MBTCS News & Updates
Bluebird hybrids: help needed with study
Western bluebird numbers appear to be increasing in southwestern Alberta, which suggests they are expanding their range. As they expand, low starting numbers may force them to breed with the more abundant mountain bluebird and produce hybrids… To ensure we don’t miss any sample opportunities, we need the help of citizen scientists and bird enthusiasts from within the community.
‘Mountain Bluebirds’ short documentary released by Rick Andrews
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
Mountain Bluebirds, the ideal farm tenant
Mountain Bluebirds are great neighbours! Bluebirds provide natural pest control. They are insectivorous - which means they love to eat Coleopterans (beetles), Orthopterans (grasshoppers, crickets), Arachnids (spiders), and Lepidopterans (primarily caterpillars), and other insects. They prefer habitat that is sparsely treed grasslands with suitable cavity nest locations.
Less than two months until the Bluebirds 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. Nest boxes need to be cleaned out and repaired by the end of February in time for their arrival.
Reader’s Digest Feature Post: Saving Canada’s Mountain Bluebird
As a member of the Calgary Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society, Ron Reist maintains more than 480 bluebird boxes along a 250-kilometre round-trip trail.
Oldman Watershed Council Feature Post: There’s a Snake in my Nest Box!
I remember the first time I found a snake in a nest box. Looking back, it was probably a plains garter snake with a distinct yellow stripe from tip to tail, but 12-year-old me didn’t care. I sprinted from the fence line back to the road…
30 years of Bluebird Monitoring of the Carol Porter Mountain Bluebird Trail at Cypress Hills
In the last 30 years of monitoring of the Carol Porter Trail there have been three seasons with low numbers of bluebirds fledged: 2002, 2009, and 2021. The weather appears to be the main factor in the number of bluebirds fledged.
Congratulations to Pres Winter, Alberta Emerald Award Lifetime Achievement
Pres Winter started The Viking Bluebird Trail in 1977. It began when John Janzen Nature Centre director provided 200 nestboxes. The Bluebird Trail is now more than 1200 boxes spanning 275 miles of country roads in Beaver County.
Monitoring Bluebirds
It’s been an eventful summer full of learning opportunities for Diane Burt-Stuckey, an MD of Pincher Creek resident. She has been monitoring a trail of mountain bluebird nest boxes through the Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society.
Nest box spacing - Top Recommendations for Various Habitat Locations
Spacing is one of several factors to consider when you install a new nest box. The right spacing will help you maximize occupancy for Bluebirds while minimizing other occupants. It also enhances the habitat’s available resources, giving the Mountain Bluebirds who raise their young in the nest box with the best chance of success!
Nest box placement - Top 7 Recommendations
Placement is one of several factors to consider when you install a new nest box. Where you put the nest box will help you minimize repairs or the need for replacement. It will also help provide the Mountain Bluebirds who raise their young in the nest box with the best chance of success!
Are your nest boxes ready for the season?
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. Nest boxes need to be cleaned out and repaired by the end of February in time for their arrival.