Happy Trails

While Ron Reist of Olds, Alta., monitors his mountain bluebird trail, his wife Veronica tags along to capture all the action.

For as long as I can remember, birds, have fascinated me. From my pre-teen years, rafting on a country slough, to recent bird expeditions to Columbia and Australia, I have sought out their pleasure.

There are three species of bluebirds, all found in North America: the eastern, western and mountain bluebird. The mountain bluebird breeds in the west, from the western states up through Canada and parts of Alaska and across the Rocky Mountains. Like many other birds, female bluebirds are much less colourful than the males. They often look more grey or brown than blue, with the exception of the tips of their wings and tails. Henry David Thoreau wrote, “The bluebird carries the sky on his back.”

The bluebird’s biggest problem today is a serious housing shortage. They can be extremely fussy about where they build their nests. They won’t nest in cities or crowded suburbs, and they dislike forests or deep shade. Instead, they prefer open spaces with not too many trees or buildings around them. They nest in small enclosures or holes, and love rotted, wooden fence posts, dark hollows in decaying trees, knotholes and abandoned woodpecker holes. Of course, not every natural nesting hole is gone, but those that remain are often taken over by more aggressive birds, such as the English house sparrow and the European starling.