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06/19/2007: "It Worked! Baby Bluebirds on SJ Island"

The lyric “hold your head up high, Till you find a bluebird of happiness” was appropriate advice for the San Juan Islands Audubon after they released eight pairs of Western Bluebirds last March on San Juan Island.

With the birth of three Western Bluebirds in the Bailer Hill area of San Juan Island, there is some hope that the attempt to reintroduce the birds to San Juan County may be successful . These are the first juvenile bluebirds seen in the San Juans since about 1965.

The parents are one of eight pair of Western Bluebirds translocted from Ft. Lewis, Pierce County, Washington, in March of this year. (Previous story) Some of the birds flew back to Ft. Lewis, but both of the parents of these new birds remained, survived, and were seen feeding the fledglings insects caught in the short grasses of Garry Oak habitat.

Many volunteers spent the early winter months building and placing nest boxes throughout San Juan County in classic bluebird feeding and breeding habitat. Western Bluebirds were once common in the San Juans but were not able to compete with non-native European Starlings for nest sites in tree cavities and disappeared about 1965. The current nest boxes have entrance holes too small for starlings but will allow bluebirds.



Where are the other seven pair of birds?
Biologists reported that three of the trans-located pair returned to Ft. Lewis, some going back to the same nest boxes where they were originally trapped. Finding the fourth pair on San Juan Island raises hope that the other four pair are still in the islands or counties close by.

Help Find the Others
Nest boxes are still being monitored as the birds may raise a second batch of chicks (it is not too late to build and place a box). After the young fledge or leave the box they may be seen up to a mile away. The family will be seen traveling as a group with the heavily streaked young who resemble the adults, being fed insects by the adults. The birds make short flights from perches like fence posts, low brush and trees, to the ground looking for insects. They tend to be found in areas that combine short grasses backed by brush and woody areas.

Please let SJ Audubon know if you see any groups of bluebirds in the San Juans or adjacent counties. Call San Juan Islands Audubon, Barbara Jensen, 360-378-308 or San Juan Preservation Trust, Kathleen Foley, 360-378-2461.

This five year project is sponsored by: San Juan Islands Audubon, San Juan Preservation Trust, American Bird Conservancy and EcoStudies Institute. Call if you would like to donate to or participate in this project.