Plans are underway for a 50-year celebration by the Friends of the Bluebirds, a western Manitoba organization based in Brandon.
An affiliate of the North American Bluebird Society, the local group will mark their half-centennial June 22 at the Boot Hill Wedding Venue east of Brandon.
The history of the Friends of the Bluebirds is an interesting one.
It is the legacy of John and Nora Lane, Brandon residents who began recovery work for bluebirds in the late-1950s after they noticed fewer bluebirds in western Manitoba. Both local bluebird species had declined sharply — the sky-blue mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) and the eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis), which is a little darker and sports a reddish-brown chest.
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The decline, the Lanes decided, was partly due to competition from introduced species like English sparrows and starlings. Loss of nesting sites also played a role, the couple thought. Cropland was increasingly replacing the wooded areas preferred by bluebirds. They tend to build their nests in cavities created by woodpeckers, squirrels or insects in dead or dying trees.
John Lane believed that nesting boxes could help avoid further decline. The couple began to build and put out bluebird houses on fence posts along rural roads.
It was around the same time that the Brandon Junior Bird Club for young people and their parents was also formed. Lines of bluebird houses were set out, stretching from the U.S. border north to Ste. Rose du Lac and from MacGregor west to Broadview, Sask. Over a 15-year period, nearly 5,000 boxes were built and set out.
After John Lane’s death in 1975, Friends of the Bluebirds was officially started to continue the work. The volunteer organization continues today with about 140 members and 95 lines of boxes. This includes about 25 “supporting friends” who maintain houses, but do not monitor them. Meetings are held twice a year in Brandon, typically with 30-40 participants.
Active members build and set out nest boxes. They visit several times a summer to determine how many boxes are used, how many eggs are laid, and the number of birds fledged. Statistics are submitted to the local group and then to the North American Bluebird Society.
In late summer or fall, boxes are cleaned to prepare for next year.
Bluebirds by the numbers
Over the last 15 years, the number of boxes being monitored averaged over 1,500. Fledgling numbers have varied greatly depending on various factors, weather being the big one. From 2015-2019 statistics averaged more than 2,200 bluebirds fledged per year. In sharp contrast, 2021 and 2022 figures were 448 and 422 respectively.
The distressing decrease was judged to be due to storms in the southern U.S., which had killed many birds as they were migrating northward during the spring of 2021. Statistics for 2024 show an increase back to 899 fledglings — improved, but still less than half of earlier numbers.
Observation also shows that, between the two bluebird species, eastern bluebirds greatly outnumber mountain bluebirds. The latter are gradually being pushed farther west towards the Saskatchewan border. A few mountain bluebirds still nest in the Shilo area, but the eastern variety are now our main bluebird species.
Bluebird monitors also keep track of other species using their nest boxes. Tree swallows are most noticeable. They actually register greater numbers than the bluebirds. This is a positive side effect, since they’re another declining species, and the 2021 spring storms did not seem to affect them as much. Tree swallow fledglings regularly number over 3,000 or even more in the count.
Problems may occur if swallows disturb the bluebirds, so birders often place two nest boxes close together so the two species can each use one rather than competing.
One new project involves GPS. Last summer, over 40 lines were geo-referenced and plans are to continue the initiative this summer. A second new project is a junior birder partnership with families from the Shilo Family Resource centre who are building and installing new bluebird boxes.
For more information or to join the Friends of the Bluebirds, visit the organization’s website at www.mbbluebirds.org.
Ticket information or other questions about the anniversary should be directed to George Michniewicz at 201-441-0840 or at [email protected]. RSVP deadline for the event’s lunch is May 30.
