Bluebird Box Project 2023 Season Wrap-Up

​By Kurt Miske, Bluebird Project Coordinator
The days have grown cooler, the leaves are starting to change hue and birds are losing their breeding plumage. Our Lewis Road Riding Ring area bluebirds and tree swallows have left the grounds for their winter territory, declaring an end to the 2023 breeding season. All in all, it was a successful year with 14 bluebirds and 14 tree swallows fledging from 7 different broods.

We were gifted with 4 additional boxes this season, thanks to an agreement between the Metroparks (owner of the property) and a Boy Scout seeking to become an Eagle Scout. After the 4 boxes were installed, WCAS was asked to monitor them with the original 5 boxes. They became Box 6, 7, 8 and 9.

For the first time in our short history, we had boxes that were used twice in a season. Boxes 5 and 8 each had 2 broods of bluebirds. In both cases the first brood fledged in June and the second in August.

Boxes 2, 4 and 7 each had a brood of tree swallows. 2 broods fledged in late June and 1 in early August.

Happily, we had minimal issueswith house sparrows this year. We hope this holds for next year!

All 9 boxes have been cleaned out and will winter in place. We will check them in March to be certain they are ready for the 2024 nesting season.
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Thank you to our trail monitors – George Coleman and Lisa Gerbec – and our financial contributors. Hope to see you in 2024!