Bring Back the Bluebirds
"Habitat" by Verna Linney
Please… won’t you be my neighbour? Western Bluebirds may be looking for property in your neighbourhood!
Once a common species within Garry oak ecosystems on Vancouver Island and the southern Gulf Islands, Western Bluebirds thrived until the 1950s, when their numbers began to decline. Since 1995, they have not been known to nest successfully in this region, and are considered extirpated (locally extinct). Some possible reasons for their absence include the reduction of insect prey due to pesticide use, loss of Garry oak habitat, removal of standing dead trees, and competition for nest holes with exotic bird species such as European Starlings and English House Sparrows. Probably the greatest factor in their decline is urban development.
Western Bluebirds are secondary cavity nesters, meaning that they cannot build their own nest cavities, and depend on old woodpecker cavities, deadwood or nestboxes.
GOERT's Bring Back the Bluebirds project, led by our Vertebrates at Risk RIG, is focused on building nestboxes, finding appropriate habitat to host the boxes, and working with volunteers to monitor them during bluebird season (February through September). Once enough nestboxes have been distributed and enough willing monitors have been found, GOERT, in association with partner organizations, will be transporting bluebirds to our area from Washington State in spring 2012, hoping to re-establish a self-sustaining breeding population in this region.
Video clip: GOERT staff members Dawn Fizzard and Kathryn Martell traveled to San Juan Island to learn about the San Juan Islands Western Bluebird Re-introduction Project, and Kathryn was interviewed on Northwest News about the GOERT project.
Do you have habitat like this?
An example of suitable rural habitat for Western Bluebirds (photo by Elyse Portal)
host a nestbox
Suitable habitat for Western Bluebirds includes open rural areas with low perches and cavities (or boxes) for nesting, safe from cats and invasive English House Sparrows and European Starlings. Do you have habitat like this? If so, we'd like to place nestboxes on your property. If you prefer not to monitor the nestboxes, there is an option to have volunteer stewards do the monitoring.
An example of suitable natural habitat for Western Bluebirds (Mt. Tzuhalem Ecological Reserve near Duncan, photo by Carolyn Masson)
consider being a nestbox steward
We need your help! Our volunteer stewards visit parks and private property to monitor nestboxes for bird activity. Would you be willing to monitor nestboxes during bluebird season (February through September), 1-2 times a month (more often if bluebirds are found), and report back to us? Training and support will be provided. Some of your activities would be:
- Checking nestboxes on a regular basis during bluebird season
- Recording observations and notifying us if you see bluebirds
- Cleaning out nestboxes at the end of the season
- Communicating with us about findings
Nestbox host Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (PDF 330KB)
nestbox monitoring
Nest identification key (PDF 1350KB)
Nestbox monitoring protocol (PDF 290KB)
Monitoring data sheet (PDF 250KB)
build a nestbox
Are you handy with a hammer? Would you like to build a nestbox for us? If so, download the nestbox plans here.
support the bluebird re-introduction project
Please contact us about this initiative at bluebird@goert.ca or 250-383-3427, or donate to support our work. Thank you!
Biologist Trudy Chatwin monitors a Western Bluebird nestbox in a Garry Oak woodland
(photo by Shyanne Smith)