MBTCS News & Updates
Invest in the future of Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society - donate to our Endowment Fund!
With the support of our amazing supporters we have established an Endowment Fund with the Community Foundation of Lethbridge and Southwestern Alberta! Endowment Fund donations are not linked to a specific initiative or program. These contributions are invested to generate a stable source of revenue. In doing so, they help us build a sustainable future by providing long-term support of our efforts to conserve and restore the natural range of the Mountain Bluebird across Southern Alberta.
Bluebird hybrids: help needed with study
Western bluebird numbers appear to be increasing in southwestern Alberta, which suggests they are expanding their range. As they expand, low starting numbers may force them to breed with the more abundant mountain bluebird and produce hybrids… To ensure we don’t miss any sample opportunities, we need the help of citizen scientists and bird enthusiasts from within the community.
‘Mountain Bluebirds’ by Rick Andrews Films
This short film by MBTCS Trail Monitor Rick Andrews follows a pair of Mountain Bluebirds as they nest and raise a brood of nestlings in the foothills of southern Alberta
Mountain Bluebirds, the ideal farm tenant
Mountain Bluebirds are great neighbours! Bluebirds provide natural pest control. They are insectivorous - which means they love to eat Coleopterans (beetles), Orthopterans (grasshoppers, crickets), Arachnids (spiders), and Lepidopterans (primarily caterpillars), and other insects. They prefer habitat that is sparsely treed grasslands with suitable cavity nest locations.
Less than two months until the Bluebirds return! Are your nest boxes ready?
Mountain Bluebirds return to Southern Alberta as early as the first week of March. Male bluebirds select and lure a partner to a nesting site soon after they arrive. Nest boxes need to be cleaned out and repaired by the end of February in time for their arrival.
Reader’s Digest Feature Post: Saving Canada’s Mountain Bluebird
As a member of the Calgary Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society, Ron Reist maintains more than 480 bluebird boxes along a 250-kilometre round-trip trail.
Oldman Watershed Council Feature Post: There’s a Snake in my Nest Box!
I remember the first time I found a snake in a nest box. Looking back, it was probably a plains garter snake with a distinct yellow stripe from tip to tail, but 12-year-old me didn’t care. I sprinted from the fence line back to the road…
Website Year in Review 2021
Explore highlights from our website’s statistics from 2021! Discover how many visitors explore our website and where they came from. Leave a comment to help us plan our 2022 content.
30 years of Bluebird Monitoring of the Carol Porter Mountain Bluebird Trail at Cypress Hills
In the last 30 years of monitoring of the Carol Porter Trail there have been three seasons with low numbers of bluebirds fledged: 2002, 2009, and 2021. The weather appears to be the main factor in the number of bluebirds fledged.
Congratulations to Pres Winter, Alberta Emerald Award Lifetime Achievement
Pres Winter started The Viking Bluebird Trail in 1977. It began when John Janzen Nature Centre director provided 200 nestboxes. The Bluebird Trail is now more than 1200 boxes spanning 275 miles of country roads in Beaver County.
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.
Monitoring Bluebirds
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.
Share your MBTCS History
As our 50th anniversary approaches we are asking for you to share your stories, photos, and history of the Mountain Bluebird Trails Conservation Society! Help us document our history and the impact over the years.
Spring Orientation a Success!
The Orientation provided a chance to learn about the life cycle of Mountain Bluebirds and what to expect as a Trail Monitor. The three hour morning walkabout was an ideal opportunity to see a working trail, demonstrate technique with practical advice, and see some amazing sights along the way.
Bluebirds in the news!
We are thrilled whenever the topic of Bluebirds makes the news in our region! Here is a wonderful article about the Calgary and Area Nestbox Monitoring Society (CANMS) by Carol Patterson that provides an excellent overview of how being a Trail Monitor is a great activity for any age and any stage.
Trail Master’s Spring Report
Our society has approximately 2,660 nest boxes with more added as nest box trails are identified and added to the inventory. There are 103 trail monitors on record! Trail sizes are being reduced to 20 or 30 boxes each so more people can be involved.
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.
Nest box spacing - Top Recommendations for Various Habitat Locations
Spacing is one of several factors to consider when you install a new nest box. The right spacing will help you maximize occupancy for Bluebirds while minimizing other occupants. It also enhances the habitat’s available resources, giving the Mountain Bluebirds who raise their young in the nest box with the best chance of success!
Virtual AGM a success!
Thank you to all participants who took part in our first ever virtual Annual General Meeting on ZOOM! There were 18 attendees that took part in conducting the necessary annual business of our Society for 2020.
First Bluebird of the season confirmed!
It has been confirmed - the bluebirds are back for another season! A bluebird was heard on March 8, International Women's Day, north of the Oldman Reservoir west of Fort Macleod.