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History of Bluebirding (Part 1)Also see Population. In addition to Messages that have appeared in the Bluebird Mailing Lists on this topic, the following are on the Audubon Society of Omaha website: Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 14:45:13 -0600 This is from a visitor of my site. Can everyone who knows anything about this e-mail and tell this person what you know. Thank you! Jess ____________________________________________________________ Could you tell me who was the 1st person or group of people who started bluebird trails? Your help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you, Lin"at"kpsnet.com Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 16:29:34 -0800 (PST) ... I have right beside me the June 1977 issue of Nat.Geo. and in it is a section called "Song of Hope for the Bluebird". The article is written by......Dr.Zeleny, whom (if you don't know) started the North American Bluebird Society. It tells the story of Little Brother and Little Sister and pleads to help out in their conservation. The neat thing is that from reading this section over and over, it offers little hope that the EABL would escape extinction. Look at what we have all helped saved. This was written one year before NABS was formed. I found this issue of Nat.Geo. in my local library. Zeleny died in 1995. Just a thought. Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 18:58:27 -0600 Kevin: Even though it happened in 1995, I did not know Larry Zeleny had passed away. I owe everything in my Bluebird life to that article in the Geographic, to Larry Zeleny, and his book. Yes, he would be proud, because the bird is anything but extinct around here! And I feel good, and maybe a little boastful, that I helped bring them back! Heaven just would not be right without Bluebirds, would it? Bill Darnell, Savannah, TN... Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 23:01:49 EST In a Message dated 3/3/00 10:27:13 AM Central Standard Time, Lin"at"kpsnet.com writes: I am doing research on Bluebird trails. There is only ONE thing I still need to know...Who was the person, or group of people to START the 1st Bluebird trails (names - states and any other info is greatly appreciated) Thanks so Much!!!! Linette KLine Linette, So as not to get this wrong I'm going to forward your email to the mailing list Bluebird_L for their response. Jim McLochlin Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 23:53:50 -0500 Hello Kevin, and List It was that June, 1977 National Geographic article that caused the groundswell of support that led to the founding of NABS and started the whole turnaround. I first stumbled across that article, a few months after it came out, in my 10th grade English class, no doubt while I should have been working on a class assignment. I was very surprised to see that particular magazine reporting on anything in my own mostly urban/suburban county, Prince George's, in MD, which borders most of Washington, DC., but I remember being shocked to find that there were actually bluebirds here, on Dr. Zeleny's trail. I had never seen one, and it was 10 more years before I did see one, in the summer of 1988, a few weeks later I met Dr. Zeleny and he took a small group of us on a tour of his trail along with then NABS Director Mary Janetatos. One more result of that article was that the Eastern Bluebird was named the 'Official Bird' of the county, despite the very few numbers actually found here. Dave Bagley Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 06:58:32 -0500 One of my most prized possessions is the book The Bluebird, How You Can Help Its Fight For Survival - signed by that gentle man thusly: "To Betty, Lawrence Zeleny 2/17/91". He even reminded me of a little Bluebird when I talked with him. I am sure he is aware of our efforts to carry on that passion for these incredible birds...I always mention Dr. Zeleny in introductory remarks at my presentations. It was an honor to meet this great and humble man.... Betty Nichols, Middletown, MD -just "up the road" from where it all started!
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 04:22:46 -0800 (PST) Betty should definitely know this one! The first one in the U.S. was of course, started by Dr. Zeleny near Beltsville, Maryland. With the start of 85 boxes that within 5 years fledged 1,000 bluebirds. That was a start. On the other hand Canada boasted that it had the world's largest bluebird trail: Through Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It covered a distance of 2,000 miles. Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 10:59:21 EST Diane Barbin ... Linette had written to me privately seeking information about the history of the Bluebird movement, asking particularly who was the first person to start it. After having responded to her privately, I thought that perhaps many of those on the list would be interested to know how our road was paved for us. I have cut and pasted much of what I sent to Linette and hope that others will find it interesting. Often people point to Larry Zeleny as the one who started it all. Although he was a highly involved in the movement, eventually founding NABS, and an inspiration to many, there were some others who came before him who deserve some recognition. What follows comes from the forward of the book titled: The Return of the Bluebird, by Andre P. Dion, it was published in 1981. The forward itself was written by Larry Zeleny. If you want more details than I am about to give you, please get a copy of this book, as this information is found in the introduction to this book. What follows is only part of the history. And now snippets from Zeleny's forward in The Return of the Bluebird: "More than a half century ago (remember this was published in 1981) Frank M. Chapman, on of America's leading ornithologists, predicted that the starling, which in America was then confined to a small area within about 100 miles of New York City, would eventually become a serious threat to the bluebird. His prediction came true within a remarkable short time and, because of its even more aggressive nature, the starling became a greater threat than the House Sparrow. Bluebirds usually found it almost impossible to nest successfully in any area where starlings were abundant. This situation has greatly increased the bluebirds' dependence on their human friends to supply them with starling-proof boxes. Thomas E. Musselman of Quincy, Illinois, is generally credited with being the originator of a bluebird conservation movement of more than local importance. Likewise he originated the concept of the "bluebird trail" as well as the name itself. He began making and experimenting with nesting boxes of his own design in 1926 and several years later established a bluebird trail along country roads in Adams County, Illinois. The success of this trail encouraged him to expand his activities until his trails in the county consisted of more than 1,000 nesting boxes. Musselman pioneered the effort to obtain widespread public participation in the bluebird conservation partly through an article in Bird Lore in 1934 calling for the establishment of bluebird trails throughout the country. During his later years he devoted much of his time to lecturing and helping others get started in the bluebird conservation worth through personal contacts and correspondence. William G. Duncan of Louisville, Kentucky, like Musselman, is credited as a major bluebird conservation pioneer. From about 1930 until Musselman's death in 1976, the two men were in frequent communication, exchanging notes, experiences and ideas. Duncan designed his own bluebird nesting box, and his plans have been used widely with much success. He operated bluebird trails consisting of hundreds of boxes, mostly in Jefferson County, Kentucky. By means of talks and correspondence he spread the bluebird Message to thousands of people throughout much of the country. Duncan's interests and concern with conservation issues are broad and deep. This led him in the 1950's to begin writing and distributing newsletters to interested persons. His mailing list increased rapidly and now exceeds 1,500 names. These newsletters cover a wide range of conservation issues, but Duncan's first love was the bluebird, the plight of which he mentions more frequently than any other subject. Untold numbers of concerned people are now engaged in helping the bluebirds as a result of Duncan's urging. A highly successful bluebird trail was established by Percy Warner Park, Nashville, Tennessee in 1936 by Amelia R. Laskey. This was continued for many years during which time Laskey kept careful records and made numerous observations of scientific value which are recorded in the scientific literature. Later, with the cooperation of John S. Herbert, a similar successful trail was established along rural roads near Ashland City, Tennessee. One of the most obscure yet most ambitious efforts in the history of bluebird conservation was the development of the National Bluebird Trail. It started with the Junior Audubon Club or Cape Girardeau, Missouri, organized by Mrs. Oscar Findley in 1938. Under her guidance the Club developed a successful bluebird trail locally. Soon thereafter Mrs. Erie R. Jackson of the Better Garden Club of Kirkwood, Missouri secured permission from the Missouri Highway Department to place nesting boxes along Missouri highways. Her club adopted this plan as their project early in 1942 and began developing a state-wide trail. Later that year the trail was taken over by the State Board of Federated Garden Clubs of Missouri and the Missouri Bluebird Trail consisting of 2,680 nesting boxes was officially dedicated. Within three years garden clubs in 23 states from coast to coast had joined the effort and on May 9, 1945 the National Bluebird Trail was formally dedicated in Springfield Missouri. By 1946 a total of 6,728 nesting boxes had been erected. In 1951 Philip J. Hummel of St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, established a small bluebird trail on his farm which, because of its success, attracted the attention of the Wisconsin Society of Ornithology. The society urged 4-H Clubs to establish trails in their areas as club project. The WSO insured a bulletin entitled Bluebird Trails Guide designed primarily for the use of 4-H Clubs. William L. Highouse of Warren, Pennsylvania, has