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Wildlife

Eastern Bluebirds Are Declining. How Can We Help?

March 27, 2020

Eastern Bluebird leaving nesting box.

The Eastern Bluebird populations have been decreasing. Factors contributing to the decline include loss of habitat and nesting sites through the clearing of land, removal of dead trees, and changing wooden fence posts for metal ones. Nesting site loss has been compounded by increasing numbers of two non-native species, the European starling and the House Sparrow. Both species are aggressive cavity nesters, can chase bluebirds away from nesting sites and even kill them.

Bluebird boxes can help
Man-made bluebird boxes are one of the best ways to help declining populations. It turns out that for bluebirds not any old birdhouse will do, no matter how cute it is on the outside. Just like us, they want a home that is safe and healthy. To do our part, Buncombe County Master Gardeners have placed three bluebird boxes in The Learning Garden on the grounds of the Buncombe County Extension office. The bluebirds moved in right away and have had multiple nesting cycles each year the boxes have been in place. Tree swallows and chickadees have also used the boxes, but with several boxes available the bluebirds always have a home.

Want to try your hand at making a bluebird box? The good news is that they are not hard to build. The North American Bluebird Society (NABS), North Carolina Bluebird Society (NCBS), and the Audubon Society all provide excellent plans and instructions regarding construction and placement.

Bluebird box at The Learning Garden

Prefer to buy one? State Employee Credit Union offices in our area offer $10 boxes made by the Eastern Bluebird Rescue Group,  a volunteer organization based in Warrenton, NC.                          .

Placing the bluebird box
Bluebirds prefer an open area with trees and shrubs in proximity for fledglings to reach easily when they are testing their wings. Mount the box using a smooth round pipe which acts as a deterrent for predators like possums, racoons and snakes. Consider adding a predator guard to the pipe for added protection.

Monitoring
Your bluebird boxes may not be used right away, but keep checking. Bluebirds usually return to the same boxes every year. They can have up to three nesting cycles a season starting in March and continuing through August.

Bluebird Monitoring Activities

January Clean boxes
February Bluebirds return
March Males choose mates and nesting sites
April-May First nesting cycle
June-July Second nesting cycle
August Third nesting cycle

After mating season, bluebirds leave their boxes and flock together. Bluebirds of North Carolina do not migrate. Bluebirds will roost in pine trees and nesting cavities during winter, sometimes even in the bluebird boxes.

If possible, keep records of your findings when monitoring your boxes. Your information is important to NABS and Cornell Ornithology Lab, both of which compile data on bluebirds. You will find a form on the NABS website for collecting and reporting this data.

For more information on Bluebirds click on the following:
North American Bluebird Society
North Carolina Bluebird Society
Plans for Building a Bluebird Box

Written by Mary Ann Snedeker, Buncombe County Extension Master Gardener

 

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Categories Wildlife Tags Bluebirds

Kids Post: Go Batty for Garden Bats!

October 18, 2018

Halloween means witches, ghosts, skeletons, black cats . . . and . . . bats! What???

Did you know that bats are garden helpers? But, bats often get a bad rap. They aren’t all that attractive. They hang out in strange places. They may scare us when they fly around in the dark. And some bats can spread diseases if they bite!

Bat_Eric Ellingson_CC BY-NC-ND 2.0_Flickr
Bat in flight

Bats in North Carolina
We have 13 bat species in Buncombe County alone! The ones you are most likely to see are big brown bats because they may roost in attics. These and eastern red bats are the bats that often fly around lights at night and are most likely to visit our gardens.

 Bat benefits
They eat insects. Were you covered in mosquito bites every time you went outside this summer? Bats eat mosquitoes and garden pests such as stink bugs, fruit flies, moths that produce cutworms, webworms—and more—helping keep insect populations in check.

They can be pollinators. Some bats in Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, and other tropical areas and deserts pollinate fruits—such as bananas and mangoes—as well as agaves and cactuses.

They make fertilizer. Then there is bat poop . . . called bat feces or guano. This makes an excellent fertilizer containing nitrogen and phosphorus, important nutrients for growing strong, healthy plants.

Eastern Red Bat_Logan Ward_CC BY 2.0_Flickr
Eastern red bat roosting on tree branch

Bat cautions
Back to the scary bats . . . a bat in your house can be frightening. A bat flies around the house because it is confused and trying to get out. To help the bat leave, stay calm, get an adult to help get the bat into one room, dim the lights, open all the windows (remove the screens!), and stand quietly away from the windows until you see the bat fly out. Do make sure that the bat has left the house—the bat may get tired and hide behind a sofa or dresser!

