“A man who never sees a bluebird only half lives.” – Edwin Way Teale, American
naturalist, writer, photographer
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to view an Eastern Bluebird up close, you can
understand why the species is the subject of so many popular songs, poems, and
photographs. They are strikingly beautiful creatures and after nearly a century of decline
in population, are beginning to thrive again due to a number of conservation efforts.
I recently had the great pleasure of seeing one of these conservation projects come to
life at the Town’s Historic Traphagen property in West Nyack. Girl Scout Troop 40179,
in coordination with the Bronx River Audubon Society, installed nesting boxes there with
hope of attracting some Eastern Bluebirds to take up residence. According to the
Audubon Society, it can take up to 11 years for bluebirds to find and occupy these
nesting boxes, so the expectation was for this to be a long term project. Fortunately, the
open grounds and surrounding characteristics of the property made the Traphagen
estate an ideal site for the nests, and in just a few months a pair of bluebirds settled into
one of them. I'm delighted to announce that the nesting pair are now the proud parents
of four new baby bluebirds to count among Clarkstown’s population!
I'm also incredibly proud that Clarkstown is blessed with conservation-minded youth
groups such as our scouts, who invest their time and passion in these types of projects.
Last weekend, the Girl Scouts joined Sandy from the Bronx River Shore Audubon
Society to celebrate the arrival of the baby birds. Sandy has been trained and approved
to band and record the measurements of these new birds and monitor their growth as
they mature. I was also pleased to join them that day.
The protective parent birds flew overhead and chirped away as the babies were
banded. The 10 day-old babies were very carefully taken out, measured, and fitted with
metallic bands which will allow them to be recorded in the future without impacting their
daily lives. Moments later, all the birds were safe and happy in the nesting box.
It was truly wonderful to see our young people making an impact in helping to bring
these beautiful birds back to our community. As you go about your days here in town,
keep an eye out for an Eastern Bluebird. If you're lucky enough to spot one, remember
to thank Girl Scout Troop 40179 and the Bronx River Shore Audubon Society for
helping to bring them back to Clarkstown!
