A Fondness for the Blues

 

Oil on Panel - 4 x 4 inches

“The bluebird comes, and with his warble drills the ice, 

and sets free the rivers and ponds and frozen ground.” - Henry David Thoreau

 

     The Eastern Bluebird belongs to the family of thrushes, and is one of 167 species of thrushes found throughout the world. In North America, its arrival in spring is a welcome sight to those that live in the open country, and a trip to Wild River State Park in May of this year brought several sightings of Eastern Bluebirds. The male depicted in my painting above was hanging around a cavity in an old pine tree (photo below) along the Amador Prairie Loop, alongside a female. 

     These days, most people associate bluebirds with nest boxes because of efforts to save the species from extinction. Nest boxes were erected all over eastern North America and Bermuda from the 1970s and onward to help the bluebird when it was discovered that two invasive species, House Sparrows and European Starlings, were outcompeting them for nesting sites, and in the case of the House Sparrows, killing them. 

     Bluebirds faced other threats also, such as habitat loss, most notably from the destruction of over 90% of Bermuda’s cedar trees from a scale endemic that occurred in the 1940s and 50s. Bermuda is of particular importance because it’s the only place outside of eastern North America where Eastern Bluebirds reproduce. 

     Today, Bermuda’s nest boxes have allowed this bird to flourish on the island, especially alongside their golf courses, but they are now completely dependent upon nest boxes for their survival. 

     In North America, nest boxes play an important role, too. When properly built, nest boxes can contribute to this bird’s overall occupancy and brood success; but without monitoring, the fate of the Eastern Bluebird’s breeding success is in jeopardy. 

     Specifications for building nest boxes can be found on the North American Bluebird Society’s website (nabluebirdsociety.org), or in your state's bluebird nest box program if it has one. Minnesota’s program for bluebird recovery efforts can be found at bbrp.org. 

     As for proper placement of nest boxes, bluebirds nest in open habitat and have greater success when tall or woody vegetation isn’t present near the box. This is likely due to the fact that bluebirds feed by dropping, a method whereby they see their prey from a perch and drop to the ground to snatch it. In addition, less vegetation may deter one of this bird’s biggest predators, rat snakes. At the very least, bluebirds will have an easier time spotting their predators when the area is kept clear of vegetation. 

     As for the directional placement of the nest box hole, whether it be north, south, east or west, the general rule used to be southeast-facing. However, this isn’t always the case. Studies have shown that in northern populations, more nestlings fledged when the hole faced northeast. In Georgia, they liked northwest-facing holes the best. In a Vermont study, there appeared to be no directional preference. And in Michigan, more bluebirds nested in boxes facing southeast, the traditional direction specified in guidebooks. If only we could ask the birds themselves which direction they’d prefer. 

     If you’d like to help in the continued survival of the bluebird, it’s important to consider the bluebird’s preferred habitat, nest boxes that are built to required specifications, predator deterrents, hole orientation, and the vegetation immediately surrounding the box. Lastly, without regular monitoring for predators and invasive species, all of your efforts could be for naught.

     Even though I don't live in this bird's environment and only see it when I travel, I am thankful it is still around, and if you have contributed to this bird's survival, thank you! 

     Stay wild, my friends.

Male Eastern Bluebird at Wild River State Park, MN.
Photo 5/14/2024 ©Becca Mulenburg.

Tree showing the nest cavity where the Eastern Bluebirds
were hanging out at Wild River State Park, MN.
Photo 5/14/2024 ©Becca Mulenburg.

Bermuda's beautiful $2 currency. 

References

Arlott, N., Perlo, B. van, Carrizo, G., Chiappe, A. A., Huber, L., & Rodríguez Mata, J. (2021). The Complete Birds of the World. Princeton University Press. 

Bermuda bluebird society. Bermuda Bluebird Society. (2024, January 30). https://bermudabluebirdsociety.com/ Accessed 26 July 2024. 

“Bermudian Dollar.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 May 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermudian_dollar#Banknotes#Redesign Accessed 26 July, 2024. 

Bluebird Recovery Program of Minnesota. Bluebird recovery program of Minnesota. (n.d.). https://bbrp.org/ Accessed 26 July, 2024. 

Buff, S. (1991). Flights of fancy: A treasury of bird quotations. HarperCollins Publishers. 

Forest Preserve District Will County. (n.d.). Bluebirds are back from the brink thanks to human interventions. The Buzz. https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/news-events/the-buzz/bluebirds-saved-from-extinction/ Accessed 26 July 2024. 

Navara, Kristen J., and Erin M. Anderson. “Eastern Bluebirds Choose Nest Boxes Based on Box Orientation.” Southeastern Naturalist, vol. 10, no. 4, 2011, pp. 713–20. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41475415 Accessed 26 July 2024. 

North American Bluebird Society. (n.d.). https://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/ Accessed 26 July 2024