maintained an active bluebird project know as "Operation Bluebird" in Warren County, Pennsylvania since 1957. By 1974 he and some thirty others who have helped with the project had mounted approximately 400 nesting boxes along about 100 miles of Warren County roads. Since its inception this project has produced roughly 14,500 Eastern Bluebirds and 6,900 Tree Swallows." The story history goes on and on. There were many other individuals in other states and Canada all working on behalf of the much love Bluebird. Now, more quoting from the book: snip "The National Association for the Protection and Propagation of the Purple Martins and Bluebirds of America (NAPPPMBA) was organized in 1964 by M.D. Anglin, an Arkansas attorney, and Charles C. Butler, a Kansas grocer. The organization issued monthly newsletters to its 400 members and distributed approximately at cost about 7,000 copies of bluebird nesting box plans and instructions and 4,000 copies of my 16-page booklet Bluebirds for Posterity. NAPPPMBA was dissolved in 1969 and its work passed into the hands of the Griggsville Wild Bird Society (now The Nature Society) which published Purple Martin Capital News (now Nature Society News). This paper has published a monthly "Bluebird Trail" column for many years. The column was written by T.E. Musselman prior to 1969, by Larry Zeleny from 1969 to 1981, then by Ben Pinkowksi, Marcy Hoepfnar and others. This column has created widespread interest in bluebird conservation throughout much of the United States and Canada." snip "Instruction in bluebird conservation has been initiated in some public school to show the children how they can become personally involved in helping a deeply troubled species of wildlife to survive. Richard M. Tuttle, a junior high school teacher in Delaware County, Ohio started his own bluebird trail in 1968. Inspired by the success of this operation he instructs his students by means of illustrated lectures and by having the construct and mount their own nesting boxes in a proper habitat. Some of these student the become sufficiently interested to develop their own bluebird trails." snip "Hubert W. Prescott of Portland, Oregon has long been concerned by the dwindling population of the Western Bluebird, particularly in the region of Oregon's fertile Willamette Valley. In about 1969 he began a serious study of the problem and concluded that one of the principal troubles was that, in the development of the Valley's land for intensive agriculture, the natural cavities needed by the bluebirds for nesting had been mostly destroyed. In 1973 Prescott initiated bluebird trails in three separate areas of the Willamette Valley. The project has been generally successful and with the blessing and support of the Portland Audubon Society has been considerably expanded. snip Jack R. Finch of Bailey, North Carolina organized the non-profit bluebird conservation corporation "Homes for Bluebirds", Inc. Through his organization Finch began building and setting out nesting boxes in carefully selected locations throughout much of North and South Carolina until eventually more than 2,000 boxes had been placed in more than 70 locations. These included nesting boxes of several different original designs, most of which have been proved to be successful. Large increases in the bluebird population appear to have occurred in many of the areas where his boxes are located. One of the most encouraging trends in the bluebird conservation movement is the gradual involvement of big industry. Perhaps the outstanding example of such involvement is that of the Bowater Carolina Company of Catawba, South Carolina. This is one of the worldwide family of companies involved in lumbering and in the production of wood pulp, paper, and other forest products. In 1975 Bowater began its participation in the bluebird cause by producing well-made nesting boxes and giving them with complete instructions to persons requesting them in the Carolinas and adjoining states who would agree to make proper use of them and report their results annually. More than 3,000 nesting boxes have been distributed under this program and the results have been highly encouraging. snip Utility companies in several areas have joined the bluebird conservation movement by permitting the placing of nesting boxes on their properties or by actually establishing bluebird trails. Both the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company and the Philadelphia Electric Company have established trails on their properties in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Robert M. Schustsky not only operates the trail on the property of the Philadelphia Electric Company, but conducts one-day bluebird workshops several times a year for all interested persons. snip By early 1978 interest in the plight of the bluebird had reached a high level largely as a result of the long series of "Bluebird Trail" columns in Nature Society News, publication of the book The Bluebird--How You can Help Its Fight for Survival, by Larry Zeleny, an article on bluebird in National Geographic, and numerous other magazine and newspaper articles n the subject. As a result a small group of experienced bluebirders got together in the Washington, D.C. area to consider the possibility of a continent-wide organization to promote the cause of bluebird conservation. Accordingly the North American Bluebird Society was incorporated as a non-profit tax-exempt organization in 1978. Its founding board of directors included persons from geographic regions in which are found each of the three bluebird species. The Society has since functioned as a principal agency in promoting bluebird conservation. Among its activities is the publication of the well-received quarterly journal, Sialia." Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 11:12:21 EST I thought Thomas E. Musselman came up with the idea for the first bluebird trail. Am I incorrect. REL Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2000 19:19:25 -0500 Well maybe the start of a BB trail was around 1977 as mentioned, but in 1971-72, I had over 40 boxes up here in three towns in Connecticut, but never called it a trail. I was an eager teen who had access to a table saw, and wanted to do what I could to try and attract Bluebirds back into our State which was almost totaly void of Bluebirds. I knew of no orginization, group or source to get info from, so it was all done from what we could find on our own. My brother and I worked long and hard building boxes to put up. I think we had most of the dimentions right, for they had been published for years. Where we placed them was another story. I remember almost all went up on trees, but most were facing open fields . Of 40 boxes, in 3 years, we had 2 BB attempts; one was destroyed by vandilism with eggs in it, the other had the female killed by a house cat! Discouraging results at best, and we gave up the effort out of frustration. I must say here though, the persistence of the old timers to endure, even with discouraging results, to raise such few broods from many boxes did save the BB from possible extinction, and gave all of us the numbers needed to start the comeback we have today. I belive from these small populations, eventualy came a steady increase in numbers, and thus birds that could move into unoccupied areas. Thank goodness for these early, persistent Bluebirders, for without them, we would not have the birds to work from for our trails today!! Thanks old timers!!! About Vandalizm: I never put any boxes up in people traveled areas unless they are private property like golf corses, farms etc, or nature centers, where all things are seen daily by conservation minded folks. I loose most boxes by people who want a box, and would rather steal one of mine than buy or build one. Watch out for property that attracts the off road croud; they will eventualy destroy all the boxes they can get at. Also be carefull of inocent home owners who want boxes in their yards. Eventualy, you will get failures from their cats, insectcides, herbicides, and just plain neglect. Most get knocked over by mowers eventualy. Finally: Nothing better than a BB or Pellet gun for HOSP control !! Just used it today to hit a HOSP that was taking over the box my yard BBs were trying to get! Sorry for the long one...............Paul from 61f Harwinton, CT Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 14:05:05 EST I'm looking for resources that may have information about the use of "bird" boxes or nest boxes during the 19th century. I work part-time at a state historic site in Missouri. The site interprets 19th-century agriculture and Industrial technology. The museum/visitor center are considering nest boxes for exhibits, maybe reproductions of ones used during that time. I would appreciate any information offered. Thank you, Zoe Geist Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 14:48:27 -0000 Several years ago while visiting Colonial Williamsburg, I heard a speaker discuss types of bird houses that were used in colonial days. Many of them were made of clay, some had been "fired" and others were in "bisque". They also used gourds as many of the Amish use today. Perhaps you could contact Colonial Williamsburg at www.colonialwilliamsburg.org Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2001 10:08:01 -0500 Hi all, I received a Message from someone inquiring about the history
associated with bluebirds. I thought that with so many knowledgeable
and experienced bluebirders on this list, someone might be able
to answer his question below. If any one can answer it, I will
forward your reply back to him. When you see a blue bird what kind of meaning does it have, if any? Also, good or bad luck, omens, legends and past history from when the first blue bird was recorded and by who. Tina Phillips Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 11:27:12 EDT When you see a blue bird what kind of meaning does it have,
if any? Also,good or bad luck, omens, legends and past history from when
