President’s Spring Report
Newsletter Content Jim Leitch Newsletter Content Jim Leitch

President’s Spring Report

Spring has arrived, I think, but we certainly can't draw that conclusion if we use the weather as the determining factor. We know spring has arrived for sure when we hear about early sightings of the beautiful mountain bluebird. Some of those early sightings were in mid to late March this year. Most of our feathered friends arrive to begin their nesting process in April and early May.

Read More
Don Stiles: ‘Mr. Bluebird’ did much for birds, conservation
Newsletter Content, Trail Monitors Curtis Goodman Newsletter Content, Trail Monitors Curtis Goodman

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.

Read More
Trail Monitor Stories: Kathy Koenig
Newsletter Content Curtis Goodman Newsletter Content Curtis Goodman

Trail Monitor Stories: Kathy Koenig

One of the great things about being a Trail Monitor is the vast opportunity it provides to get outdoors, enjoy the fresh air, scenery and glimpses of other birds and other wildlife. In this new and hopefully long-term feature, we’ve asked monitors to share some of their experiences and photographs from their year of trail work. Featured on this post are photos and narrative from MBTCS Treasurer Kathy Koenig:

Read More
A new group of monitors
Newsletter Content, Trail Monitors Curtis Goodman Newsletter Content, Trail Monitors Curtis Goodman

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.

Read More
President’s Fall Report
Newsletter Content Jim Leitch Newsletter Content Jim Leitch

President’s Fall Report

This has been an extraordinary year for unpredictable weather, with unprecedented heat this past summer. These extreme weather patterns have also taken a toll on the mountain bluebird population. Numbers of returning bluebirds this past spring to nest were down from previous years and in some areas the birds were late in arriving.

Read More
President’s Spring Report
Newsletter Content Jim Leitch Newsletter Content Jim Leitch

President’s Spring Report

Spring is here and the bluebirds have returned. We are looking forward to another year of monitoring the trails! There were early sightings this year in the foothills in mid-March. Spring is a wonderful time of year as it brings brings us hope for the future and the anticipation of new things and a reminder of old familiar things.

Read More
Trail Master’s Fall Report
Newsletter Content Steven Shumborski Newsletter Content Steven Shumborski

Trail Master’s Fall Report

We have about 2,623 MBT nest boxes. There are 101 monitors on record. The number of monitors is slowly increasing as the size of trails is being decreased. When someone retires, the large trails are split into trails of 25 -35 nest boxes. The trail size has been decreased to 20 or 30 to make looking after the nest boxes more of an outing than a chore.

Read More
President’s Fall Report
Newsletter Content Jim Leitch Newsletter Content Jim Leitch

President’s Fall Report

As I reported in the spring newsletter this year, I find myself once again sitting in my backyard on a beautiful sunny fall afternoon and like then, I am distracted by the events that surround us. It has now been roughly seven months since the onslaught of this world-wide pandemic. Like everywhere, we as a bluebird society were not exempt from its impact, but I must say we made every effort to carry on and do the best we could.

Read More
Welcome to new interim Webmaster
Newsletter Content Curtis Goodman Newsletter Content Curtis Goodman

Welcome to new interim Webmaster

The torch for the Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society (MBTCS) is being passed! We welcome Curtis Goodman to the job. Over the past few years we have endeavoured to update our website and make it more interactive and useful to all the folks involved with and interested in bluebirds. I am pleased to tell you that we have found an excellent webmaster.

Read More
President's Report - Fall 2019
Newsletter Content Jim Leitch Newsletter Content Jim Leitch

President's Report - Fall 2019

Well, another season has come and gone with a new crop of young Mountain bluebird fledglings heading south for the winter. In spite of a late and coolish start to the season, it would appear at this stage that this was a pretty typical year for bluebird nestlings and subsequent fledglings.

Read More
Observation on New Bluebird Trail Monitors Recruitment
Newsletter Content, Research Steven Shumborski Newsletter Content, Research Steven Shumborski

Observation on New Bluebird Trail Monitors Recruitment

Recruiting monitors is an ongoing requirement to maintain the trails and keep the nest boxes in usable condition for bluebird nesting. Proximity to the mountains, recreational areas and parks provides a draw, bringing people to the foothills for recreational activities. Monitoring a bluebird trail can be one of the activities that people and families engage in when they are in bluebird habitat.

Read More
President’s Report - Spring 2019
Newsletter Content Jim Leitch Newsletter Content Jim Leitch

President’s Report - Spring 2019

Greetings to all, and all the best this spring and summer. We are all looking forward to another year on the bluebird trail. As your new president, I would be remiss if I didn't take the opportunity to acknowledge and thank our outgoing president, Joe Michielsen, for his hard work and dedication in his role as president of the Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society.

Read More