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Guest Column

Greet bluebirds with cozy nest box

By AMY DUNCAN
Published January 16, 2007

Bluebirds are back already. They have been spotted across the county looking for possible nesting sites for their springtime families. Now is the time to prepare to welcome these colorful little songbirds into your neighborhood by erecting a bluebird box in your yard.

Eastern bluebirds are small thrushes (about 7 inches in length) with short black bills and chestnut breasts, throats and flanks. Their belly and under the tail are white. Males are deep blue, while the females have gray-blue upper parts with a gray-brown wash on the back. The female's orange underparts are paler than those of the male. The male bluebird frequently is seen sitting on a fence in the morning singing a beautiful welcome to the day.

Deforestation and urbanization have made finding suitable nesting sites a severe problem for the bluebird. A solution is to provide wooden nest boxes. When boxes are placed in good areas, bluebird populations increase rapidly.

Providing nest boxes to bluebirds is the passion of Stead Lott. In the past three years, he has built and distributed 7,555 bluebird boxes.

Lott utilizes scrap lumber materials from constriction sites to build the houses. This effort has had the additional benefit of keeping that scrap material from going into the landfill. A conservative estimate is that at least 26 tons of lumber has been recycled to date.

A further benefit to the community is Lott's dedication to the youth of Citrus County. For the past two years, a $5 donation for each bluebird house has been donated to the 4-H Foundation of Citrus County. Those funds help support the 4-H Youth Development program, a community of young people across the county learning citizenship, leadership and life skills.

With each bluebird box, Lott educates the recipient on the proper placement and maintenance. Lott has also been busy speaking about bluebirds to 4-H Clubs, school classes and community groups where attendees receive their own boxes to take home. Not only are bluebirds pleasing to observe, but the activities of box maintenance and checking are "hands-on" educational experiences in bird biology.

To obtain your own bluebird nest box, contact the Citrus County Extension Office by calling 527-5700. Lott volunteers at the Extension Office 8 a.m. to noon each Monday and Thursday answering questions as a Master Gardener volunteer. Or you can simply stop by for a visit. You'll know you are at the right spot when you see Lott's truck out front with the back full of bird boxes and a magnetic sign on the tailgate advertising the boxes benefiting the 4-H program.

Programs and activities offered by the Extension Service are available to everyone, without regard to race, color, handicap, sex, religion, or national origin. For people with disabilities requiring special accommodations, please contact our office at least five working days before the program so that proper consideration may be given to the request. Please call 527-5700. For the hearing impaired, please contact the Florida Relay Center Service toll-free at 1-800-955-8771.

Editor's note: Amy Duncan works with the University of Florida IFAS Extension Service at the Citrus County Extension Service. She can be reached at 3650 W Sovereign Path, Suite 1, Lecanto, FL 34461. Her telephone number is 527-5700.

[Last modified January 16, 2007, 06:28:53]