And those diseases—never touch a bat! You may see them roost in trees during the day—they like to sleep upside down! You may see a bat on the ground that looks sick or dead. Don’t touch! Find an adult right away.

Bats in flight around bat house_by Mark & Selena Kiser at Bat Conservation International
Bat house

Helping bats
You may want to buy or build a bat house to welcome bats to your garden. Bats use these houses to start new colonies or as new homes for colonies evicted from attics or other places. If bats are a problem in one location, provide a bat box before evicting them! You can mount bat boxes on posts, poles, or on the sides of buildings.

Article written by Carol Brown, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

Information on making and placing bat houses
Bat Houses
by Bat Conservation International

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Categories Gardening for Children, Wildlife Tags bats, wildlife

Kids Post: Who’s in the Garden? Owls!

February 15, 2018

Do you enjoy seeing birds in your yard? Attracting new birds is not only fun, but also can improve your garden in some interesting ways. Owls aren’t that common in backyards, but you may get them to nest in your landscape if you understand what they need.

Otis the Eastern Screech Owl_Calvin Webster_CC BY-SA 2.0_Flickr
Eastern screech owl

Owls that live in Western North Carolina
North Carolina is home to barn owls, barred owls, great horned owls, and Eastern screech owls. In a yard in Western North Carolina, though, you’re most likely to get screech owls in a backyard nest box. 

What do owls have to do with gardening?
All owls found in our area feed on small mammals, including critters that can be garden pests, such as mice! Owls may also eat insects, reptiles, amphibians, and other birds—some of which are also unwelcome in our gardens. 

How to attract owls
Owls don’t build nests. Instead, they look for places such as tree cavities or abandoned woodpecker nest holes to lay eggs and raise owlets. You can attract owls by providing nest boxes. You can buy or build a nest box sized for Eastern screech owls. If you put up your box by March, you’ll be ready for this year’s nesting season! Cornell University’s “All about Birdhouses” website provides detailed information about how to build and/or place a nest box and protect it from predators.

Screech Owl_Darnell Jordan_FWC Fish & Wildlife Research Institute_CC BY-NC-ND 2.0_Flickr
Eastern screech owl in nest box

Owls not only need trees to nest, they also appreciate trees with sturdy branches no more than 6 to 10 feet from the ground to hunt from—and of course a food supply that your backyard garden provides if you leave some rough areas and avoid using pesticides.

How owls spend their days—and nights!
Owls are most active at night or just at sunset and dawn. They feed on what passes underneath their perches or what they can catch on the fly. Once screech owl females lay eggs, they stay on the nest most of the day and night and their male partners feed them and the owlets, once hatched. 

Owl's Lunch with Science Smart Kids_CC BY-SA 2.0_Flickr
Children dissect owl pellets in the classroom to learn what owls eat.

Playing detective
So why go to the trouble of trying to attract owls, if you are unlikely to see much of them during the day? You can hear owls calling both day and night. Although you may think that the only thing owls say is something that sounds like “Who? Who?” Eastern screech owls have a variety of calls they use to sing to each other and communicate to defend their territories.

You can find out a lot about owls by looking at the pellets they leave. What owls can’t digest—bones, feather, fur—they regurgitate (“throw up”)! Screech owls will usually produce these pellets daily; look on the ground where they roost to find pellets. Use CAUTION—Do not handle pellets with your bare hands and always have help from an adult in looking at their contents. Follow guidelines (below) for safe handling. You may be able to identify some of the creatures living in your garden that are feeding your owls.

Article written by Debbie Green, Extension Master GardenerSM Volunteer.

Learn more
Owls: Working with Wildlife
Describes owls in North Carolina and provides recommended dimensions for nest boxes.

Eastern Screech Owl: Nest Box Plan and Information
Learn how to build a nest box for owls.

All About Birds: Eastern Screech Owl
Learn about owls’ habitat, food, and behavior; get backyard tips; watch a video and download owl sounds.

Owl Pellets in the Classroom: Safety Guidelines
For a valuable learning experience, follow these instructions to ensure owl pellet analysis is done safely.

Owl Pellet Bone Chart
Match contents of owl pellet to diagrams on chart to identify what the owl ate.

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Categories Gardening for Children, Wildlife Tags owls

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