MBTCS News & Updates
Preparing your nest boxes for winter
As the bluebird nesting season ends, fall is the perfect time to prepare nest boxes for winter. Learn how simple maintenance steps—cleaning, repairs, and pest prevention—help ensure healthy habitats for Mountain Bluebirds next spring. Share your own photos and best practices with MBTCS!
Time to submit your data for the season
It’s time to submit your 2025 Mountain Bluebird monitoring data. Each nest box report helps track bluebird populations, guide habitat management, and support conservation in southern Alberta. Download the PDF or Excel data sheet, complete it, and return to Joe Michielsen. Volunteer updates can be shared with Steven Shumborski.
Moments on the Trail: A call for photo submissions
Photography plays a powerful role in bluebird conservation. Thanks to the stunning contributions of photographer Martin Hensel, our gallery at bluebirdtrails.org/photos continues to grow. Share your own photos of Mountain Bluebirds, prairie wildlife, and nest box activity to inspire others and support conservation in southern Alberta.
Nature on my Bluebird Trail... plus Black Bear momma and cubs!
MBTCS member Sherri Bohnert enjoyed a memorable day on the Bluebird Trail, capturing both bluebird activity and unexpected wildlife. Her visit featured fledging Mountain Bluebirds, butterflies, wildflowers and even a black bear with three cubs. Sherri’s photos highlight how each trail walk offers new surprises and a reminder to be thankful for nature’s gifts.
Great orientation day!
It was another successful Orientation Day for the Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society. President, Jim Leitch, introduced twelve Mountain Bluebird enthusiasts to the workings of a Bluebird Trail. Once again we were treated to not just the beautiful Mountain Bluebirds, but other varieties of birds such as tree swallows, violet-green swallows, a belted kingfisher, a bald eagle and many others.
A mouse in the house!
Trail Monitor Joe Michielsen shares lessons from finding deer mice in nest boxes. Early spring checks are vital for safe cleaning, preventing disease, and ensuring bluebirds have nesting sites ready each season.
They’re back! Mountain Bluebirds return to Southern Alberta
Mountain Bluebirds have officially returned to Southern Alberta, with the first sightings reported in Waterton Lakes National Park, Olds, and Calgary. Are your nest boxes ready for nesting season?
Get your nest boxes ready!
Winter’s chill might still linger, but Mountain Bluebirds will be arriving in Southern Alberta as early as the first week of March. Make sure your nest boxes are cleaned, repaired, and ready by the start of March for these bright arrivals.
Embracing NestWatch: enhancing Mountain Bluebird conservation
Discover how the Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society (MBTCS) is enhancing conservation efforts for Mountain Bluebirds by integrating the NestWatch app into trail monitoring—empowering trail monitors and bird enthusiasts alike.
Trail Master Spring Report
Thank you to all monitors for caring for the bluebird nest boxes. Our Trail Master is accepting requests for nest box renovation to be done after the 2024 nesting season.
Call to Action: support Mountain Bluebird conservation in Southern Alberta
We thank our current donors for their generosity and invite new supporters to join this vital cause. With your help, we can ensure that the skies of Southern Alberta will remain adorned with the Mountain Bluebird for years to come. Let's stand together for wildlife conservation; your support is more critical than ever.
Unwanted guest in Bluebird nest box
Some times we have to deal with unwanted pests that find our nest boxes too irresistible. We are curious if you ever had an issue you wanted to share with others on the website?Here is a story from Jim Leitch, MBTCS president, that he shared back in 2016…
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!