There in late March, volunteers begin to walk their assigned bluebird trails each week. They inspect each nest, record their observations and prepare to help each nesting pair raise a successful brood. Bluebird boxes are set at a height of five feet about 100 feet from wooded areas. This discourages house wrens from using the boxes.
Eggs are laid over a period of 5 to 7 days and the tiny naked babies hatch two weeks later. At that time the rescue mission begins. Tiny blowfly larvae may be present in the nesting material and this parasite seriously weakens the baby birds.
When the baby birds are five days old, volunteers carefully take them out of the nest and place them in a temporary safe haven. Volunteers then take out the nesting material and replace it with dried grass which they have formed into a tolerable nest shape and replace the baby birds. This process is repeated again on the seventh day. In recent years no young birds have been lost to these parasites.
In 1965, just eight nesting pairs of bluebirds were recorded at Holden Arboretum. In 1995, 69 pairs were recorded. Thanks to dedicated volunteers, that brilliant flash of blue is no longer rare at Holden Arboretum. The 3,100 acre facility, the largest in the world, is near Mentor, Ohio, and is open to the public.
To get there from Tiffin, take U.S. 224 to I-71, then I-271. That will take you around Cleveland. Go east about five miles on U.S. Route 6 and turn north on State Route 306. You’ll see the signs. An added note: Bluebird Trails by Dorene Scriven details the most proven methods used by birders through the years, and is available at the arboretum.
–Mary