Project "Bluebirds in the park" - new for 2022
Great news for Bluebird Monitoring at Prairie Moraine Park!
Prairie Moraine Friend and bluebird monitor Jay Brooks came up with a wonderful proposal and received one of the Foundation for Dane County Parks 2021 grants!
- $2,000 for the "Bluebirds in the Park" project that will include purchase of two interpretive signs and cedar boards for constructing bluebird houses, to support community education about the bluebirds that live in the park.
We'll be sure and share pics when we get the signs, and let you know where you'll be able to find them in the park.
These fledgling Bluebirds will all leave their nest within a few hours of each other, just 16-20 days after hatching. (Any time now.)
The fledglings, almost the size of an adult Bluebird, will fly 50-100 feet on their maiden flight. Usually to nearby shrubs or trees.
Their parents will continue to raise them, provide food and teach them the way of the Bluebird.
They will join the flock as they get ready to move to their southern territories in the Fall.
Photo credit to Jay Brooks.
2020 with the Bluebirds
Background on Bluebird Monitoring at Prairie Moraine County
Prairie Moraine Friends collaborate with Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin (BRAW)
Bluebird monitoring has been going on for some time at Prairie Moraine Park, with a Bluebird trail running throughout the park connecting thirteen numbered nesting boxes. For a while now, these boxes have been watched over and attended to by Jean Lepro. At the January 15, 2020 board meeting of Prairie Moraine Friends, a status report was given and the announcement of a "changing of the guard" was made.
Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin (BRAW) director Pat Ready introduced himself and gave a report on bluebird activity in Wisconsin for 2019. Pat said the total number of nesting pairs and fledglings have not yet been summarized but, at this point, the preliminary data shows a statewide decline in numbers. Pat told the group that part of the decline is attributed to a reduction in volunteer reporting of bluebird activity. However, he also said that much of the bluebird decline was real and had to do with an extremely wet spring. Pat explained that the wet conditions were followed by an unusually high gnat infestation in bluebird nests that killed many of the fledglings. Jean Lepro reported a similar reduction at Prairie Moraine Park. Jean counted four nesting bluebird pairs and four fledglings.
Jean told the group that she will be moving permanently to Arizona but, happily for the project, Prairie Moraine Friend Jay Brooks has agreed to take over monitoring and otherwise attending to the Prairie Moraine Bluebird Trail in 2020 and beyond. If you would like to volunteer to assist Jay with this valuable work, please let him know. All of our Prairie Moraine Friends group members can be reached using our Info@prairiemorainefriends.org email address.
The Friends of Donald Park have an active Bluebird Group of volunteers, with an excellent web page on what is involved in bluebird monitoring.