How I Thought
I Would Start A Bluebird Trail : And If You Want To Also Start
A Bluebird Trail What You Might Want To Do
I had never seen a Bluebird but knew that
someone decades before in my county, had tried to put up Bluebird boxes. And since I had not seen a Bluebird surely
we needed more!
...Know what a Bluebird looks like.
And everyplace needs more Bluebirds.
I found an old video on Bluebirds
at my local library. And even though it was very old and the colors were faded it was that video which showed me I was
capable of putting up Bluebird boxes.
...Check out your local library for Bluebird materials.
And you can do whatever you want to do. If your library does not carry Bluebird books, give them the names of a couple
of Bluebird books, and ask that they purchase them for the library. That is usually all it takes to get them.
The Internet was my next place to look.
I found nothing happening in Florida, but other states had large Bluebird Trail projects. One county had 3000 boxes
in it. So surely my county had room to put up some Bluebird boxes.
...Surf the Internet for Bluebirds and Bluebird Trails.
Find out what is happening in your area with Bluebirds by asking local Bird clubs and park rangers.
The wealth of my new found knowledge comes
from the Bluebird-L. It is an e-mail list where you can receive large numbers of e-mails a day. And the various
Bluebird information comes from people who seem to be like myself, but have years of experience working with Bluebirds.
...Do think about joining the Bluebird-L but be prepared
to receive large amounts of e-mails. Do your Bluebird reading before joining. You will find you will enjoy listening
to the experts and you will understand what is being said.
Now this
was also where I made a mistake. Maybe not a mistake but just not good thinking. I like to jump into things and
just get going. I don't like to read instructions. I could visualize the Bluebird box, pole, and most of
the predator guard, and what the land should look like. I could guess what was the next thing to do to get things started.
But at this point I should have had read the popular Bluebird books. I had kept hearing that The Bluebird Monitor's
Guide was the best book. But I kept putting off getting it, also our local stores did not have any Bluebird
books on their shelves. I finally did have to order my books from NABS. Everything I could think to ask
about Bluebirds was addressed in the book. And what I read in the book was confirmed in the e-mail List over
and over.
...Do get started, but do your homework. Read all
the Bluebird books you can get. There are not that many nor are they expensive books. Join the Bluebird-L and
learn something everyday. You will meet lots of great, new, knowledgeable, and friendly people.
To be successful to attract the Bluebirds, that I did not know
were there, I needed a completely acceptable setup. The Hardee County Trail box I knew worked. I was told
about the Ron Kingston's Predator Guard. A PVC pole was a material I could work with.
...Use a complete proven setup. The box should be
NABS approved. Search the Internet for more varieties of boxes. The pole material should be that which you can
set up easily, and then having the box level which you can Monitor with ease. Some don't use a Predator Guard.
But I heard enough e-mails from the List already which Monitors lost their Bluebirds because they thought wrong. The
guard is an added expense, but will save you pain of losing birds or wondering if you lost birds because you did not have
them.
Now I needed the best habitat. Wide
open spaces away from all the shrubby bushes where House Sparrows live. Fence and above ground wires are a plus.
A roadside Bluebird Trail meant I was putting my setups on County property. Putting a Trail on private but community
use land still required me taking the liability. I found letting the homeowner own their boxes and Monitor them would
be the best way to go.
...With any type of government land
use, you may have to pay for Permits and sign liability agreements. Large private land developers will also probably
have liability agreements. To start finding land is easiest when working with private homeowners.
My Goal is to bring Bluebirds back to my area.
I found I have to change the details of my Goal continuously. I wanted my own Bluebird Trail to Monitor. But I
can not find land near my home to do so. I did not want to take on costs and liabilities. I found I
could do more by letting others enjoy learning about Bluebirds, by them Monitoring. I would have to find other areas
which I could be helpful to my Project and promote Bluebirds. I now have a larger Goal, and it is growing daily.
...What is your Goal? Be flexible with your
ideas. Change comes easier with help from others. Share your knowledge. Learn from others mistakes.
Do the best work that you can. Have fun.
