Bluebird Haven
The following article was written by Richard Evans, UT Arboretum Director, and originally published in the Volume 23, Number 4 issue of the UT Arboretum Society Journal, The Leaflet.
Bluebirds have always found an open invitation to make the Arboretum their home. The pastoral setting found throughout the Arboretum provides a luxurious habitat for the "blue bombers". On most days throughout the summer you can see bluebirds perched on the high wires of the TVA power lines that delineate the Arboretum's northwestern boundary. From this vantage point they peruse the landscape for insects and launch their aerial attacks. Equally, you see family units fluttering around the many bluebird-nesting boxes that are sprinkled over the grounds. Bluebirds may be the Arboretum's most populace breeding bird species.
This haven for bluebirds is more than an accident of nature. It has had a helping hand. Wildlife habitat has three components – food, cover, and shelter. In the case of bluebirds, food and cover is provided in the mix of plants, trees, insect populations and their arrangement in the landscape. However, shelter plays a pivotal role in their ultimate success. Bluebirds are cavity nesters, and natural cavities have been in short supply since farmers replaced wooden fence posts with metal ones (old wooden fence posts were the historic stable for nesting cavities).
Thirty years ago the Arboretum's deficiency in nesting cavities was overcome by the addition of bluebird houses. Success in the increase of bluebird populations was apparent from the beginning, and ever since, more and more boxes have been added. Over 45 bluebird houses are now scattered throughout the Arboretum. Putting up bluebird houses is not an end in itself. There is also the maintenance factor! Bluebird house cleaning is an important task in successfully rearing multiple broods in a single season. Generally, only 3 or 4 days elapse between the time the young of one brood are fledged and the nest for the next brood is started. This means that constant attention must be given to the condition of the birds and fledglings. With so many houses, house hygiene has become tenuous at best – "slumlords" might aptly apply to our situation.
Thankfully, we have been saved from certain citation to court by the generosity of an individual dedicated to the life and happiness of bluebirds. Mr. David Hinds, Oliver Springs, TN, has volunteered his talent, energies, and time to the maintenance of the Arboretum's bluebird housing complex. David has a love for bluebirds that transcends mere fascination. At his own expense, he has replaced more than twenty of the Arboretum's dilapidated bluebird houses and repaired many others. He cleaned all of the houses in preparation for winter quartering and next year's nesting run. This summer David inventoried the boxes, took care of hygiene problems associated with certain nests, and generally coaxed the bluebirds through the season. For this help, we are very, very, grateful! You will probably see David in the Arboretum on a regular basis – say hello, thank him, and, if you want to know the fine details of caring for bluebirds, he is the man to ask!
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