the first blue bird was recorded and by who. Rhonda Watts... Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2001 20:10:20 -0400 Hello all, The old time farmers here in North Georgia were at odds with bird books and the current beliefs surrounding bluebirds on two significant issues. Whenever discussion falls on the great decline in the population of bluebirds that occurred between 1940 and 1950, the farmers of those days to whom I spoke were very certain that pesticide use, and more specifically, the use of DDT was the unqualified culprit. Now, more than 50 years later, some who study pesticides say that DDT could not have been responsible for this decline because their tests show bluebirds are somewhat tolerant of this poison. Others disagree saying the quantities used of this product that was once considered safe were so high that it could have indeed caused a massive decline in bluebird populations. One thing is certain, DDT did destroy the insects that were the food supply of the bluebird. Destroying a species food is as effective as destroying a species. One farmer has told me that insect levels didn't return to normal for decades after massive use of DDT ended. He recalls that for many years peaches were raised without the need for pesticides. These farmers had house sparrows, many hundreds of them. It was not unusual to fill several bushel baskets of nest material deposited in attic spaces by house sparrow colonies. And, while the large flocks of house sparrows described as hundreds or thousands were a nuisance in all barns and outbuildings, bluebirds occupied nest boxes on fence posts around farmyard gardens throughout the summer. Which leads to the second way the memory of these old time farmers is at odds with current popular belief. They told me bluebirds simultaneously nested in several nest boxes no further than 50 feet apart and that each farmyard vegetable garden had as many as 5 nests at a time. Judging by the garden at Jimmy Carter's old home and the other farmers who still maintain them, I estimate these gardens large enough for only one, maybe two, bluebird pairs if today's published 'wisdom' of 100 yards between nest boxes is a good estimate of breeding territory size. We can debate the impact of House Sparrows on the population of bluebirds continuously. They are a factor. But because so many folks are fledging bluebirds side-by-side with house sparrows, because I watched bluebirds successfully defend a nest in a hole in the wall near the top of a two story building in a sparrow infested town, and more importantly, because in 1979 Keith Kridler had 133 pairs of bluebirds nesting in 179 different nest boxes and another 82 nests with house sparrow eggs while only losing 6 bluebird adults to house sparrows, I for one will always believe it is us, not house sparrows that nearly wiped out the bluebirds. Yes, we can doubt these farmers memories of the loss of not only bluebirds but the decimation of house sparrow populations when they began dousing their fields, yards, homes, and bodies with DDT. But, as of today, I have positive proof that their memories of an active bluebird box on top of every fence post only 50 feet apart may indeed be accurate. Earlier this year I wrote about the tragedy that occurred when friends decided to build a swimming pool amongst and between three nest boxes occupied by a pair of Brown Headed Nuthatches and two pairs of Eastern Bluebirds. Two nests were lost but one of the bluebird pairs successfully fledged 4. Well, construction is over and the back yard is now alive with splashing water, jubilant people, night time pool parties and the air is filled almost continuously with the sound of John Denver and Pink Floyd. And the birds have settled in too. Today, barn swallows fledged from the deck above the pool,
six Carolina wren eggs are in a flower pot off the kitchen porch,
an Eastern Phoebe is feeding And two of the boxes with incubating bluebirds are only 53 feet apart, about 17 yards. Between them, nothing but air. No, the birds don't read books. They don't write them either, or, they would be telling a different story. Gary Springer PS I have a theory why these bluebirds and the bluebirds of farmers of long ago nested so much closer than the often quoted 100 yard distance between nest boxes. This theory, if correct may also explain why bluebirds would have been so hard hit by pesticide use. Do any of you have any thoughts about why? KK wrote: Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2001 20:28:57 -0500 Snip Hello Gary and all - DDT was manufactured near Huntsville, Alabama some ten or so air miles from our farm. To the farmers it was thought to be the greatest things since sliced bread. It seems most farmers had the theory that if a little was good, more was better. There were fish kills all the time and I went for many years without seeing a single bluebird. Heaven knows what damage was being done to other species. If the scientists would factor in the amount of indiscriminate use of DDT they would probably wonder how anything survived. Ahem, when you talked about old time farmers I thought you were talking about my grandfather. Now that 1940's 1950 stuff stings. ; -) Best regards, Bruce Johnson ~ Life Mbr. NABS Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2001 21:58:25 -0400 Just sent Gary a response, but recommend to the group if you want to learn more about the effects of DDT, Chemicals and Pesticides on birds (and other wildlife) pick up a "old" copy of Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring". She was one of the first to come out ( in 1962 ) to challenge the impacts of chemical invasion on ecosystems (with bird populations as being one of the first indicators). Her words still ring true today. kimmarie :) Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2001 23:02:16 -0400 Gary suggested that I forward this Message to all of you and I hope it makes some sense... it's long, but if you get through it maybe it will make some sense... ----- Original Message ----- Gary, Date: Wed, 13 Jun 2001 23:19:12 EDT Gary, Kimmaire, and all interested, Thankyou for the discussion of DDT, pesticides and birds. It IS a very important issue and I agree with all you have said. I would just like to add one practical piece of information for those interested in pesticides and birds - the American Bird Conservancy has a pesticides campaign ( among other things ). For more information go to www.abcbirds.org/ Also a quote from "Silent Spring" which for me sums it all up - "Who has decided - who has the right to decide - for the countless legions of people who were not consulted that the supreme value is a world without insects, even though it be also a world ungraced by the curving wing of a bird in flight?" Jane Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2001 13:16:00 -0400 I believe the memory of Georgia farmers of the 1920's and 1930's could very well be accurate when they described Eastern Bluebirds as nesting on every fence post around farm yard vegetable gardens while clearing out bushel baskets of house sparrow nesting material from attic spaces, until they began dousing their fields, yards, homes, and bodies with DDT. These farmers had never before heard of pesticides but were probably more familiar with the damage insects did to their crops than the farmers of today. It's hard to imagine, but to early farmers, birds were the solution to crop insect destruction. Therefore, bluebirds that subsisted almost entirely on insects during the growing season and almost never damaged crops were their best friends. For these early farmers, putting up nest boxes was their occupation, not recreation. Because dense splendid forest beyond the realm of our imagination covered almost the entire Eastern United States when the first European settlers arrived on the continent, I believe the Eastern Bluebird, like its cousin the American Robin, were originally deep forest birds. The great timber harvest of the first quarter of the century left a large population of bluebirds with a severe shortage of nesting sites. For miles, the only large trees were the majestic oak and walnut trees about the farm houses. These forest trees had been spared the saw for the shade they provided. For miles, the balance of the surrounding land was primarily covered by the rubble of clear cut forest and crops. Because bluebird populations were high, nesting sites few, and insects numerous, the bluebird gladly occupied the farmers nest boxes to the number. Today, after decades of pesticide use and reforestation, it only seems natural that the Eastern Bluebirds that have survived will nest further apart. First, fewer insects will cause the birds to defend a larger area. Second, reforestation and reduction of the bluebird population has reduced the competition for nesting sites. Further, if this scenario of a high population of bluebirds centered around farm houses where most of the remaining nest sites existed is accurate, the bluebirds were in high risk of being decimated when farmers began heavy use of DDT. With the introduction of DDT at each farm, the young bluebirds would have died in nest boxes as the parents scanned the barren ground in futility for insects, or, fed the nestlings DDT covered insects that survived. And, if you were one of these farmers, you wouldn't be blaming the house sparrow for the disappearance of bluebirds when the numbers of these other birds plummeted the same year you first used DDT. Gary Springer PS It is possible the house sparrow will have a significant long term effect on bluebird populations, but to date, I believe the effect of this species on Eastern Bluebird populations is negligible compared to the huge decline experienced across the Eastern United States when house sparrows were non existent in most of the best Eastern Bluebird breeding habitat. Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2001 12:31:19 -0500 Gary: If your thesis is saying that nearly a century ago, the Eastern Bluebird was severely damaged by the affects of DDT, and back then the HOSP was not the problem it is today I agree. But the Eastern Bluebird did regress in numbers and the HOSP has thrived because of their knack of being able to populate and breed almost anywhere, especially in cities. HOSP's probably prefer to stay in cities but when their population exploded the past few decades, they have had to move on. But if you are saying that the problems HOSP's are to Bluebirds is being over emphasized, I have to disagree. Times are much different then they were 80 years ago. Cities are larger, thus making more room for HOSP's to breed and spread throughout the countryside. Countryside that is becoming less and less. I enjoyed your Message. C. Daschle Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2001 13:50:07 -0400 House sparrows have thrived in cities because they are more tolerant of man and they do not rely heavily on insects for food as the Eastern Bluebird does. Had there never been a single house sparrow, New York City would still be void of Eastern Bluebirds. And, when the continent looks more like New York City than wide open farmland far from farmers buildings where few if any house sparrows now reside, there will be hundreds of times more house sparrows than today and no Eastern Bluebirds. When that day comes, will people continue blaming the House sparrow for the elimination of the Eastern Bluebird? Gary Springer Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2001 16:10:57 -0400 Hi there: I am fascinated by this exchange. I'm a novice bluebirder (2nd season of trail monitoring), but in my little community 30 miles South of Boston, I am treated like an authority on the subject & am asked ALL the time the se really difficult questions like what happened to bluebirds?; how come they're returning now?; etc. I've heard so many theories from so many really smart birders & naturalists sorts (for example: I recently heard that the banning of beaver traps is a primary reason for EABL's return, since beavers flood forests thereby killing trees, thereby creating more nesting-cavities), I find my head is swimming w/information from which I cannot extract a cohesive narrative, nor can I provide a straight-forward response to these really good questions. Next week, I'm suppose to talk about bluebirds to a local environmental group. Can any of you experts help me w/my narrative? That's not to say I need definitive answers, just a better sense of here's what we know for sure & here are the gray areas on this huge subject of why did bluebirds once thrive?; Why did they stop thriving;?; How did they escape extinction?; What are the primary reasons for their 2nd wind? Thanks so much for this dialogue! It's much more intriguing than exchanges posted here in recent days about whether teachers' unions are the cause of the decline of western civilization. Robin Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2001 17:52:49 -0400 Gary, thank you for a beautiful article. Very interesting. I have a couple of questions. As you know due to urban and sub-urban growth, we now have a great number of EABL growing in people's yards. Instead of DDT, many folks use other chemicals to kill insects/grubs that "hurt" the grass. Would you say this is as bad as the use of DDT some time ago? Trouble is the typical home-owner is so eager to have good looking grass, such chemicals are overused. Could it also be that the HOSP became aggressive due to the man-made DDT (and newer versions of insecticides?) In other words, is it due to what we do with chemicals and other "advances" in our society? I have always wondered why the EABL do not tolerate each other closer than the 300' circle while the starlings don't mind other starlings close by. Very interesting thoughts Gary! Personally, I do not feed nor weed my lawn. I just cut it every week. The swallows follow the lawn mower collecting all the insects the mower stirs up. The Bluebirds like that too... Fawzi Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2001 20:40:55 -0500 Thanks, Gary, for your wonderful posts. I can remember when people used DDT in hand held spray cans. As a child I would spend summers with my aunt in the country and we would spray inside the farm house for flies and other creatures with DDT. It gives me shivers now to think about it. Out where we live, our drinking water comes from our lake so we don't use any chemicals at our place. I use cow manure tea instead of chemicals to fertilize my gardens. I make it and I know it sounds awful but the plants, etc. just love it. And I don't try to maintain a well manicured lawn now like I use to in the suburbs. We have so many wild flowers and clover growing all over that it is just impossible to try and mow. I tried mowing around them, but had to give it up. I'd rather have the butterflies, honey and bumble bees and wild flowers than a mowed lawn. When I look out my window, I can see white daises and yellow mustard growing everywhere. Now the wild butterfly weed is starting to bloom and they are just covered with all kinds of butterflies. So I put the mower up--at least until they all go to seed. Some places I'm just keeping "wild'. The birds seem to like it this way, also. Thanks again for your wonderful posts. Dottie, Brown County, Indiana Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2001 23:10:55 EDT In a Message dated 6/16/01 4:18:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time, robinkol"at"msn.com writes: ALL the time these really difficult questions like what happened to bluebirds?; how come they're returning now?; etc. I've heard so many theories from so many really smart birders & naturalists sorts (for example: I recently heard that the banning of beaver traps is a primary reason for EABL's return, since beavers flood forests thereby killing trees, thereby creating more nesting-cavities), I find my head is swimming w/information I sympathise! I also struuggle with all these difficult questions! What you say about beavers and bluebirds interests me. I recently also read that the grassland nesting birds ( some of whom are far more at risk than bluebirds ) also benefit from the presence of beavers and that there may have been a much higher population of grassland species here in the east before European settlement, due to beaver activity as well as some other factors such as fires. Apparently it may not have been as completely forested as people think it was - there were pockets where grassland birds could thrive. The book I read this in, in case anyone is interested ( there's a lot more to it than I explain here of course ) is "Restoring North America's Birds" by Robert A Askins. It's very readable! Jane Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2001 23:50:40 -0400 (EDT) Hello all, I don't agree that DDT was more of a problem than HOSP were. Little was known about the destruction of Bluebirds and their egg,s and young until the recent movement to restore the Bluebird. Farmers didn't monitor nests like we do today so nothing much was known about what took place inside a nest. People with Purple Martins were way ahead on this subject and have long battled the HOSP invasion. There are other insecticides today about as bad as DDT and more widely used. That story sounds good in theory but nothing proves it. Joe Huber, Venice ,Fl. Date: Sun, 17 Jun 2001 08:25:34 -0400 (EDT) I have seen no mention of a past problem that the Bluebirds faced for many years. In the tobacco growing states they used a certain type of vent pipe in tobacco curing sheds all thru the southern states. These vents allowed Bluebirds to enter them in search of cover but would not let them out. When these vent pipes were cleaned out they would find half dozen to a dozen dead Bluebirds in them. This was still going on after NABS was formed in the 70,s. When it was learned that these vents were causing the death of hundreds of Bluebirds ,they started checking all the vents. They soon banned the use of that type vent so birds would not be trapped in them. In every area where Sparrow control is practiced the number of bluebirds explode. There is no such thing as sparrow territory or Bluebird territory but rather areas preferred by one or the other. Many areas preferred by Bluebirds never are successful because they can't compete with the HOSP and are killed off. Those who have no HOSP problems can dream up all sorts of excuses for those of us that do. All of us Bluebirders need to move into remote areas with no HOSP so there isn't;t any problem. How long would that last? Joe Huber Venice, Fl. Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 12:41:31 -0500 A note on the positive side, we have a government program that allows you to plant trees in land approved and my son put 80 acres in pine trees which is located right next to me. Other trees can be planted. There are a good many landowners here in the south that have entered the program. In "Bluebird" Journal of the NABS, Spring issue 2001, page 19, it states "Most Americans think of pesticide use as primarily an agricultural issue. In terms of pounds applied, agriculture does account for the majority of pesticide use. However, non-agricultural uses are extensive, and use per acre is significantly higher on average for homeowner lawns. Homeowners use diazinon on their lawns and rodenticides, like brodifacoum for control of mice. Local govenments authorize the use of pesticides for park management and roadside management; conversationists and garderners use pesticides for habital restoration and insect control. " I've never used anything but a liquid fertilizer 9-18-9 only once May. The St. Augustine grass is so thick it chokes out the weeds. So, we all have an important role in helping our wildlife. There's a wonderful little book "Bluebirds" by Steve Grooms and Dick Peterson and it has a chapter in it beginning on pg. 61 about the rise and fall of the bluebirds, which is very encouraging. It lists all of the reasons for the decline of the bluebirds and the years it began to make its recovery. I recommend it. Hope all the Dads had a Happy Father's Day. Evelyn Cooper From: "Keith & Sandy Kridler" kridler"at"1starnet.com Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas.... I picked up an old book while on the trip to Tennessee's bluebird conference. It is the "Peoples Cyclopedia of Universal Knowledge" Vol.1. the part about our beloved bluebird is as follows.... Blue Bird, Blue Warbler, Blue Redbreast, or Blue Robin An American bird, which, from the confidence and familiarity it displays in approaching the habitations of men, and from its general manners, is much the same sort of favorite with all classes of people in the United States that the redbreast is in Britain. Few American farmers fail to provide a box for the B. B.'s nest. In size the B. B. rather exceeds the red-breast, but their food is similar. The upper parts of the B. B. are of a rich sky-blue color, the throat and breast are reddish chestnut, and the belly white. This obviously is referring to the Eastern Bluebird. The book was published in 1884. It also mentions that the beaver was trapped to the edge of extinction in America at this date. There were 