issues whi ch we are ab e nesti ng boxes is appa rent. So on, Princ e George's Coun ty wil l also be knee­ unable to supply. Cop ies of Volume 1, deep in bl uebirds. And wh o wo uldn't say Numbers 1 and 2 are part ic ularly need· the coun ty wo uld be beau tified by suc h a ed. Mail back issu es to headqu arters: bountiful " c rop" ? Nor th Am erican Bluebird Soci ety Cavi ty nest ers can help farme rs. Bo x 629S NABS ' Boa rd Member, Art Aylesworth, Sil ver Spring , MD 20906·029S

Volume S, Number 2 79 You ~AN HAVE MY BlUE BIR.D BOWER- , YOU, SO SNUG- I IN 'VO~y TOwtR. ! DRY 1""14' L Eo R.A \to.J'( I APRIL. WIND Bl:.OW} , You GA"Z.E. OUT I 'YOIJR. PICTURE. WINDOW$, FEELING GRE.AT ~ you DODGE; IHE. W E;AT~E.R .' SUT 1.. ACH E;- I I I'll b.-VERy FEAT4E R.,.. r o. ~ CJ O () O O O h= Y O UR, JOY I I~ WEARING i~IN 5"llDe A PAN E'-- l • AND , 'LL ~ L.Y I N . I ..., "'. e . MlTEL.MI\l't

Art Credits

Jo n E. Boone: 42, 52, 65, 67, 76. Richard L. Woodward: 43, 49, 57 Suza nne Pennell Turner : 47, 64, Rou nd-lobed Hepat ica, 58, 60, 72,78. 74 Red-sp otted Newt.

80 Sialia , Spring 1983

Founded in 1978, THE NORTH AMERICAN BLUEBIRD SOCIETY is an incorporated non-profit organization determined to i n c r ease the populations of the three species of bluebirdson this continent. Inasmuch as the populations of these birds have dim inished due to the maladroit actions of human beings, as well as other natural disasters, the primary objective of the SOCI ETY is to educate all who will listen about the importance of preserving these singular creatures in their native env iron ment. Toward this end , the SOCIETY will work, within the bounds of effective conservation , to study those obstacles imped ing bluebird recovery; to publish results of those studies; to promote ideas and actions which might reduce the effect of those obstacles; and to obtain a more complete knowledge about bluebird ecology, in the hope of learning more about the ecology of humankind.

Membership: Students (under 21) and Senior (over 60) , $7.50; Regular, $10; Sustaining, $30; Supporting, $50: Contributing, $100; Co rporate, $100; Donor, $250. Amounts over $5 are tax deductible.

Address: North American Bluebird Society Box 6295 SilverSpring, MD 20906-0295