President’s Spring Report
Mountain bluebirds back for another year: it never gets old!
By Jim Leitch
Spring is finally in the air with the return of the stunning mountain bluebird. We had an early sighting from one of our local members here in Lethbridge on April 2 at the Popson Park picnic shelter. There were also other sightings in other parts of the province as early as mid-March.
This is the time of the year when we make our first trips to our trails to prepare them for what we all hope to be a meaningful and fruitful bluebird nesting season. Thank you to all the faithful trail monitors who clean out their boxes, repair as necessary and ready themselves to monitor the wonder-filled nesting activity that is sure to follow. This never seems to get dull!
I will be once again have my annual half-day Trail Orientation Day on Saturday, June 4. We will take the morning to tour my trail at a farm on the west side of Lethbridge. This is a great opportunity for all birders, newcomers or those interested in having their own trail, to see what an active trail looks like. For information please visit our website at bluebirdtrails.org.
Due to the pandemic, we decided to shift our 2021 AGM to March 20. There were a number of highlights. First off, we had the opportunity to view a masterful short documentary on the nesting habits of a mountain bluebird couple here in southern Alberta. This wonderful piece of film was the work of local photographer and trail monitor Rick Andrews. To view this film, click here.
We also met Aaron Veale, a Master's student at the University of Lethbridge, who gave an interesting presentation on his thesis about hybridization between the mountain and western bluebirds.
Finally, we approved a motion to invest $10,000 into an endowment fund through the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southern Alberta. The yields from this fund will ensure we have a predictable and steady revenue stream to support the society for years to come. (Donate now!)
Once again, I would like to thank our Trail Master, Steven Shumborski, for all his hard work in finding, restoring and creating new trails here in southern Alberta. If there’s a trail near you that is untended, please contact him at sshumborski@gmail.com.
Thanks also to our Web Master, Curtis Goodman, who does an excellent job with our website and responds to media requests for stories on the mountain bluebird.
I would like to say a special thank you to our retiring Treasurer, Ken Moore, who did an admirable job with the finances for the society over many years and also a big thank you to Jan Warren, who is stepping back from her role as a director, in which she served for many years.
We are pleased to announce our new incoming Treasurer, Kathy Koenig, as well as new Directors Connie Chaplin and Rick Williams.
As mentioned in a previous newsletter, we will be celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2024. If you have any documents, facts or interesting stories that would help us recognize this significant milestone, please contact Curtis Goodman, our Web Master, through our website under the "Contact Us" tab.
Thank you to all the trail monitors for all that you do to support the beautiful mountain bluebird.
Have a great season!