MBTCS News & Updates
Bluebirds soon to 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. Ideally, nest boxes should be cleaned out and repaired by the end of February in time for their arrival… so do not delay!
Website Year in Review 2022
Explore highlights from our website’s statistics from 2022! Discover how many visitors explore our website and where they came from. Leave a comment to help us plan our 2023 content.
Don Stiles: ‘Mr. Bluebird’ did much for birds, conservation
Don Stiles of Calgary was an avid bluebird enthusiast and has helped our organization by providing advice and contact information on many occasions. Don passed away on Oct. 11 and we mourn his loss. In sharing his obituary, we honour his legacy and hope to highlight his conservation work for Bluebirds.
‘Mountain Bluebirds’ short documentary by Rick Andrews (REPOST)
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
Trail Monitor Stories: The headless swallow by Jim Leitch
Last year, one of the pleasant surprises on my trail was having a few families of Violet-green Swallows occupy some of my boxes for the first time ever. It was beautiful to see their flashes of turquoise green on white with a distinct purple rump. They are similar to the tree swallow.
Trail Monitor Stories: Kathy Koenig
One of the great things about being a Trail Monitor is the vast opportunity it provides to get outdoors, enjoy the fresh air, scenery and glimpses of other birds and other wildlife. In this new and hopefully long-term feature, we’ve asked monitors to share some of their experiences and photographs from their year of trail work. Featured on this post are photos and narrative from MBTCS Treasurer Kathy Koenig:
Bluebird? Tanager? Galapagos sightings
Long-time MBTCS member and director Joe Michielsen visited Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands earlier this year. Always with an eye on birds and other wildlife, he spotted a bird that at first glance could have been a bluebird…
How far from top should hole be on Mountain Bluebird Nest Box?
The cold season is the perfect time of year to work on building or renovating Mountain Bluebird nest boxes in preparation for the year ahead. We recommend reviewing our Nest Box Building page for the best and most complete advice on all specifications and blueprints for Mountain Bluebirds…
President’s Fall Report
As I pen this report for the 2022 season, I can't help but be surprised at the pleasant warm fall season we are experiencing. It seems like a repeat of last fall. Like last year as well this past season we saw some pretty extreme weather. A late arriving spring followed by an extended very hot summer.
A Simple De-nesting Tool to Clean Nest Boxes
MBTCS Trail Monitor Raymond Huel shares a simple invention that helps him with the messy annual duty of cleaning out nest boxes! His objective was to make something that would quickly push the old nest out and, at the same time, reduce the need for a heavy glove.
Where do Mountain Bluebirds migrate to in Winter?
Mountain Bluebirds (Sialia currucoides) are an absolute delight during the early spring and summer in Southern Alberta. When they quickly disappear in September it is clear that the seasons are changing, and autumn has arrived. Where do the Mountain Bluebirds go when they leave Alberta?
Trail Rejuvenation in Crowsnest Pass
An update from our Trail Master Steven Shumborski on trail redevelopment in the Crowsnest Pass. The work was coordinated around nesting season to minimize disturbance and resulted in the first 33 renovated boxes being installed on September 20, 2022.
Amazing Teen Race event assembles nest boxes in Crowsnest Pass
We are always thrilled to hear from members with creative ideas to build awareness about Mountain Bluebird Conservation. Earlier this year we were contacted by a teacher from the Livingstone Range School Division to see if we could provide materials for an upcoming community event.
End of Season Nest Box Cleanup & Reporting
It is that time of the year again! The bluebirds, tree swallows and maybe even the wrens (if you have them) have fledged. Now is the time that we, as trail monitors, begin our annual fall cleaning of the bluebird nest boxes.
“Bluebird Man” is a great documentary about Al Larson and Bluebird Recovery
Bluebird Man is the story of 94-year-old Al Larson, a self-taught conservationist who has committed the last 35 years of his life to recovering North America’s bluebirds. Breathtaking scenery, intimate conversations and stunning footage of all three species of bluebird create a powerful film that reveals the secret behind Al’s longevity while providing inspiration for our next generation of citizen scientists.
Supporting Students Redevelop a Trail in Guernsey State Park, WY
We receive the occasional inquiry about building the ideal nest box for Mountain Bluebirds and are always happy to help as best as we can. Our Trail Master was contacted in early March with questions from Wyoming for a trail redevelopment at Guernsey State Park! He went above and beyond by sending pieces for a sample MBTCS nest box at the end of March.
Spring Orientation a Success
We are happy to report another successful spring orientation took place on Saturday June 5, 2022. There were 13 members present to learn the fundamentals of being a great Trail Monitor with the Mountain Bluebird Conservation Society (MBTCS).
Transfer of Bluebird Trails
Talking your friends into looking after a trail you are no longer able to look after leads to disaster. I regularly encounter this experience and an abandoned trail is often the result.
President’s Spring Report
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.
A new group of monitors
When teacher Derek Shackleford wanted to discover how his class could help mountain bluebird conservation, he contacted our Trail Master, Steven Shumborski to get the facts. As a result, the class assembled 10 nest boxes from MBTCS supplied parts, and installed them near the school grounds. The nest boxes will be regularly monitored and students will hopefully have the opportunity to see bluebirds, eggs, nestlings and fledglings.