MBTCS News & Updates
Building a Mountain Bluebird nest box: A guide to supporting local wildlife
Every nest box you build is more than just a woodworking project; it's a lifeline for a Mountain Bluebird. You help in the conservation of these magnificent birds, but you're also setting the stage for years of joyful bird watching.
Imagine enjoying a cup of coffee and watching as your efforts pay off with a flurry of bluebird activity—that’s something truly special.
Mountain Bluebirds: 5 key insights from 50 years of nest box monitoring
Learn from our 50 years of experience!
MBTCS newsletter: your gateway to Bluebird conservation in Southern Alberta
Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of a meaningful movement dedicated to preserving the enchanting spectacle of bluebirds in Southern Alberta. Join us in making a lasting impact on our local environment!
Summary of MBTCS Annual General Meeting
The Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society (MBTCS) held its 2023 Annual General Meeting on April 6, 2024, at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre in Lethbridge. The meeting, chaired by MBTCS President Jim Leitch, was attended by 43 members both in-person and via Zoom.
Spring Orientation is June 1
We often talk about monitoring our “trails”. So what is a “trail”? A trail is a series of bluebird nest boxes strategically placed in order to entice a pair of mountain bluebirds to build a nest and raise their family (or families).
If you would like to see what a working trail looks like, you are invited to join Jim Leitch, President of MBTCS, on his trail in west Lethbridge.
Citizen Science Projects to Help Birds
If you love birds, then you are likely looking for ways to help birds thrive! Citizen science is a great way to help improve our understanding of birds.
‘How to build your own Bluebird Trail’ from Myrna Pearman’s YouTube Channel
We are thrilled to share a video from Myrna Pearman’s YouTube channel - specifically this great overview of the Mountain Bluebird Trail Monitoring Guide!
First Bluebird of the year spotted in Medicine Hat
Reviewing eBird for recent Mountain Bluebird sightings, we were delighted to find the first sighting of the year for our region has now long passed!
Bluebirds soon to return! Are your nest boxes ready?
Mountain Bluebirds return to Southern Alberta as early as the first week of March. Male bluebirds select and lure a partner to a nesting site soon after they arrive. Ideally, nest boxes should be cleaned out and repaired by the end of February in time for their arrival… so do not delay!
Don Stiles: ‘Mr. Bluebird’ did much for birds, conservation
Don Stiles of Calgary was an avid bluebird enthusiast and has helped our organization by providing advice and contact information on many occasions. Don passed away on Oct. 11 and we mourn his loss. In sharing his obituary, we honour his legacy and hope to highlight his conservation work for Bluebirds.
‘Mountain Bluebirds’ short documentary by Rick Andrews (REPOST)
This short film by MBTCS Trail Monitor Rick Andrews follows a pair of Mountain Bluebirds as they nest and raise a brood of nestlings in the foothills of southern Alberta
Trail Monitor Stories: The headless swallow by Jim Leitch
Last year, one of the pleasant surprises on my trail was having a few families of Violet-green Swallows occupy some of my boxes for the first time ever. It was beautiful to see their flashes of turquoise green on white with a distinct purple rump. They are similar to the tree swallow.
President’s Fall Report
As I pen this report for the 2022 season, I can't help but be surprised at the pleasant warm fall season we are experiencing. It seems like a repeat of last fall. Like last year as well this past season we saw some pretty extreme weather. A late arriving spring followed by an extended very hot summer.
A Simple De-nesting Tool to Clean Nest Boxes
MBTCS Trail Monitor Raymond Huel shares a simple invention that helps him with the messy annual duty of cleaning out nest boxes! His objective was to make something that would quickly push the old nest out and, at the same time, reduce the need for a heavy glove.
Trail Rejuvenation in Crowsnest Pass
An update from our Trail Master Steven Shumborski on trail redevelopment in the Crowsnest Pass. The work was coordinated around nesting season to minimize disturbance and resulted in the first 33 renovated boxes being installed on September 20, 2022.
End of Season Nest Box Cleanup & Reporting
It is that time of the year again! The bluebirds, tree swallows and maybe even the wrens (if you have them) have fledged. Now is the time that we, as trail monitors, begin our annual fall cleaning of the bluebird nest boxes.
Supporting Students Redevelop a Trail in Guernsey State Park, WY
We receive the occasional inquiry about building the ideal nest box for Mountain Bluebirds and are always happy to help as best as we can. Our Trail Master was contacted in early March with questions from Wyoming for a trail redevelopment at Guernsey State Park! He went above and beyond by sending pieces for a sample MBTCS nest box at the end of March.
Spring Orientation a Success
We are happy to report another successful spring orientation took place on Saturday June 5, 2022. There were 13 members present to learn the fundamentals of being a great Trail Monitor with the Mountain Bluebird Conservation Society (MBTCS).
Transfer of Bluebird Trails
Talking your friends into looking after a trail you are no longer able to look after leads to disaster. I regularly encounter this experience and an abandoned trail is often the result.
A new group of monitors
When teacher Derek Shackleford wanted to discover how his class could help mountain bluebird conservation, he contacted our Trail Master, Steven Shumborski to get the facts. As a result, the class assembled 10 nest boxes from MBTCS supplied parts, and installed them near the school grounds. The nest boxes will be regularly monitored and students will hopefully have the opportunity to see bluebirds, eggs, nestlings and fledglings.