Eastern Bluebird sitting on fence line on the side of a country road in Georgia. Many young birders see a beautiful &, to them, common moment. Some would say iconic.
But for me it is indeed beautiful (& photogenic) moment but it’s a special sighting for a different reason.
Growing up in the 1960-70s as a feral outdoor kid, spotting a bluebird was a very rare event.
This symbol of happiness, good health and hope populations were in sharp decline. Birders & conservationists were rightly concerned with the possibility of extinction.
They faced (& face) many threats. The principle one was losing their nesting cavities to the introduced & highly invasive house sparrows & European starlings.
In 1978, NABS, North American Bluebird Society, was established. It was formed by birders & citizen scientists concerned about the drastic bluebird population decline. As a first priority, they set about helping with the ‘housing shortage’. Bluebird boxes were optimally designed for bluebirds. They were set up along a network of trail on public &, importantly, private properties. NABS educated & continue to educate, & train volunteers as monitors of local bluebird populations numbers & health that are nesting in the boxes. The result is almost a fairy-tale befitting the bluebirds’ symbolism. Populations rebounded and stabilized.
They have moved from an extinction concern to an iconic sighting.
