Land Trust Works on Bluebird Trail
DEEP RIVER – The Deep River Land Trust is working with several groups to create a Blue Bird Trail.
The idea of creating a trail originated after several bluebirds were spotted at the Smyth Sanctuary on Pratt Cove.
Old Lyme resident Henry Golet, who has setup numerous blue bird trails on the east side of the river met with Suzanne Haig, Peter Howard, and Frank Santoro, Deep River Land Trust’s stewardship managers for Pratt and Post Coves to help on the project.
Haig said bluebird box wood came from a Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, DEP, Wildlife Division Program which provides bundles of wood for groups to build blue bird boxes.
Dorothy DiMichael, whose daughter, Rebecca DiMichael is one of nine senior cadet members of the Deep River Girl Scout Troop 2013, got permission from First Selectman Dick Smith to borrow the town truck to haul wood for the project.
DiMichael visited the Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area in Burlington, which provided her with wood, construction plans for the bird box, construction plans for baffles that act as predator guards, and general information on blue birds and setting up a blue bird trail.
The wood was hauled from Burlington to Valley Regional High School, Haig said, where Bob Bosko, teacher of the building and construction class, had students cut the wood into appropriate pieces for building the houses using construction plans.
After the pieces were ready, DiMichael organized a meeting of the Girl Scouts over the Memorial Day weekend at her house to build the nineteen boxes.
The land trust then approached John Anderson, teacher of the air conditioning class at the Vinal Technical School in Middletown, who had his students build the baffles and poles.
Anderson will deliver the baffles and poles to the Land Trust so they can install the boxes, baffles, and poles to create the Deep River blue bird trail.
“People, businesses, and organizations can adapt a box. The idea is to keep track of bluebird activity in these boxes. Hopefully, we can increase the number of bluebirds in the area and help people become aware of these wonderful birds,” Haig said.
According to the DEP, Eastern Bluebird’s experienced a decline from the late 1800s to the 1980s because of lack of suitable nesting cavities as a result of increasing urbanization and changing land patterns.
“The original intent of bluebird boxes is to be able to monitor boxes and to bring back a population that once was historically high,” Goulet said.
Goulet suggests those installing bluebird boxes choose a field away from trees.
“Having boxes in town could attract English sparrows,” Goulet said, adding these birds are competition to bluebirds but are not a predator.
Since bluebirds are territorial, Goulet said, boxes should be no less than 200 feet away from each other.
During the spring and summer, Goulet recommends people carefully monitor their boxes so they can clean them out after each nesting cycle to remove old nests and parasites.
“A nesting cycle takes about a month since there is a 13 to 14 day incubation period and it takes 18 days for newborn chicks to leave the box,” Goulet said.
Bluebirds will still use nests not cleaned out and will use part of the existing nest, Goulet said.
It is important people clean out their bluebird boxes every March since some bluebirds use them on cold winter nights, Goulet said.
“In the winter, bluebirds eat wildberries,” Goulet said, adding their typical diet is insects.
When particularly cold and rainy days occur, Goulet recommends box owners buy mule worms to put near the boxes since bluebirds may have difficulty finding food in bad weather.
The Deep River Land Trust asks those who would like to adapt a box or have their bluebird box added to the list of boxes to contact John Kennedy at 860-526-2232.
Those interested in constructing their own bluebird box should visit www.dep.state.ct.us/wildlife/factshts/bbird.htm.
The idea of creating a trail originated after several bluebirds were spotted at the Smyth Sanctuary on Pratt Cove.
Old Lyme resident Henry Golet, who has setup numerous blue bird trails on the east side of the river met with Suzanne Haig, Peter Howard, and Frank Santoro, Deep River Land Trust’s stewardship managers for Pratt and Post Coves to help on the project.
Haig said bluebird box wood came from a Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, DEP, Wildlife Division Program which provides bundles of wood for groups to build blue bird boxes.
Dorothy DiMichael, whose daughter, Rebecca DiMichael is one of nine senior cadet members of the Deep River Girl Scout Troop 2013, got permission from First Selectman Dick Smith to borrow the town truck to haul wood for the project.
DiMichael visited the Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area in Burlington, which provided her with wood, construction plans for the bird box, construction plans for baffles that act as predator guards, and general information on blue birds and setting up a blue bird trail.
The wood was hauled from Burlington to Valley Regional High School, Haig said, where Bob Bosko, teacher of the building and construction class, had students cut the wood into appropriate pieces for building the houses using construction plans.
After the pieces were ready, DiMichael organized a meeting of the Girl Scouts over the Memorial Day weekend at her house to build the nineteen boxes.
The land trust then approached John Anderson, teacher of the air conditioning class at the Vinal Technical School in Middletown, who had his students build the baffles and poles.
Anderson will deliver the baffles and poles to the Land Trust so they can install the boxes, baffles, and poles to create the Deep River blue bird trail.
“People, businesses, and organizations can adapt a box. The idea is to keep track of bluebird activity in these boxes. Hopefully, we can increase the number of bluebirds in the area and help people become aware of these wonderful birds,” Haig said.
According to the DEP, Eastern Bluebird’s experienced a decline from the late 1800s to the 1980s because of lack of suitable nesting cavities as a result of increasing urbanization and changing land patterns.
“The original intent of bluebird boxes is to be able to monitor boxes and to bring back a population that once was historically high,” Goulet said.
Goulet suggests those installing bluebird boxes choose a field away from trees.
“Having boxes in town could attract English sparrows,” Goulet said, adding these birds are competition to bluebirds but are not a predator.
Since bluebirds are territorial, Goulet said, boxes should be no less than 200 feet away from each other.
During the spring and summer, Goulet recommends people carefully monitor their boxes so they can clean them out after each nesting cycle to remove old nests and parasites.
“A nesting cycle takes about a month since there is a 13 to 14 day incubation period and it takes 18 days for newborn chicks to leave the box,” Goulet said.
Bluebirds will still use nests not cleaned out and will use part of the existing nest, Goulet said.
It is important people clean out their bluebird boxes every March since some bluebirds use them on cold winter nights, Goulet said.
“In the winter, bluebirds eat wildberries,” Goulet said, adding their typical diet is insects.
When particularly cold and rainy days occur, Goulet recommends box owners buy mule worms to put near the boxes since bluebirds may have difficulty finding food in bad weather.
The Deep River Land Trust asks those who would like to adapt a box or have their bluebird box added to the list of boxes to contact John Kennedy at 860-526-2232.
Those interested in constructing their own bluebird box should visit www.dep.state.ct.us/wildlife/factshts/bbird.htm.
