President’s Spring Report

As I write this there is a gentle snowfall and temperatures below zero. To confidently say spring is here is perhaps optimistic but at the same time we know this cool wintery weather won't last for long in mid April. It is, I'm sure, a challenge for the bluebirds that have already arrived. The owner of the farm where my trail is said he first spotted a bluebird on March 23, 2026, so we know our beautiful blue feathered friends have been arriving early to get a jumpstart on beginning their new families for another season.

Thank you to all the trail monitors who have cleaned out your boxes, made repairs as required and perhaps moved or replaced some boxes to give the bluebirds the best chance for success.

I will once again host a half day Trail Orientation session on my trail on the westside of Lethbridge on Saturday June 6, 2026. This event is open to anyone interested in seeing an active bluebird trail in operation. You will get to see the various developmental stages of the mountain bluebird from eggs to young, as well as enjoy other protected songbirds and nature in general on display in the stunning Oldman river valley. The day will be limited to 12 people but additional days can be arranged if necessary. To register see our website at bluebirdtrails.org

We held our 2025 AGM at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre on March 21, 2026. It was a great day with a full agenda and a very special guest speaker. We were delighted to hear from Lethbridge's own David Scott. David is one of Alberta's accomplished birders. We learned that we are blessed with a vast array of different species of birds in this province. David also led us through the process and challenges he went through to create, co-author and get published, the most up to date and now soon to be released book on Alberta Birds.

A big thank you to the Lethbridge and Southern Alberta Community Foundation for their generous grant of $3,720 to help us with funds to build some new boxes. Many of our boxes are more than 25 years old and need to be replaced. In addition we require more boxes to meet the need of new trail monitors and their new established trails.

I was also happy to report that in 2025 we were the recipients of several generous cash donations which is always encouraging when you know there are people out there that believe in and want to support what you are doing.

I would like to express my gratitude to our hard working volunteer Board members and to our faithful trail monitors who together ensure we all can enjoy the beautiful mountain bluebird for years to come