Greater Ozarks Audubon has a bluebird box trail consisting of 29 boxes located within the Springfield Botanical Gardens. The boxes are monitored every two weeks from March to August to observe if bluebirds or other birds use them. These boxes have been equipped with baffles and hole guards to prevent snakes and raccoons from entering. However, this year, a couple of boxes were affected by the weather. During a wet and cold period, one nest was vulnerable as the young had not yet regulated their body temperatures, and they were too advanced in their maturity for the female to sit on them. Later in the summer, a prolonged heat wave affected another brood.
Despite these setbacks, the season was still a success, with a record number of bluebird boxes being used by 13 bluebirds and an impressive number of 55 bluebird fledglings. This is in contrast to the program’s first year in 2018, when only two successful nests were observed, producing a total of seven fledglings.
Bluebirds primarily feed their young with insects and some berries, so various native plants are essential for their nesting success. The park has successfully provided a variety of native plants, as reflected in the positive statistics.
– Information and photos provided by Dorothy Thurman of the Greater Ozarks Audubon Society
