Monitoring Bluebirds

Shootin’ the Breeze, an online newspaper based out of Pincher Creek, recently posted a great article by community reporter Jenaya Launstein about one of our newest Trail Monitors Diane Burt-Stuckey! Thanks for sharing your experience and spreading the news about the benefits of the Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society.

“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.

Diane first heard about the society’s work a few years ago at a trade show, but was too busy at the time to participate. This year, one of Diane’s friends from her book club mentioned that she was monitoring one of the area’s bluebird trails. This piqued Diane’s curiosity, so she found out more.

The MBTCS gave her information on what trails around Pincher Creek needed a volunteer monitor and Diane chose one just south of town.

Come June, the society hosted an orientation day in Lethbridge, which Diane happily attended.

“We had a great orientation session with experienced people, so that was very helpful just to give you lots of advice and information about bluebirds,” she says.

The MBTCS has over 2,600 nest boxes in southern Alberta. On Diane’s route, she monitors 31 of these boxes. Her first trip on her trail was May 19, but she has since made several others.

During her initial trip, Diane observed nests in several of the boxes, some of which already had bluebird eggs in them. On her last visit, July 16, there was a pair of bluebirds raising a second brood of hatchlings.

Diane says monitoring the boxes takes her only about 2 1⁄2 hours per visit. During the visits…”

Read the full article online: Shootin' the Breeze - Monitoring bluebirds (shootinthebreeze.ca)