17 humans per square mile in North America at this time. Total population for ALL of the America's (north, central and south) was put at 94 million in 1880. In 1820 the southern states of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas had less than 350,000 people but grew to over four million by 1880. Most of these would have been subsistent farmers with their own flocks of chickens and livestock and "bluebird nestboxes" according to the above information. IF the human population was growing at 1,000% in 60 years what was the population of bluebirds doing at this time? Cyclopedias were very popular at this time and might give more information about historic information about the bluebird if you search out book stores with old books. KK From: "Keith & Sandy Kridler" kridler"at"1starnet.com Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas Here is an interesting description of the Eastern Bluebird from this bulletin titled "Fifty Common Birds of Farm and Orchard" Each bird listed has a color painting done by Louis Agassiz Fuertes. It is printed so that farmers would know by the analysis of stomach contents whether or not the birds they were seeing were "good or bad". Some of these birds, which are now all protected, it was recommended that farmers shoot them on sight! Once again in this bulletin the "Bluebird" is listed first! Bluebird (Sialia sialis). Habits and economic status: The bluebird is one of the most familiar tenants of the farm and dooryard. Everywhere it is hailed as the harbinger of spring, and wherever it chooses to reside it is sure of a warm welcome. This bird, like the robin, phoebe, house wren, and some swallows, is very domestic in its habits. Its favorite nesting sites are crannies in the farm buildings or boxes made for its use or natural cavities in old apple trees. For rent the bird pays amply by destroying insects, and it takes no toll from the farm crop. The bluebird's diet consists of 68% of insects to 32% of vegetable matter. The largest items of insect food are grasshoppers first and beetles next, while caterpillars stand third. All of these are harmful except a few of the beetles. The vegetable food consists chiefly of fruit pulp, only an insignificant portion of which is of cultivated varieties. Among wild fruits elderberries are the favorite. From the above it will be seen that the bluebird does no essential harm, but on the contrary eats many harmful and annoying insects. (See Farmers' Bulletin 54, pp.46-48.) Several interesting tidbits here again. In my area it is not uncommon to see bluebirds nesting in buildings, piling nests on perlins in metal buildings or on ledges inside or nesting behind loose siding very similar to what the House Sparrows have now taken over. So House Sparrows in this early 1900 time period would have "shoved" out the bluebirds. Range: This is the Eastern Bluebird! From other old accounts it looks like the Eastern was very common in these areas and Cheyenne Wyoming had a very large productive trail in the early 1900's. From what I can find out the birds in Arizona died out from lack of nesting sites. The white pine and ponderosa forests were cut over for railroads, houses and the forests of Saguaro cactus (excellent source of cavities in semi desert areas) were nearly all dug up by the 1960's for transplanting into city landscape projects. The loss of primary cavity nesters (due to habitat loss) led to loss of cavities for the secondary nesters. Bob Wilson's Colorado Eastern bluebirds are probably a remnant of the subspecies that stretched up out of Mexico through Arizona and on into his area. There is still a small pocket of Eastern bluebirds nesting in the very southern part of Arizona. It would be interesting if DNA testing could be done to see if Bob's and these other birds are closely related. Sandy picked up a whole packet of USDA bulletins from the early 1900's off of Ebay. They are from the University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois and some have Charles Zeleny stamped on them. I wonder if this is a relative of Dr. Larry Zeleny founder of NABS. There is an excellent one on House Sparrow control methods of the 18951915 period. There is also one comparing the diet of Starlings on both sides of the Atlantic to see if the high population in Europe forced them to change food sources compared to the relatively small US population (it did!) KK From: "Phil Berry" mrtony8"at"mchsi.com Charles Zeleny may or may not be related to the bluebird Zeleny.
A brief bio for Charles: An on-line finding aid (box and folder listing) or related website is available here. The Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in may be needed to view the finding aid. It's free from Adobe. Subjects: FROM: Bet from CT I'm working on a slide show for our local historical society on bluebirds through history, and thought it would be fun to have folks take a quiz first. See how you do on the questions! The answers can be found at http://www.sialis.org/quizanswers.htm (most of the answers are also in the Best of Bluebird_L archives at http://www.bestofbbml.audubon-omaha.org/, but try not to cheat!) If you see any answers that are wrong, please let me know!! I think I will use Paula's idea of giving out "dum-dum" candies at the beginning of the talk, and "smarties" at the end. I'll also have a bluebird box as a prize for the person at the talk who gets the most right. (You folks won't win anything other than the satisfaction of knowing that you know a lot, or the realization that learning never ends :-) * .......... Answers to the Eastern Bluebird History Quiz1. Name the 1946 Disney Movie featuring the tune “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.” In Song of the South, Uncle Remus sang Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, which won the 1947 Academy Award for Best Song (words by Ray Gilbert, music by Allie Wrubel, voice of Remus by James Baskett, recorded and popularized by Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers). The lyrics are: Zip a dee doo-dah, zip a dee ay The Eastern Bluebird was designated the State Bird of Missouri in 1927; and of New York in 1970, despite one delegate's comment " I think this is a bit premature. After all, who has ever seen a bluebird, except perhaps on the cover of a greeting card? ” The Mountain bluebird is the state bird of both Idaho and
Nevada. The English (or House) Sparrow . The population of house sparrows exploded after their introduction to the U.S . in 1850/1851, resulting in agricultural damage. House sparrows also aggressively compete with other cavity-nesters such as the bluebird, destroying eggs, nestlings and adults. 4. Who said: “ Who has decided – who has the right to decide – for the countless legions of people who were not consulted that the supreme value is a world without insects, even though it be also a world ungraced by the curving wing of a bird in flight ?” In her 1962 book "Silent Spring," Rachel Carson expressed concern about the impact of DDT and other pesticides on bird populations. She noted " Over increasingly large areas of the United States, spring now comes unheralded by the return of the birds, and the early mornings are strangely silent where once they were filled with the beauty of bird song." DDT was used widely in the U.S. from the late 1940's through 1972, with usage peaking in 1959, to kill disease vectors such as mosquitoes and agricultural pests. However, DDT bioaccumulates, and as the concentration in birds fatty tissues increases, egg shell thickness decreases. 5. Name birds or animals that will attack eggs/nestlings/adult bluebirds in a nestbox. The raccoon, feral cat, black rat snake, house sparrow , house wren , starling, red squirrel, and gray squirrel may prey on eggs/nestlings or adult bluebirds inside a nestbox. Properly designed boxes and predator guards can minimize the likelihood of successful attacks by raccoons, cats, snakes, starlings and squirrels. Other predators of fledgling and adult bluebirds include the red tail hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, and barred owl. 6. Name birds that will nest in eastern bluebird nestbox. Cavity-nesters that will utilize bluebird nestboxes include: House sparrow , House wren , Carolina Wren, Bewick's Wren, Tree Swallow, Great Crested Flycatcher, Black Capped Chickadee and Tufted Titmouse. See Photos . Occasionally flying squirrels will inhabit nestboxes, and bumblebees may use an abandoned chickadee nest. 7. Who recorded “I Wish You Love” (“… I wish you bluebirds in the Spring, To give your heart a song to sing, And then a kiss, But more than this, I wish you love! ”) in 1946. Frank Sinatra recorded this tune written by C. Trenet, and translated to English by A.A. Beach. 8. Between 1926-1938, which of the following established bluebird trails? a. Thomas E. Musselman, Illinois All of the above established trails. It is interesting that recognition of decreased bluebird populations occurred so early. The grassroots nature of bluebird conservation is also noteworthy. 9. What was the year of publication for Larry Zeleny's (founder of NABS) article in National Geographic entitled “Song of Hope for the Bluebirds”? 1970. This was the first article in a large, general-interest publication to highlight the bluebird's plight, and it resulted in a groundswell of support. The following year, Zeleny officially founded the North American Bluebird Society. 10. In 1970, Lorne Scott of Saskatchewan was single-handedly monitoring a bluebird trail with #____ boxes. 2,000 boxes. This may be the largest trail handled by one individual.Bonus questions: 11. The bluebird appears on a ___ cent stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service. The eastern bluebird appears on a three cent stamp issued in 1991, and again in 1996. The 1991 stamp does not have a "¢" symbol after the number 3. The mountain bluebird appears on a 25 cent stamp issued for the Idaho Statehood Centenary in 1990. 