A Hope for Mountain Bluebirds
Boosting mountain bluebirds populations in Northern BC
By Sarah Sutton
May 27, 2022
Itβs springtime in the north and thereβs a flash of blue near an open fieldβa spark of hope that it just might be a mountain bluebird! Some residents see them every year, while others go decades without ever seeing one.
Mountain bluebird populations have been in decline and local conservation efforts have focused on nest box building to increase the birdsβ presence in the area.
This spring, A Rochaβs Northern BC Nature Centre in Houston hosted a bluebird nest box building workshop on Saturday, April 2. A total of 14 kids and 16 adults attended the workshop and 46 boxes were built and installed with the hope that more bluebirds will nest in the area.
Remembering John
The workshop was held in memory of local bluebird champion John Franken who passed away in December 2021. Franken was a long time resident of the Bulkley Valley and he and his wife Sandy established a mountain bluebird trail in the Smithers area of around 100 boxes. Over 30 years, he cleaned, monitored and recorded information each year.
βWhen John passed away in December, the family asked that donations be sent to A Rocha Canada or the Bulkley Valley Naturalists to go towards the bluebird nest box project. The workshop was a great way to use those donations and honour John,β says Cindy Verbeek, A Rochaβs Northern BC Project Coordinator. βLots of the participants were past students of Johnβs and/or had been inspired by his passion for bluebirds and creation care.β
Continuing the Legacy
An in-depth, long-term conservation project like Johnβs is rare, explains Smithers biologist Janine Pittman, who took over the project from Franken in 2019.
βI want to continue his legacy,β she says, βAnd add more boxes in nearby areas in the future.β
As a biologist, she says she would like to do more statistical analysis on his data. For now, though, it takes her about 8 hours each time she goes out and checks all the boxes. In May, she checks for eggs and by June, she sees if any have hatched. By July, there are no more eggs and by August, the boxes are mostly vacated. In the spring, the boxes get cleaned out to remove any mouse nests or other debris.
βFrom the data, John said he noticed that bluebird populations were declining. However, he also commented that there are more tree swallows which is a positive story in itself,β says Pittman.
Pittman encourages anyone interested in building nest boxes to check out Ellis Bird Farmβs Mountain Bluebird Trail Monitoring Guide, as it was highly recommended by Franken.
Bird Walks in Houston
- Weekly on Thursday mornings
- Houston, BC
- Contact Buck Creek Hatchery & Nature Centre for details.