Western Bluebirds seen at Christmas Tree Bluebird Trail!!! :-D

We have bluebirds!!! :-)

Today, I went out to do my weekly monitoring of the Port Orchard bluebird trails.  I was walking along at the Christmas Tree Bluebird Trail, when all of a sudden, a steak of blue flew past me.  This handsome fellow perched on top of a Christmas tree close by--he was bright blue with a red chest.  I did a double take and thought, "Oh my gosh, is that a bluebird?!?".  I was so excited!!!  I couldn't believe my eyes!  As I focused in on the beautiful bird and watched him quietly for about 10 minutes, I wished that I had my binoculars with me (I forgot them today and realized it when I arrived at the trail) and also wished that I had a camera.  He hopped along the Christmas tree tops, and occasionally perched on top of a pole.  He eventually flew down the field, and then, zoom!  another streak of blue flew in just like the first bird--bright blue with a red chest.  It was like they were scoping out the area and checking it out, as they hopped from tree to tree, in search of a nesting spot.

As I continued my monitoring, I was extra careful when I checked the nest boxes, just in case there was anyone making a nest inside.  All the boxes at the Christmas Tree Trail were empty, but as I approached the last nest box, another male bluebird appeared close by.  Wishing that I had my binoculars, it was as if he read my mind and said, "So you'd like to take a closer look at me?  Okay!"  Just then he flew down close to me, and perched on a small Christmas Tree top, approximately 15-20 feet away.  There was no doubt in my mind that he was a male Western Bluebird!!!  He seemed very friendly and not bothered that I was close by watching him.  He hopped from tree top to tree top, and occasionally would jump down to the grass and rustle around a bit.  After a while, he flew off.

What an amazing day!!!  Since I didn't see any female bluebirds, we are thinking that the male bluebirds may be checking out the area in search of a good nesting spot to bring the females back to check out.  The male bluebird will usually show the female different nesting spots that he has found, but it is ultimately the female bluebird who will choose the nest site.  Stay tuned in for more updates and photos of our bluebirds!

Bluebird Nestbox Building Party!

Bob Wiltermood and Scott Ford work on a box

On March 5, 2011, the Puget Sound Bluebird Recovery Project had it's first ever community event: a Bluebird Nestbox Building Party!  We were very happy with how well it turned out and were thrilled with the support we had from friends and the public who came out to help.  The party was hosted at Ruby Creek Wildlife Preserve in Port Orchard, WA, which is the home of one of our board members, Bob Wiltermood. 

Bluebird Nestbox-Divine Photos 2011

Bob and Marylou Vail put together a box

Adam Morris nails the pieces together with a nail gun

Tara and Chad Carson show their finished box

Board Member Chris Susumi shows us her beautiful nestbox

Our 20 autographed nestboxes ready for the trails!

We all gathered at Bob's home at 10am, and after mingling a bit and having some coffee to drink, we received a quick tutorial from Bob on how to go about constructing the nestboxes out of the pre-cut wood pieces.  Everyone got to work building their boxes, and by 12:30pm, we had 20 beautiful autographed boxes that were ready to go out to our bluebird trails this year (everyone who built a bluebird box autographed the bottom of the box that they made--a fun way to look at the boxes on the trails as we monitor them and remember the people who helped us make the boxes a reality!).  A lunch of hot dogs, chips, beans, and drinks was provided to all who helped, and later on, Bob gave our guests a tour of his beautiful wildlife preserve.  We couldn't have asked for a better day--the weather and setting was beautiful and we made new friends and contacts with people in the community who are interested in learning more about Western and Mountain Bluebirds and how we can help bring them back to Western Washington.  A great big thank you goes out to Hartnagel's Building Supply in Port Angeles, WA, who provided all the wood and materials that were needed to build our nestboxes.  Arnold, Deb, and the staff at Hartnagel's were very supportive of our cause, and we greatly appreciate all their help and support!  www.hartnagels.com  Also, a thank you to Bob Wiltermood for offering his beautiful home and wildlife preserve to host our event, and to Tania Nachsel of Divine Photos, who donated photos of our event www.divinephotos.net

At Ruby Creek Wildlife Preserve (left to right) Scott Ford, Susan Ford, Marylou Vail, Bob Vail, Lewis Ford, Tania Nachsel, Adam Morris, Bob Wiltermood, Chris Susumi