Transitions, Transformations and a Little Photography
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Mountain Bluebird Season
For the last four years between April and August I have been fascinated with small vividly blue migratory birds - yes mountain bluebirds. During this timeframe they fly back to Alberta from their wintering grounds in the southern US and northern Mexico. It is a long way for these small birds to travel and their return to this area is specifically for nesting and raising new generations of mountain bluebirds.
I was able to get out this week and do a nest box monitoring run to see if they have started nest building. The last time I was out was towards the end of April and I saw a number of mountain bluebirds, but with the changeable weather that included snow and cold spells - there was no nest building happening.
Bluebird Time of Year Again
I am always amazed at how quickly the new mountain bluebird monitoring season comes around, but I anticipate it with enthusiasm and curiosity about what I will observe and learn this year. This is the 5th year that I will be monitoring these wonderful birds with CANMS (Calgary Area Nestbox Monitoring Society). I really appreciate being part of this network of bird enthusiasts who support education, networking, information and data collection around the monitoring activities. I must say out of the gate that there is a workshop being held May 23, 2026 at the Leighton Art Centre outside of Calgary. I attended this session last year and it is a great way for people to learn about the bluebird monitoring process and especially for children and young teens to increase their knowledge of birds and conservation. It is also a great place for anyone interested in taking on a Nestbox monitoring run to learn what is involved. Information for registration is supplied on the link on the website.
Mountain Bluebird Nestbox Monitoring
Nestbox monitoring is a made up of a network of people who volunteer their time to ensure that migratory birds who are cavity nesters (i.e., they make their nests in hollowed out structures like trees) such as mountain bluebirds and tree swallows have suitable habitat available during nesting season. The need for nestboxes became apparent when declining numbers of Mountain Bluebirds were observed in the early 1970’s - this was due to the decline in woodland areas when suburban development accelerated.
The Calgary Area Nestbox Monitors Society ( CANMS ) consists of over 100 monitors looking after over 70 trails with over 5000 nestboxes. Their website contains all sorts of interesting and useful resource material about mountain bluebirds and monitoring a nest box trail.
Making Mountain Bluebird Nestboxes
A couple of years ago I found out that a work colleague was also into birding and that he had a mountain bluebird nest box monitoring run. For those not familiar with this program, it started in the 1970’s when mountain bluebird numbers were on the decline due to loss of nesting habitat. They typically nest in tree cavities at the edge of wooded areas and are quite particular about where they nest.
There is also a lot of competition for nest locations amongst other birds