12. In early records, the bluebird was referred to as (check all that apply) a. Blew Bird All but "d". In 1722, Mark Catesby, an English artist, published The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands , which included one plate entitled "The Blew Bird." He noted “ They make their nests in holes of trees, are harmless birds, and resemble our robin-redbreast. " Like Robins, bluebirds are members of the thrush family. From: MuskratBob"AT"aol.com From: Keith & Sandy Kridler, txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net ...Old tobacco barns in the eastern states used heaters that killed bluebirds by the thousands from about 1900 - 1960's. The birds would inspect the steel vent pipe on the heaters and hop down and become trapped. They would call out and the entire family would often become trapped. It was verified that over 300 bluebirds could be found in a single tobacco barn heater in one season. I believe they sent out a survey to tobacco farmers and over 90% responding said they found dead birds in their heaters.....They recommended removing the vent stacks from the heaters after the curing season. Wood heaters in houses and buildings have always trapped a lot of cavity nesting birds when they do not have the wire "spark arrestors" installed. The new stainless steel flue pipe is worse than the old carbon steel pipe because it is too slick for the birds to come back up after they hop into this pipe. Plumbers have told me that they often find squirrels, starlings and other birds that go down those PVC drain vent pipes on your roof that are 2" or 4" diameter. Most of these birds and animals simply end up in your septic tank or city sewer and you never have a plug up! Even in colonial days when the water from your roof was diverted to cisterns they told how to keep bluebirds from "fouling" the water when they went down the gutter drains and into your water supply. They also warned about bluebirds entering the open bung holes on wood barrels and drowning in molasses or other liquids. Then we have millions of open top steel pipe used for wire fence stretcher posts. Open topped steel pipe on chain link fences. Chickadees nest down in the open tops of steel pipe for street and county road signs. Starlings and sparrows nest in the steel support pipes for traffic signs. Some of the new steel tube power poles have holes in them large enough to admit chickadees and bluebirds. Then the PVC plastic tubes used to protect newly planted trees are death traps for bluebirds and other cavity nesters. The new PVC fencing with the PVC square posts are death traps when a top is removed or when a rail falls out leaving a nice entrance for the cavity nesters into these posts. Even brick chimneys are sometimes traps for owls and cavity nesting ducks or their young. A single open topped 6" steel pipe used for a support column in a 20 year old open warehouse contained the skeletons of over 300 birds. Most baseball backstops that use pipe for supports are open topped. Many soccer goal posts and football goals are open topped. At Shawn's baseball practice field chickadees were nesting down 18" in an open topped 2" steel pipe used for the back stop support. Remember we have people who brag about being able to trap hundreds of starlings and sparrows in a single year with a good repeating cavity nester trap in one location that uses PVC pipe or Aluminum gutter downspout to guide the trapped bird to a cage. Many of these traps are attached to a house or building and they also often report trapping bluebirds and other cavity nesters. Electric fences stretched just over the tops of chain link fences to keep in fence jumping cats and dogs can also kill birds when they sit on the chainlink fence and touch the electric wire with their head.... And we worry about snakes, coons and bears eating a few of our birds! .... KK From: Dottie Roseboom [mailto:rosedot"at"mtco.com] From: Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas ...House Sparrow numbers ARE declining worldwide from Asia particularly India and China and nearly everywhere they actually do long term bird counts like in England, Scotland, Ireland and North Ireland. Of course most species of birds are in a decline due to shrinking habitat, pollution or lack of food sources. The worrisome thing about House Sparrows is that they should be thriving in most countries like the USA and other developed countries. Since 1940 we have added almost 200 million more people in the USA and about 500 million in North America. We more than doubled grain production and meat production in the USA and in 2001, 46 million Americans spent over $30 billion on "birds" mostly nestboxes, bird feeders and food for the birds. (I thought this $ number was absurd until I figured up what we spent on "birds" last year!) House Sparrows in decline is an extremely complex formula but their habitat (living with humans) should be constantly expanding (net gain of 77 million humans world wide a year) year round bird food sources should be on almost every city block in the USA and every backyard has enough weed and flower seeds or insects to support a family of nesting House Sparrows. The USDA has done seven publications on House Sparrows and one was based on a multi year study and analyzed the stomach contents of nearly 8,000 House Sparrows from different parts of the country compared this to other research in Russia and other countries. They stated in this one booklet (the seventh one) that PREDATION of House Sparrows while they were nesting by the European Starling caused the sparrow population to decline after 1940 or so in the USA. It took forty years for Starlings to multiply to the point where they impacted House Sparrow numbers in towns and cities. Starlings have increased in the USA about 100% since the 1940's. Starlings are also rapidly declining in the British Isles. When you have millions of people buying "bluebird" nestboxes then even though a lot do not remove House Sparrows a LOT more of the nestbox owners will quietly remove the House Sparrows reducing a nesting here and there. After they see native birds killed by House Sparrows more will quietly remove these pests. The more money we spend on birds the more information is made available the more "educated" birders we have out there quietly practicing Sparrow control. According to preliminary research in the British Isles just the loss of ONE nesting of House Sparrows or the reduction of ONE baby sparrow per nesting attempt was enough to put the sparrows into decline. The FIRST bluebird book was Larry Zeleny's printed in 1975 and the first hardback printing was still available in 1990. Since then there have been about a dozen "Bluebird books" printed and nearly all have been anti House Sparrow. Purple Martin web sites and books and info have ALWAYS been anti House Sparrow. Prior to 1970 there were NO commercially available nestbox traps for House Sparrows or Starlings and only one good bait trap that you had to mail order. Now there are dozens of different "Joe Huber" in the box adaptations of his trap. Cats: Ownership of cats has increased to the point where 1/3 of USA households now have one or more cats living with them. Many of these cats will kill one or more adult/baby House Sparrows at nestboxes or bird feeders in their owners yards each year whether they know it or not. Hawks and owls: Prior to 1970 these birds were shot on sight in most rural areas and few if any homeowners were prosecuted. Now the rapid increase in these predators is one of the greatest threats to colony nesting Purple Martins and other flocking birds. Kestrels, Cooper and Sharp Shinned hawks are routinely feeding from bird feeder attracted "sparrow flocks" which of course include House & Gold Finches and other native birds. Cats, coons, possums, fox and snakes: Fur animals were reduced by trapping each fall all across the country prior to about 1980's when it became unpopular to wear fur in the USA. Jackie Kennedy is actually credited with causing worldwide decline in the big cats when she was portrayed wearing all of those beautiful "big cat" coats in the 1960's and it became popular with Hollywood stars and the aspiring elite on through the 1970's. Today every small furred predator is a common roadkill sight in suburban USA and possum's in particular have exploded in population all the way north into Canada. The coons and possums especially are raiding backyard bird feeders and poorly mounted "House Sparrow" bird houses killing many urban birds. Snakes are probably still killed on sight by the majority of people and almost no one will stop their car for a snake crossing the road. Cars and trucks and disease are the limiting factors on reducing small predators today. Squirrels and chipmunks and rats: These are common urban/suburban animals but are predators of small cavity nesting birds. Many unmonitored "birdhouses" are mounted to trees or wood fences. If this is deadly for bluebirds it is the same for House Sparrows. Meat and dairy operations are concentrated indoors now or located in areas with fewer House Sparrows. Strict disease, fly and odor control efforts limit House Sparrows access to poultry and hog operations. The automatic exhaust fans on livestock barns decimate the House Sparrows and Starlings that enter these buildings. Disease & weather: Contagious diseases are carried around the world in days now and severe rainy weather often drowns House Sparrow babies that nest in stupid locations like downspouts and rain gutters. Pesticides/Herbicides: Pesticides in the 1950's became popular and first generation herbicides in the 1960's. Succeeding generation pesticides and herbicides come out every 10 years to replace the prior generation that we learn is "bad" for the environment. Urban/suburban homeowners now use about twice the chemicals on their lawns than we do on all grain crops. House Sparrows often have to drink and bathe from oily puddles in parking lots and chemically treated lawns. Chemicals are absorbed into their feathers and spread on their eggs and feather less young. NONE of the above limiting factors add up to that many total House Sparrow losses but each has helped to stop the population explosion that House Sparrows SHOULD be experiencing! Bluebirds on the other hand are seeing an unprecedented population and territory explosion due to the numbers of "educated" nestbox landlords and most of these are also "bird seed" feeder advocates. In Yahoo I did a search of millet in news articles and pulled up a really good story on a Wild Birds Unlimited store giving GOOD advice about putting out nestboxes and feeding our birds. Type in "house sparrows dying" or "house sparrow" or "house sparrows declining" and search the news and you normally pull up world wide current news articles where even the House Sparrow is having a hard time competing with