"Uncommon" Bluebirds Are Nesting At Salt Valley Lakes

"It's one of the most exciting things that's happened since I've been with the Commission - bluebirds are nesting at a couple of the Salt Valley Lakes," said Dick Gersib, a wildlife habitat area manager for the Game and Parks Commission.

He was referring to four pair of bluebirds that have set up housekeeping in boxes provided for that purpose at some of the area lakes.  At latest count there were three pair nesting at Branched Oak Lake and one pair at Bluestem Lake, near Sprague.

Several factors are working against the bluebird and their numbers are declining nationwide.  For instance, they prefer nesting sites in open or semi-open areas, like along fence rows, in orchards or gardens, or abandoned fields.  They like holes in old trees, and eat berries and insects.

But, the natural nesting habitat is being destroyed as man removes dead trees, plows under berry-bearing shrubs in favor of money-making crops and uses pesticides to control insects, according to wildlife habitat area manager Bill White.

"Sparrows and wrens also are a problem as they compete with bluebirds for nesting sites - a sparrow will drive a bluebird away from a nest.  And, bluebirds have many natural enemies like cats, owls, squirrels and snakes, but actually the loss of nesting habitat is the main cause for reduced populations," he said.

The installation of the bluebird boxes was a joint effort by Gersib and Park Maintenance Supervisor Rob Penner.  Once they began the project to provide nesting sites they found a lot of help for interested people, like White, and members of the Young Adult Conservation Corp and the Conestoga Campers Club made boxes suitable for bluebird nestings for Commission use.

Because bluebirds are beginning to nest in the Salt Valley area, Gersib is hopeful they will continue to do so.  He said birds hatched in these boxes should return to them next year to make their own nests, creating a "snowball effect" that may develop into a growing bluebird population in this area.

Planting of berry-bearing shrubs in the wildlife management areas for the benefit of both game and non-game species should also encourage the bluebird to remain here all winter, but they will migrate as far south as the gulf coast if suitable food is not available closer to their nesting sites.

"At this time the bluebird isn't listed as endangered or even threatened - it's just uncommon in this part of the country.  Actually, people are building bluebird boxes and making bluebird trails to help stabilize the population in many areas of the country - and it seems to be helping," White said.

People who are interested in helping with the bluebird should build their boxes and place them at least 150 yards apart in fencerows, along road sides (with permission from landowners), or on garden borders, and three to five feet above the ground.  The boxes should be cleaned and ready by mid-march.

The boxes actually benefit a variety of wildlife - chickadees, nuthatches, tit-mice, tree swallows, and downy and hairy woodpeckers may also use them for nesting purposes, but White says you should patrol the boxes and make sure that sparrow nests are removed to allow use by bluebirds.

This article was originally printed in the July 1980 Nebraska Field & Afloat, Copyright 1980, NEBRASKAland Magazine. Reprinted with Permission.
I had to retype this article in by hand as the article was old and would not scan well, this is also the reason the picture that was included in the article does not appear here.

Notice: this article is posted with the intent of providing a historical background to bluebirding and a few statements are incorrect and should not be considered to be the standard practice for a current bluebird trail.

I would like to thank Dick Rasmussen, Omaha for sending me the original article and for his continued support.