Posted: October 14, 2022
Birds and gardens are a natural fit making the end of the season a perfect time to reflect on the lessons learned, celebrate our successes, and begin to plan for next year.
Figure 1. Nestbox with baffle. Photo: Darlaine Manning, Penn State Extension Master Gardener
This year marks our Collegeville site's second full season for the Learning Gardens Bluebird Trail.
Wintry weather in March and April delayed nest building, but eventually, all our trail boxes were in use. The trail nest boxes fledged thirty-eight birds this year, a combination of bluebirds and tree swallows. Since tree swallows only have one brood a season, bluebirds often take over nest boxes used by tree swallows for their second nesting.
Figure 2. Typical bluebird straw nest (left). Clutch of Bluebird eggs (right). Photo: Darlaine Manning, Penn State Extension Master Gardener
Mid-March each year sees the nest boxes installed on site for the males to appear. Waiting for a male to choose a box and entice a mate is a time of great anticipation. Once accomplished, nests follow, with eggs shortly thereafter. Since bluebirds nest earlier than tree swallows and other cavity nesters, they usually raise two broods a season. These photos offer a quick view of the stages but seeing this in person is priceless.
Figure 3. Bluebird hatchlings (left). Bluebird is nearly ready to fledge (right). Photo: Darlaine Manning, Penn State Extension Master Gardener
Every lesson learned helps shape the start of each new nesting season. A lot of the joy is knowing that bird brains always have surprises in store. No two seasons are the same, and the experience never grows old.
Holiday Workshop
On December 3, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Master Gardeners will present a Bluebird Holiday Workshop. Master Gardener and designated speaker for the Bluebird Society of Pennsylvania, Betsy Nutt, will speak about this native bird and share ideas about how you can attract and support the local bluebird population.
There will be a walking tour of the bluebird trail at the Montgomery County Penn State Extension Learning Gardens with Master Gardener bluebird monitor Darlaine Manning. You will learn first-hand about nestbox installation options and how to site them strategically. Finally, all attendees will build a bluebird nestbox following the National Bluebird Society of America nestbox plans.
