When my family and I moved into our new home in South Amherst seven years ago, our friend, the artist Bonnie Miller, gave us a bluebird house as a housewarming present. It seemed a fitting gift to celebrate our moving from the center of town to a more rural setting, where we might actually see bluebirds in the open fields surrounding our house.
My husband hung the rectangular wooden box on a tree behind our house in early March, and damned if we didn’t have a family of bluebirds move in within a week or two. We added a second house and now we regularly have a cheerful group of bluebirds in our meadow.
I’ve learned a lot about bluebirds since then. Bluebirds (Sialia sialis), are members of the thrush family, which also includes robins. They are hardy little creatures and do not migrate as far south as other birds. In fact, over the recent unusually mild winters we’ve had in New England, it seems some don’t migrate at all. I suspect that climate change is the reason for this, but don’t quote me. In any event, like their robin cousins, bluebirds return to the area earlier than many other birds, usually in early March.
Bluebirds prefer to live in open spaces rather than forests, and like to nest in cozy holes in old trees. Abandoned orchards make perfect nesting areas for them, as do old woodpecker holes. Approximately two-thirds of their diet is insects; the rest is fruits and berries. In the winter, when we are largely bug-free in New England, an adequate supply of persistent fruits is essential.
Trees and shrubs that retain their fruit throughout the winter include black cherry, serviceberry, sumac, dogwood, grape, honeysuckle, bittersweet, viburnum, greenbrier, American holly, mountain ash, spice bush, and pokeweed.
Planting these, or encouraging their growth if you already have them, is a good way to improve bluebird habitat year-round. By the way, bluebirds also enjoy poison ivy berries, but I won’t go any farther down that road!
Bluebirds are extremely sensitive to pesticides, and widespread use of pesticides in the mid-20th century put a serious dent in their population. Their numbers were further diminished by the increasing population of house sparrows and starlings that competed for limited nesting sites.
Land management and human intervention has helped to restore the population. Timber cutters are encouraged to leave “snags,” i.e., standing trees that are dead or dying, and other wildlife-friendly trees for nesting. Conservation groups and bird-loving individuals have set up bluebird houses in grassy meadows and fields to encourage them to nest. As you’re walking or driving, you might have noticed inconspicuous wood boxes affixed to trees and posts; they are most likely bluebird houses.
As I’ve learned, bluebirds are delightful and entertaining neighbors. One warm summer evening, my husband and I were having dinner on our patio, which overlooks the bluebird meadow. I noticed a group of bluebirds perched in a nearby poplar tree. Just as I drained my wineglass, I noticed that our birdbath was empty, too. I went inside to refill my glass and filled the birdbath with the garden hose as I returned to the patio. Within 60 seconds, the birds had gathered in and around the shallow basin to drink, splash and preen themselves. It was about as close to magic as I’ve seen.
The English language contains many colorful collective nouns that refer to groups of specific birds. For example, a “murder” of crows, “murmuration” of starlings, a “raft” of ducks, a “gaggle” of geese, a “banditry” of chickadees. A group of thrushes is called a “hermitage” or “mutation.” But what about bluebirds? Amazingly (to me, at least), there’s not a widely accepted collective noun for these charming, spectacularly colored creatures.
On the internet, I discovered several lovely suggestions for groups of bluebirds including a “beatitude” and a “sky” of bluebirds. Take your pick, or invent another.
Greenfield seed swap
The 10th annual Cabin Fever Seed Swap will be held Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. in the upstairs meeting room at Green Fields Market on Main Street in Greenfield. There will be giveaways and, by popular request, there will also be a scion exchange. Grafting enthusiasts rejoice! (For more info on scions, check out https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grafting) The seed swap is a free, casual, drop-in event. Seed saving experts, longtime gardeners, enthusiastic novices and curious beginners are all welcome. Bring seeds you’ve saved, extra seed packets, scions, plant starts or any agricultural items you’d like to offer.
Even if you have nothing to offer, extra seed packets donated by local garden centers and regional seed companies will be up for grabs.
Call Melinda at 325-4896 for more information.
Trees are essential to the health of our planet and ourselves. But how much do we really know about them?
On March 18, from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., Kestrel Trust is hosting a Walk and Talk called “The Secrets of the Trees.” Participants will visit a private conservation area in Leverett to celebrate trees with naturalist Michael Wojtech, author of “BARK: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast.”
He has lots to teach us, including how to identify trees without their leaves. The event is free, but donations are welcome. RSVP is required to learn meeting location. For more information, go to kestreltrust.org.
You’ve probably been within inches of red-backed salamanders many times and just not seen them. On March 18 from 10 a.m. until noon, the Hitchcock Center’s naturalist and educator Ted Watt, will discuss the fascinating life history of this diminutive creature and its important role in the ecology of our forests. Watt also will take participants on a tour of the center’s red-backed salamander monitoring plots and discuss the center’s participation in a region-wide monitoring project to gauge the animals’ population status across their range, from the Maritimes, to Minnesota to Georgia, and establish a baseline from which to gauge their responses to coming climate changes.
The event is free, but registration in advance is appreciated. Go to hitchcockcenter.org for more information.
Mickey Rathbun can be reached at foxglover8@gmail.com.