Florida Bluebird Trail Rebuilding
Helping those "Hurricane Homeless Blues"

Thanks to your generous purchases of the 2005 Bluebird Calendar, The Bluebird Gift Shop was able to send a nice contribution to assist with rebuilding the Tiger Point Bluebird trail built, monitored and maintained by Phil and Jackie Berry of Gulf Breeze, Florida.

Phil tells us that prior to September 16, 2004, when Hurricane Ivan battered the Gulf coast,  there were 55 nestboxes on this beautiful golf course trail, which last year resulted in fledging 275 Eastern Bluebirds. More than 40 of those boxes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Ivan.

With the contribution of nestboxes from New York State Bluebird Society, and cash contributions from your Bluebird Calendar purchases and other sources, nearly all of the nestboxes that were destroyed have now been replaced or repaired.

In February, KimMarie and Tony from western New York State, and JoAnn and Frank Gosset from Milton, Florida, volunteered their time to assist Phil and Jackie with the physical labor involved in the rebuilding. We all know from experience how much effort is involved in setting and pounding in even one nestbox support post, let alone more than 40!

KimMarie relates "I admit, I didn't know how he would react to a 'stranger' offering help, and we didn't know what to expect when we got there.  But I have to say that this has been one of the most positive experiences I've ever had.   We were welcomed with open arms."

Phil and Jackie no doubt appreciated having help with this part of the rebuilding project - just as we're sure the Bluebirds at the Tiger Point trail 'appreciate' Phil and Jackie's concern for their welfare. You may remember that the Berry home, also located at Tiger Point, sustained considerable damage from Ivan. Since then, they have been living quite some distance away while their home is being rebuilt, so checking and rebuilding the trail has required not only a good deal of physical labor, but many hours of travel time as well. Phil says they should be moving back home by the end of this month, and we're sure they'll find their Bluebirds there welcoming them home with open wings!

You can read the full story of their experiences, along with some history and interesting information about the Tiger Point Golf Course trail, and more photos at Bluebird Nut - Florida Bluebird Trail Rebuilding Report

BEFORE - Why is this nestbox roof covered with a blue tarp?
Read the full story to find out!
 

You can share this issue with your friends and associates simply by forwarding this message to them.

If you've received this newsletter as a forward from someone you know, please subscribe by following the instructions on the Newsletter signup page.

Alternatively, you may send an e-mail to: XXXXXXXXXX, with the phrase "subscribe-Bluebird Newsletter" (without the quotes) in the subject line. You should receive a confirmation e-mail within 24 hours. If you do not receive the confirmation e-mail, please be sure your SPAM filters are not set to filter out mail from Bluebird Nut or a-znet.com. For subscription issues, please contact us.

Help make our newsletter even better  Have you seen an article or news item you'd like to see included in an upcoming newsletter, or do you have an interesting story to share about Bluebirds or Bluebirders? Please contact us to have the item considered for publication in the Bluebird Newsletter by sending an e-mail.

You are receiving this message because you requested to receive periodic newsletters from BluebirdNut.com and/or the Bluebird Gift Shop. To unsubscribe from this list: send an e-mail to XXXXXXXXXX, with the phrase "remove-Bluebird Newsletter" (without the quotes) in the subject line. You will receive a return e-mail confirming your removal from our subscriber list.

"I am always learning something new from bluebirders who've had experiences different than mine.  I'd love to learn how they came to monitor their specific trails, some lessons they've learned along the way and, of course, some hints they use to make monitoring easier. I'd also like to hear about those unexpected happenings--like my two August nestings last year.  I know others will have great stories to tell and I, for one, want to hear them.  Maybe we could even have a "monitor's corner" column where we could ask other monitors different questions each issue--have people submit questions they'd like to have answered."

Thanks to Kathy's suggestion, we're going to add a new feature to the Bluebird Newsletter. Our Monitor's Corner will be a place where Bluebird trail monitors can share tips, suggestions and stories with all of us, and where we'll post questions from our readers, inviting the input of our monitors.

To get this feature started, I've set up a new survey-style questionnaire at Bluebird Newsletter Monitor's Corner Survey, which will give our readers and other Bluebird Trail monitors an opportunity to answer some of the questions that Kathy proposed in her suggestion. There will also be a section allowing our readers to pose questions they'd like to see answered in future surveys.

Thank you for your input Kathy! We hope this new feature will make The Bluebird Newsletter an even better resource for our Bluebirding friends.

If you would like to see the Bluebird Newsletter go back to being a monthly publication, and would like to devote some time to researching and submitting articles or items of interest, please Contact Me.

For example, what do you think is the most popular type of nestbox among the Backyard Bluebirders who responded to our survey? Standard, Gilbertson, Peterson?

And what about among Bluebird trail monitors? What is the most-used nestbox mounting method?

And it may surprise you to find out the real numbers on how many of us actually use baffles on our nestbox mounting posts!