Colorado Bluebird Project

05/15/2024

If you don't think weekly monitoring of your nest boxes is important, think again! Quick checks on nestboxes once or twice a week will help you identify and address any problems, problems like invasive House Sparrows! These non-native birds can be very aggressive towards our native second-cavity nesting birds like bluebirds and swallows, trying to take over their nest box.

Learn to recognize the adult House Sparrows, their nests and eggs because you will need to remove their nests if found in your nest box (as an introduced non-native species, nests and eggs may be destroyed, and young and adults may be humanely euthanized under federal law). If you are positive on the HOSP ID, please refer to the North American Bluebird Society fact sheet on HOSP Control: https://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/PDF/House%20Sparrow%20Control_2018.pdf

[Photos of male House Sparrow inside a nest box and a HOSP nest with 5 eggs.]

05/01/2024

Welcome to May bluebird fans! Nest building activity in Colorado typically begins in April with the first eggs seen beginning in late April or early May. Have you been monitoring your nest boxes? Checking the nest box every 3-4 days or at least once weekly will allow an opportunity to spot the first egg, which will help you determine a hatch date, then a fledge date. Bluebird clutches can have 5-7 eggs, but incubation does not begin until all eggs are laid (one per day) and nestlings will fledge when they are around 21 days old.

First bluebird egg photo provided by Kristy Thompson.

04/22/2024

Happy Earth Day bluebird fans 🌎🐦💚! If you'd like to show some love to bluebirds on this day, or year-round, here are some ways to help:
- Create habitat by opening it up as bluebirds prefer open areas with low grass and scattered trees & shrubs
- Plant natives, especially fruit-bearing ones like junipers, dogwoods, sumacs, hollies, serviceberries and elderberries
- Leave standing dead trees alone to provide important nesting and roosting sites for bluebirds and other native wildlife
- Avoid pesticides
- Keep your cats indoors
- Provide supplemental food (mealworms)
- Install a nest box with an opening panel so you can monitor and report the nesting activity to NestWatch
- Add a bird bath that is heated in the winter
- Control House Sparrows that are known to aggressively attack bluebirds to take over a nest box

[Aerial sequence photo of female Mountain Bluebird provided by Brian Parks]

04/17/2024

If you monitor nest boxes in Colorado, let us know if you have any Eastern Bluebirds using them!

Eastern Bluebirds are nesting across their range right now. You might find their nest in your nest box, a neat cup made of grass or pine needles, and blue eggs. Who's visiting your nest boxes?

📷: Joan Wiitanen

04/15/2024

Join us for our Earth Day Celebration at Denver Audubon Kingery Nature Center!

🗓️ Date: Saturday, April 20
🕒 Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm
🔗 RSVP: https://loom.ly/D__hkpo

Let's make a difference this Earth Day Weekend! Partnering with Breckenridge Brewery and Protect Our Rivers, we're rallying the community for a day of action. Join us for habitat restoration, invasive w**d removal, and trail maintenance along the South Platte River and ponds surrounding the Kingery Nature Center. Check-in begins at 10am and we'll work together until noon. Afterwards, join us at Breckenridge Brewery for an exciting after-party!

04/08/2024

Now is the time to start monitoring your bluebird nest boxes! Remember to follow nest monitoring protocol outlined by NestWatch - Cornell Lab of Ornithology to ensure that you are minimizing your disturbance but still collecting data.

03/20/2024

Sialis.org provides information and resources on bluebirds and other cavity nesters & birdhouse birds | Eastern, mountain & western bluebirds

03/12/2024

Recent feedback to North American Bluebird Society indicates that members are much in favor of more open forum style events to facilitate communication across NABS. Specifically, folks would love to share ideas, experiences, issues encountered, and general bird information with other members across NABS. To address this, they scheduling their first NABS Open Forum on Wednesday, March 13 at 7 PM (East Coast Time). You don't have to be a NABS member to participate in this free ZOOM event, but you do have to register! Details to register are provided below.

Are YOU Ready for Some Bluebirds?! With nesting season underway in many parts of North America, and soon to begin in others, we hope you'll join NABS for an open forum meeting. This gathering is all about YOU, so bring your bluebird questions, discussion topics, etc.
Date: Wednesday, March 13
Time: 7pm Eastern
Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQNS6wv1uMyd1z77e3HsEqrffzYPQ9N93NRwkLpiCd6r1WGg/viewform?usp=sf_link

03/12/2024

Recent feedback to the North American Bluebird Society indicates that members are much in favor of more open forum style events to facilitate communication across NABS. Specifically, folks would love to share ideas, experiences, issues encountered, and general bird information with other members across NABS. To address this, they are scheduling their first NABS Open Forum on Wednesday, March 13 at 7 PM (East Coast Time). You don't have to be a NABS member to participate, but you do have to register for this free ZOOM event. Details to register are provided below.

Are YOU Ready for Some Bluebirds?! With nesting season underway in many parts of North America, and soon to begin in others, we hope you'll join NABS for an open forum meeting. This gathering is all about YOU, so bring your bluebird questions, discussion topics, etc.
Date: Wednesday, March 13
Time: 7pm Eastern
Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQNS6wv1uMyd1z77e3HsEqrffzYPQ9N93NRwkLpiCd6r1WGg/viewform?usp=sf_link

03/04/2024

Are YOU Ready for Some Bluebirds?! With nesting season underway in many parts of North America, and soon to begin in others, we hope you'll join NABS for an open forum meeting. This gathering is all about YOU, so bring your bluebird questions, discussion topics, etc.
Date: Wednesday, March 13
Time: 7pm Eastern
Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQNS6wv1uMyd1z77e3HsEqrffzYPQ9N93NRwkLpiCd6r1WGg/viewform?usp=sf_link

03/01/2024

Bluebird sightings in Colorado have started for the season! Have you seen one yet this year? Tell us where! Share your sightings!

02/06/2024

February marks National Bird Feeding Month, a perfect time to fill your feeders and share the love of birdwatching. Share the excitement by posting your favorite bird-feeding moments or bluebird-friendly feeders in the comments below.

Photo of a covered mealworm dish feeder with Mountain Bluebird taking a mealworm.