Volunteers of Bluebird Brigade maintain nesting boxes throughout park
By Kathy Schwartz
Springtime brings many colorful songbirds to the park, but the flicker of the bright blue feathers of the Eastern bluebird brightens even the gloomiest days. They flutter about searching for materials to make their nests as they prepare to lay their precious eggs.
Two volunteers known as the Bluebird Brigade are dedicated to the maintenance of the 36 nesting boxes found throughout the park. Quinn and Kathy Curry have maintained the boxes for about four years.
“We clean out old nests and do any repairs to the bluebird houses between late November and early February,” Quinn said.
The boxes are in various locations. Some are located along trails and can only be accessed by hiking. Others can be seen from the road. Most of the boxes were constructed by Kaye Ivans and his grandson Caleb. One box was built by Pack 11 of Russia, Ohio.
The placement of the boxes is determined by nesting preferences of the bluebirds.
“Bluebirds like open grassy areas of open woodland areas. Typically, boxes should have an entrance facing the east. Of the seven bluebird nests we had in 2022, two faced east, three faced north, one faced west and one faced south,” Quinn said. “Most of the houses had already been put up several years ago, but last year we put up the rest that had been stored at the park office and faced them east or northeast. “
Though the placement is determined by the bluebird’s preferences, the boxes are used by other species of birds.
“This year, seven houses had bluebird nests. Twenty were used by wrens. Four of the houses were possibly used by chickadees due to moss being the main building material,” Kathy said. “One of the houses we are unsure of and will consult the naturalist to see if we can determine which bird built it. Four were empty.”
They do occasionally find some surprises.
“We had a couple with mice last year, but none this year. The mice scurry out of the way,” Quinn said. “This is the first year we have found eggs left in the nests. One of the bluebird nests had two and one of the wren nests had a couple of eggs. A couple of the nests had wren nests built over bluebird nests.”
The Currys’ love of birding is obvious.
“We both enjoy watching birds, especially Kathy,“ Quinn said. “When Kathy was around 9 years old, she wanted to grow up to be an ornithologist. Kathy remembers chasing baby blue jays around her backyard to try to catch one with momma blue jay dive bombing her. She finally had to give up when they flew deeper into the woods. She has enjoyed bird watching ever since. “
Kathy can be seen hiking with binoculars around her neck to see a new species or old friends and a camera to capture the moment.
The Bluebird Brigade would like to start keeping track of what lives in each box each year.
“We may need to number the houses as they are not currently numbered to make if easier to keep track of them,” Quinn said. “When we are taking walks in the park we try to pay attention to what is flying in and out of them and will continue to do so. You may have bluebirds one year and wrens the next and vice versa. Some nests have bluebirds every year. “
What can visitors do to assist the Bluebird Brigade?
“We are always in need of new houses as some of the boxes are starting to wear out and we keep finding places that would be great to add a nesting box,” Quinn said.
“If people see boxes that are knocked down or in need of repair, let someone from the Friends know or the park office so we can put them back up, repair, or replace them,” Kathy added.
The Bluebird Brigade is an example of volunteers finding out how they can enjoy their passion while serving Ouabache. They will continue as long as the bluebirds don’t complain.
“We love to watch the birds and want to make sure that they do not loose habitat,” Quinn said.
May the Bluebird Brigade be blessed with many years to come, and Ouabache continues to be where volunteerism thrives.
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