ADVERTISEMENT
Pesticides Down, Bluebird Habitat Up01-18-07 | News

Pesticides Down, Bluebird Habitat Up




img
 

Hungry bluebird chicks at Illinois Emiquon Preserve


Only a few decades ago, the eastern bluebird was critically threatened due to three factors: pesticides, competition from non-native birds including starlings and house sparrows, and habitat destruction. Over the years, the bluebirds?EUR??,,????'??? habitat has been greatly reduced from the clearing of land for housing and industry development, shopping malls, highways, and cropland, and wooden fences replaced with metal.

But bird enthusiasts are excited that the numbers are returning. One important reason is that pesticide use has declined. And though the starlings and sparrows have not disappeared, another reason for the bluebirds?EUR??,,????'??? comeback is due to the deliberate effort from people to construct a new, manmade habitat: bluebird boxes, safehouses for the bluebirds to nest.
Tharran Hobson, a high school teacher and specialist for the Illinois Nature Conservancy, constructed bluebird boxes with his students as a science project. ?EUR??,,????'??It?EUR??,,????'???s pretty easy to attract bluebirds to nest boxes as there are very few natural cavities for them to nest in,?EUR??,,????'?? Hobson said. ?EUR??,,????'??But the danger of losing the chicks to predators is real. We maintain a close watch over them.?EUR??,,????'??

Tips for Constructing a Bluebird Box

?EUR??,,????'????Use untreated cedar or redwood
?EUR??,,????'????Consult a handbook for the box and entrance dimensions
?EUR??,,????'????No perch, as competitors are attracted to perches
?EUR??,,????'????Plastic pipes as mounting prevent predators such as raccoons and snakes (greasing the mounting is a further preventative)
?EUR??,,????'????A good habitat includes scattered trees with perch sites such (fences or branches) where the bluebirds may look for food, including pastures, quiet parks, cemeteries, and golf courses (no pesticides)

There are many resources available if interested in constructing a bluebird box. Don?EUR??,,????'???t be discouraged if your box isn?EUR??,,????'???t ?EUR??,,????'??found?EUR??,,????'?? right away; that could take several seasons. But then, bluebirds generally return every year. Bluebird boxes are extremely effective in reestablishing the bluebird population across the country.

Article and picture source: The Nature and Conservancy of Illinois




img