Community Conservation Project

Spring is here and the warmer weather is bringing out the beautiful bugs and critters that we’ve been missing over the winter! Here at Charlotte’s Quest we’ve been particularly antsy about the first bluebirds of the season because in mid-February volunteers began collecting data for the Eastern Bluebird Monitoring Program.

OUR PROJECT

We hope to collect data to track the population and behavior of local bluebirds. We have also introduced a bluebird ‘Trail’ with new and repaired bluebird houses to encourage an increase in nesting activity and the prevalence of the species in general. Our plan is to double the total amount of bluebird houses by next nesting season. Currently, we have sixteen.

The data collecting process is very user friendly. Our friend and volunteer, Dan Schiller, has created a fun Google Doc form that enables our monitors to track specific bird activity, the presence of nests, chicks, eggs, and other important information. Uploading photos into the form allows us to share our experiences while checking on our feathered friends! Once a form is submitted, the data is compiled and updated in real-time. Our data can be narrowed down to show stand-alone demographics specific to the project. For example, we can view total percentages of the following: types of birds entering boxes over time, prevalence of nests, eggs, and chicks over time, and the time of day any activity was observed.

Since our new bluebird monitoring program has really started to take shape, we’ve also launched a fundraiser for those wanting to purchase a bluebird nesting box for their own homes. Now we’re taking it a step further and are extending the opportunity to contribute to our Eastern bluebird data to local community members. Residents in Manchester and neighboring towns such as Greenmount, Hampstead, Lineboro and Westminster will be able to observe, collect and submit Eastern bluebird data using the same Google form that Charlotte’s Quest uses, contributing to the assessment and conservation of our local bluebird population.

Another community-positive aspect of monitoring for this CQ project is the ability to earn volunteer hours. If you register with Charlotte’s Quest as a volunteer, you can earn volunteer hours for your school or organization while you observe and collect information. As a bonus, any volunteer time submitted to us helps cement our legacy in Manchester, demonstrating that we have the community’s support. This volunteerism also helps secure further funding, supporting Charlotte’s Quest’s long-term sustainability. We are also encouraging residents of areas outside of Northeastern Carroll County to participate in bluebird monitoring. We are working to offer another way for you to collect your data or reroute your findings to another dataset for the area that you reside in. All of us at CQ are also excited at the prospect of broadening this venture to include separate monitoring programs centered around other species, such as monarch butterflies, or maybe even cicadas.

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED

We would love to hear if there are other species you would like to see us monitor! Feel free to comment below and tell us what you think. Any other ideas, questions, or comments would also be greatly appreciated. If you are interested in becoming a monitor, purchasing a bluebird house for your home, or both, please reach out. You can reserve a bluebird house online here and pick it up from 1pm-3pm from the Nature Center during our First Sunday Hikes!

Bluebirds of Happiness

There have been countless instances of wild animals showing what appears to be obvious displays of emotion and care.

True, my (mostly) domesticated domestic short-hair, Frida, can be caught in making shameless and elaborate efforts of what looks like affection, only to find out that food stealing was her true objective. However, elephants have been known to cry, console (with their trunks), and linger by and embrace the remains of their fallen. Other animals have also shown signs that they have a more tender aspect of their nature as well. It's even been proven that some, including birds, have limbic systems (the part of the brain, in humans, responsible for emotions).

Recently I have been learning more about Bluebirds in order to better prepare myself for the CQ Bluebird monitoring project and the upcoming Eastern Bluebird nesting season. I have come across articles and even found a video describing how cooperative and caring Bluebirds appear to be. For example, they are known to share in the responsibility of feeding each other. The father will sometimes feed the mother as she is incubating her eggs; the mother, in turn, will feed the hatchlings whatever the father has scavenged. It was also very touching to discover that Bluebird young of the same brood will sometimes even feed each other.

It would appear that there is a clear reason that 'of happiness' is often attached to the end of the word 'Bluebird.' If you have been a witness to Bluebirds showing care and kindness please share your experience in the comments below!

Eastern Bluebird Conservation at Charlotte’s Quest

The bluebird has been dubbed the harbinger of happiness, but the eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) is also a symbol of wildlife conservation success. In the early to mid-20th century, the bluebird population began to drop, and the species became rare in parts of its range. Severe winters led to further declines in the 1970s. However, the species has since rebounded, reaching a global breeding population of 22 million individuals.

Behind the Decline and Recovery

Habitat loss was one major reason for the decline. As a cavity-nesting bird, the bluebird historically nested in hollows in dead trees, typically in holes made by woodpeckers or other birds. This housing strategy left them with few nesting options in the increasingly suburban America. In addition, they faced stiff competition from invasive species for the available hollows. Specifically, the house sparrow and European starling, which are also cavity nesters, can outcompete the native bluebird—taking over their nest and destroying their eggs.

Thankfully, the decline did not go unnoticed as the little bird had captured the hearts of many birders. In 1978, a group of bluebird enthusiasts formed the North American Bluebird Society to create bluebird boxes to replace the missing tree cavities, as well as monitor and study the bluebird population. By carefully tailoring the box’s entrance hole, the boxes can even keep out the slightly larger European starling, although competition with these invasive species remains a problem today.

About the Bluebird

The male bluebird is easy to identify by his striking blue upper body and wings. He also has a red throat and white belly. The female is similar in color, but paler, with grey-blue wings and head. Their range spans across the eastern North America, extending as far south as Nicaragua.

The bluebird prefers habitats with open grassy areas or meadows—like we have at Charlotte’s Quest. This habitat is important for supporting the bluebird’s diet, which largely consists of insects, including grasshoppers, crickets, and larvae, which it catches on the ground. It will also eat fruit and berries, such as dogwood berries, sumac, and black cherries.

Bluebirds can have up to three broods a year and four to six eggs in each brood. The female builds the cup-like nest and incubates the eggs. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, young produced in the first brood usually leave their parents in summer, but young from subsequent broods often spend the winter with their parents. For the winter, these birds typically migrate to the southern United States or Mexico, with some flying as many as 2,000 miles for the trip.

Efforts at Charlotte’s Quest

Charlotte’s Quest is doing its part to support the rebounding bluebird population. A team of volunteers recently added six new bluebird houses to the park and restored the existing houses ahead of the nesting season, which typically starts in late March. The volunteers will continue to monitor the houses throughout the nesting season. Stay tuned to the Friends of Charlotte's Quest Facebook Group for future updates on our nests from volunteer Randy Miller, who is leading the project!