humans. If we are losing the House Sparrow then how many people even saw a Harris Sparrow at their feeders this year? The male Harris Sparrow also has a very large "black bib". Look up a photo of Harris Sparrow today. What we do to the health and well being of House Sparrows environmentally we are also doing to other birds and ourselves. Each of the above paragraphs could have been expanded into a chapter in a book....KK From: Tnbluebirdman"at"aol.com Hi All, I wish to know if Blue Birds were ever on the endangered speices list.When was this list actually developed? When was the NABS started? I'm sure at one time or another, these questions have been answered. ... From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net] None of the three species of bluebirds has ever been on or even suggested for the endangered species list. NABS was formed in response to the growing awareness of people to the plight of cavity nesting birds and the article in National Geographic in I believe 1977 that featured the photo's and story of Michael Smith's (Mad Bluebird photographer) bluebirds in his suburban Maryland backyard was the last piece to bring about so much interest in the bluebirds that Larry Zeleny & friends formed NABS about 1978. NABS was formed with about 350 charter members from across the USA and Canada. I believe the first nestbox summary reported about 10,000 bluebirds fledged in 1979 or 1980 with about half from Canada. There is a good story in THE BLUEBIRD MONITOR'S GUIDE near the front of the book that tells how NABS first organizational meeting went....or came about... Endangered Species List: I believe was begun in 1971 and actually has very little federal funding to do the research needed for adding the plants, animals, insects and birds to this list. Today more than 90% of their funding is spent paying for litigation from environmental groups suing to have this or that species added to the list. The latest 2004 lawsuit from three environmental groups is suing to have 226 species added this year with more than half of them from the state of Hawaii..More than half of them are plants. Historically more than half of the 226 will become extinct before making the endangered species list. I believe it takes about 17 years now to get a species added to the list. About 6 years ago the "new" rules for adding species to the endangered list was enacted making it harder to add new species. An Eastern Bluebird would be endangered in Arizona but common in Tennessee so why spends millions $ in Arizona on this species. On the other hand they also count all of the members of a species like Whooping Cranes or California Condor's that are in cages, pens or on farms along with the wild birds to determine endangered status..... Did you know that there are more salmon and shrimp raised on fish farms than in the depleted oceans now? That more $ worth of seafood come annually from fish farms than all of the oceans? I would highly recommend people on this list read up on "Endangered Species" to see how important it is to get your neighbors involved in nature. Get them concerned about their bluebirds and other back yard wildlife & concerned enough about wildlife in general to create the ground swell we need to save our planet's plants and animals. It is going to take the money from USA to save the Great apes. It is going to take a severe change in USA lifestyle to save the planets habitat and resources.... Under the first George Bush I believe an average of 59 species were added to the endangered species list each year. Bill Clinton averaged around 65 per year. There are actually very few cavity nesting birds on the endangered species list that I can think of although we lost the Ivory Billed Woodpecker and the Carolina Parakeet and bought pairs of Wood Ducks back from Europe to restock USA back in the 1930's. This is a very complex issue as the rat snakes are endangered in most of the New England States but a common pest that utilize natural cavities south of the Mason Dixon line. Do they qualify for Endangered Species listing? KK From: jwick"at"tds.net [mailto:jwick"at"tds.net] on the Eastern Bluebird (EABL) http://birdsbybent.com/ch21-30/bluebird.html ~Ann Wick Black Earth, WI From: PTom [mailto:ptom"at"austin.rr.com] Sent: Friday, July 30, 2004 12:29 PM Subject: Teaching Arthur Bent's account on bluebirds Have any of you developed or experienced a fun, interesting method of teaching / sharing / discussing / debating the information found in Bent's account? ( http://birdsbybent.com/ch21-30/bluebird.html ) And, I pose the same same question about the three accounts on bluebirds in the North American Bird series. Pauline Tom Mountain City (no mountains) TX Texas Bluebird Society [subsequent post] I reread Bent's account this morning and a favorite sentence is "gentle on my mind" ... He quotes W. E. Clyde Todd (1940): " ... when all nature seems in an expectant mood, vibrant with a new hope and a new promise--the Bluebird returns. . . . Its soft, pleasing warble, like the gentle murmur of a flowing brook in soothing cadence, awakens a sense of well-being and content in each responsive listener." 'most everyone on this list (I think Tina said at the convention that there are 500 / 600 of us) has had the awesome, joyful experience of being a responsive listener with a sense of well-being and content awakened by the warble of a bluebird. WOW! Pauline Tom Mountain City (no mountains) TX From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com] Every-time I read this work, I have to re-read this paragraph below. It just sticks out to me. It shows they did back then what had to be done to help the Bluebird and also wrote about it. He says "we washed the young birds, rebuilt a clean nest and returned them to it". Evelyn Cooper,President Delhi, LA Louisiana Bayou Bluebird Society Affiliate of NABS Member, NABS www.labayoubluebirdsociety.org "Dr. Musselman (1942) once found in one of his boxes a filthy nest with four half-grown bluebirds cuddled in the bottom; and above them was a two-thirds-grown starling sitting complacently on the smaller birds; "the droppings of the larger bird had soiled and in one case almost covered the head of one of the tiny birds below; one eye was entirely covered and there was a stench which is unusual about such a nest." He destroyed the young starling, washed the young bluebirds, rebuilt a clean nest and returned the young bluebirds to it; the mother bluebird accepted the change and raised her young successfully. "In the many years that I have carried on my Bluebird experiment, I have never before found a Starling roosting in or employing one of my boxes for a nest site. In fact, only upon three or four occasions have I found Cowbird eggs in the normal nest. Only when somebody has removed the top of a box thus allowing an approach of the female Cowbird through the aperture above has there been molestation on the part of the Cowbirds." From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder "at"sbcglobal.net] Sent: Wednesday, December 01, 2004 10:13 AM Subject: 1935 USDA bird migration Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas The USDA published their first booklet on THE MIGRATION OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS in 1915 and did an extensive re-write in 1935 publishing a condensed 72 page 10 cent handout for selling to the public from Canada to Chile. It is interesting reading as it mentions bluebirds (eastern?) in four different sections of the booklet and we know today just about as much about the Eastern Bluebird migration patterns as back in 1935! In 1935 bird banders had just banded bird number 2 million! The number one bird banded was the White Throated Sparrow with more than 100,000 of them trapped, banded and released. They found that these common sparrows nested in the same area they were born in, returned to the same areas to nest year after year and that these birds wintered in the same area year after year but did NOT get trapped in the same area of their migration route year after year. So they had no set stops along their route. They knew in 1935 that, "The bluebird may return regularly year after year to nest in the same hole or box than was occupied in previous seasons." That very seldom in the northern part of their range did both banded birds from a pair stay together. Bluebirds like robins often returned too early in spring and were killed by the thousands with a late spring cold front or snow or ice storm. They show a photo of a bluebird nest site with the adult feeding young down in the stump of a hollow tree that had been chopped down with an axe. The open topped cavity looks to be about 3&1/2" in diameter and the stump looks to be 10" across. In the background of the photo there are what appear to be stumps or rocks as far as the eye can see but no bushes or trees of any kind. ... From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net] Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2004 8:54 AM Subject: bluebirds in Arizona Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas There are not many bluebirders out there but Rob Yakovick or Yackovich was writing to the list a few years ago from New Mexico and he had Western Bluebirds. I was in Phoenix Arizona back in the 1960's did not see bluebirds, was not looking for them, but I did see LOTS of cavities in Saguaro cactus that were very common in the early 1960's just outside the city limits and through out parts of Arizona. I believe nearly all of these giant cactus were poached and used as landscape plants by the 1980's. Removing vast numbers of nest sites in the desert. There is a remnant of Eastern Bluebirds in the western part of Colorado that might be left over from a different climate change when the Eastern Bluebirds range possibly extended up through Arizona, parts of New Mexico and on up into Colorado west of the Rockies. The "pale" Fulva bluebird as it is described I wonder about. We are talking desert southwest with MANY hours of sunshine. Bluebirds molt in fall and by July our east Texas bluebirds have lost much of their dark rich blue color. In the 1870's there were few trees west of Fort Worth/ Dallas in the vast Prairies land that stretched for hundreds of miles to the west, south and north of this area. Mesquite trees and the common mountain junipers moved into Texas after the Great Southern Buffalo herd was exterminated in Taylor County Texas just southwest of Abilene in 1887. This vast area was now open range for long horned cattle and only two ranchers in all of Texas kept about 1,500 buffalo between them for their grand kids to see. Open range meant no fence posts. Trees were mostly along protected bends in the rivers and streams that are few and far between and grass fires swept across entire states every few years in the prairie grass. Oil drilling rigs were brought out of Pennsylvania and used to drill deep water wells across the southwest. Windmills were used to pump a trickle of water out of these wells. Ponds were built and trees were planted near these remote houses with water as often the streams were only good for a few months of water. Oil and natural gas was hit instead of water in the Permian Basin of Texas. Now huge engines powered by natural gas could irrigate thousands of acres of land that normally gets less than 10 inches of rain a year. Cheap, unlimited water leads to more trees and now millions of cavities for birds stretch all the way across the West Texas prairie and on into New Mexico, Arizona and California. KK From: Keith & Sandy Kridler Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas Neltje Blanchan wrote a birding column for many years and one of the articles was about bluebirds. The 250 page book is from previously printed articles. The book cover is a beautiful color painting of a family of bluebirds. In the back ground of the cover is a picture perfect rural setting. There is a double pitch Dutch style barn with silos and rolling hills with a rock fence cutting across green pastures & crops with scattered trees. The height of the rock wall is increased with the use of split rails held up with X-braces of other split rails that span the width and height of the rock wall. Bluebirds were known to nest in the gaps between the rocks in these stone fences and also they would nest under the top rails and on top of the X where a gap or cavity was left in these fences that crossed the farmland during the colonial period. Another common type of wood fence at this time was made of poles or split rails that were stacked up in a zig-zag configuration. In many areas of the northeast the soil was thin and filled with rocks. As they plowed the fields with draft animals the smaller rocks were turned up by the plow, picked up by the farmer and placed on the "stone boat" and when the farmer got to the end of the row the rocks were stacked up at the fields edge that in time built up into a solid wall. The ground was so rocky in many areas that post holes were not dug or drilled but they simply propped up limbs for fences. In the preface they talk about the destruction of birds in the previous century but point out the hope for the future of birds. "The making of bird houses, fountains, and restaurants has suddenly become a well-advertised business as well as a pastime for every boy and girl who can handle a hammer; people are planting trees, shrubs, and vines especially to attract birds and they systematically feed them all winter." They also point out the need for more work as Robins at this time were still sold on skewers in the local meat markets. Oyster Bay, Long Island, N.Y., 1917 I'll try to write about what the author saw pertaining to bluebirds prior to 1917 there in New York. It would be nice if someone would do a search to find out the population of Oyster Bay, Long Island in 1917 and then today. One interesting note is that the bluebirds migrated to the "south" and were found in Bermuda and on south in the "West Indies" during winter months. Also are there still oysters in any bays on Long Island? KK From: EHDerry"at"aol.com [mailto:EHDerry"at"aol.com] Sent: Sunday, December 05, 2004 1:52 PM Subject: Re: 1917 Neltje Blanchan, BIRDS WORTH KNOWING Keith: So far, I have been able to determine the population of Oyster Bay as 40,000 in 1950 and 298,000 in 2003. I am still working on 1917. Judy Derry Lockport, NY (Western) From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net] Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 9:01 AM Subject: House Sparrows learned behavior maybe :-(( to some Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas 45*F with severe thunder storms overnight. House Sparrows have evolved along side the very aggressive European Starling. When the House Sparrow was carried to the New World by humans the starling was introduced right behind it! Starlings evolved their cavity nesting habits to rip out tightly woven House Sparrow nests and then use the cavity for their own. Straw Thatch roofs were common all over the world at one time and both of these species adapted to digging out a cavity in the "thatch" roof and building their own nest in, on or around human houses. When a bluebird nest is destroyed by House Sparrow or other predator or even the weather they normally move to another vacant cavity if one is available nearby. If Chickadees or Titmice are nesting in the only available cavity very often the bluebirds will evict these smaller, weaker birds. There is a short nesting season for birds and when you destroy the nest of a House Sparrow or a severe thunderstorm floods their poorly built nestbox or poorly chosen nest site the first thing their species would be programmed to do after millions of years of survival is to look around to see if other species of birds had found a better "cavity" or nestbox that missed being destroyed. If other nest sites missed human or other predation then that is the site they should take to save their species! Shortly after House Sparrows arrived in this country. They were added to the list of birds that many states paid a "bounty" for their citizens to kill. By 1920 Pennsylvania state government was re-reimburse county governments millions of dollars a year for the high numbers of raptors that they had on their bounty list that people could shoot and get paid for. (Many states paid out bounties on predators! One man in Washington State collected more than 5,000 federal bounty payments on the Bald Eagle when it was on the "federal predator" bounty list.) In the 1960's many Texas counties were still paying a $5 or $10 bounty for the ears of wolves or coyote's turned into county clerks. The USDA printed at least 7 different brochures on ridding the continent of English Sparrows over the years. In one of the 1920's brochures they mentioned that these sparrows had "learned" they were safer from people by nesting in boxes mounted high out of reach of humans or in other "high" Ninety years later there is still a "myth" that if you mount a bluebird nestbox down low the House Sparrows won't use it! But in reality for nearly 100 years now nearly every book on cavity nesting birds and nearly every article tells you to "remove" the nests of the now renamed "House" sparrow. House Sparrows have no concept of "good or evil birds" they have NO concept of being referred to as "Non Native" after being on this continent for more than 150 generations now! After losing their nest they see that other nearby nesting bird holding a nestbox that was safer yesterday than their own nest site that was destroyed. Humans are the only species that worry about something that may happen months or years from now and fail to enjoy the beauty and wonder of the present. KK From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net] Sent: Friday, December 10, 2004 8:58 AM Subject: more 1917 Neltje Blanchan, BIRDS WORTH KNOWING Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas Is there any sign of spring quite so welcome as the glint of the first bluebird unless it is his softly whistled song? No wonder the bird has become the symbol for happiness. Before the farmer begins to plough the wet earth, often while snow is still on the ground, this hardy little minstrel is making himself very much at home in our orchards and gardens while waiting for a mate to arrive from the South. Now is the time to have ready on top of the grape arbor, or under the eaves of the barn, or nailed up in the apple tree, or set up on poles, the little one-roomed houses that bluebirds are only too happy to occupy. More enjoyable neighbors it would be hard to find. Sparrows will fight for the boxes, it is true, but if there are plenty to let, and the sparrows are persistently driven off, the bluebirds, which are a little larger though far less bold, quickly take possession. Birds that come earliest in the season and feed on insects, before they have time to multiply, are of far greater value in the field, orchard, and garden than birds that delay their return until warm weather has brought forth countless swarms of insects far beyond the control of either bird or man. Many birds would be of even greater service than they are if they received just a little encouragement to make their homes nearer ours. They could save many millions of dollars' worth of crops for the farmers than they do if they were properly protected while rearing their ever-hungry families. As two or even three broods of bluebirds may be raised in a box each spring, and as insects are their most approved baby food, it is certainly to our interest to set up nurseries for them near our homes. But when people are not thoughtful enough to provide them before the first of March, the bluebirds hunt for a cavity in a fence rail, or a hole in some old tree, preferably in the orchard, shortly after their arrival, and proceed to line it with grass. From three to six pale blue eggs are laid. At first the babies are blind, helpless, and almost naked. Then they grow a suit of dark feathers with speckled, thrush-like vests similar to their cousin's, the baby robin's; and it is not until they are able to fly that the lovely deep blue shade gradually appears on their grayish upper parts. Then their throat, breast, and sides turn rusty red. While creatures are helpless, a prey for any enemy to pounce upon, Nature does not dress them conspicuously. Adult birds, that are able to look out for themselves, may be very gaily dressed, but their children must wear sombre clothes until they grow strong and wise. Young bluebirds are far less wild and noisy than robin's, but their sharp little claws discourage handling. These pointed hooks on the ends of their toes help them to climb out of the tree hollow, that is their natural home, into the big world that their presence makes so cheerful. As might be expected of cre |