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CURRENT COORDINATOR NOTES

Pierce County Wisconsin – June 24, 2025

“I monitored my EABL boxes today and found another nest with a Brown-headed Cowbird egg in it! A friend from church also found a BHCO egg in one of his EABL nests. In 36 years of monitoring, I have found one or two BHCO eggs and now in June, have found 3! I wonder what is going on? BHCOs are not supposed to be able to get in an EABL nest box so there is speculation that they back up to the hole and deposit an egg inside it. If this is true, they might be learning from each other. It seems like I learn something new about EABLs every year, even after monitoring as many years as I have.” Mary Roen

Dakota County UPDATE – May 31, 2025

“MYBirdClub.org”

Dakota County coordinator David Schmidt partnered with MYBirdClub to lead 10 youth and 6 parents from their organization on a ninety-minute bluebird trail hike monitoring and learning about bluebirds and other cavity nesters. They checked paired nest boxes at 6 sites on an Inver Grove Heights trail, finding 6 active nests among the sites visited. One with bluebird eggs, two with tree swallow eggs, one with 7-day old bluebird chicks and one with newly hatched tree swallows chicks. Everyone learned the proper way to approach a nest box and how to warn ‘mama’ bluebird they were about to open her box to check the nest. Additionally, many other bird species were sited on the hike. Lisa Keitel, a MYBirdClub volunteer, plied her vast bird ID skills to help everyone identify many other birds along the trail.

Hennepin County UPDATE – May 27, 2025

Welcome to Lauren Gimmestad, a new monitor for the Catholic Cemetery and the Jewish cemeteries in New Hope. There are bluebirds on both trails for a great start. Cheryl Batson at Chamonix Golf Course lost a pair of tree swallows, likely to a house sparrow, her first in three years of monitoring. Both tree swallows were found dead. Lisa McIntire at Dawn Golf Course lost a tree swallow nest with six eggs, likely chased away by a house sparrow. The nest is completely gone, and a house sparrow nest is in its place. No dead birds were found, however. Also, the first five bluebird chicks at Dawn Golf Course fledged last week. Another four chicks are expected to fledge this week.

Kathy Meinhardt observed at Masonic Homes in Bloomington a bluebird repurposing a chickadee nest, but it used moss to build its own nest. Picture attached. I’ve only seen moss used by a bluebird once in the past 10 years that I can remember.

Dan Hawkins has expanded his trail at Sunset Memorial Cemetery and has bluebirds adopting the new houses already. Dan has been Bluebirder of the Year for our group for 3 years in a row with this trail. (Winners are limited to three wins, so the top spot is now open for 2025.)

Not about bluebirds, but news about Jack’s house designs: Jack’s kestrel house at the Landscape Arboretum has attracted a kestrel for the second year in a row. Cris found five eggs there last week.

Lisa McIntire – assistant Hennepin County coordinator

Hennepin County UPDATE – May 13, 2025

Hennenpin County Coordinator Bob Hursh has this to share from the newly established bluebird trail in Lakewood Cemetery. “I stopped there this morning to show how to wax the pole and add a vanilla air freshener. 5 eggs in one box, 2 eggs in another. Pair of bluebirds checking out boxes at 3rd site. Pretty impressive…and surprising.” Addtionally, one of the trail monitors reported this for that trail. “Constance Pepin reports that there are 4 bluebird eggs in another one of the Gilbertson PVC boxes.”

Ramsey County UPDATE – April 2, 2025

Ramsey County Corrdinator George Brown installed 22 bluebird boxes at the White Bear Yacht Club golf course this spring. Check out this article from the White Bear Press about his adventures, click here.

Benton County UPDATE – July 11, 2024

I guess there is a first time for everything, the photo below is proof of that. First bi-colored egg photo ever submitted to the Bluebird Program. If you’ve seen one before send us a note at [email protected].

Thank you Robert!

Robert and Sandy Rajkowski – Benton County coordinators

Hennepin County UPDATE – June 11, 2024

Hennepin County welcomes new monitors to two trails this season. Dan and Tony are monitoring Arneson Acres in Edina. They started the season with four house locations and four house sparrows. All four were paired houses, so we split up two of the pairs of houses as an experiment, and one bluebird has adopted one of the new locations. They welcomed five new bluebird chicks on June 5. And a tree swallow has successfully challenged a house sparrow in another location. Congrats to Dan and Tony for revitalizing that trail in their first month.

Taylor is the assistant grounds superintendent at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, and he is monitoring the trail at Interlachen Country Club as well as the trails at the Catholic Cemetery and the Jewish Cemetery in New Hope, near his home. The Catholic cemetery is a brand new trail, and only half of the houses have been found by any birds, but there was one bluebird nest in May. The Jewish cemetery has been expanded to 10 houses, and there was one bluebird there in May. In the past there were a lot of bluebirds at this trail, so we’re excited for the birds to find the new houses. A huge thank you to Taylor for taking on so many bluebird trails in his first year.

There are also great stories about bluebird successes and other birds, too. Rodney fledged a brood of bluebirds in his backyard, and Bradford and Anita have several bluebird nests at Francis Gross Golf Course in northeast Minneapolis. Stephanie has counted three bluebird nests and three chickadee nests at Bent Creek Golf Course, and she is watching tree swallows and bluebirds compete for houses at West Bush Lake. Cheryl is starting her second year with the Chamonix Golf Course near Lino Lakes and reporting success with bluebirds and tree swallows. Gael at 9 Mile Creek Watershed District offices is also reporting a bluebird in one of their three houses. One of Jack’s kestrel houses at the Landscape Arboretum has been adopted by a kestrel, which is very exciting. Second nests are starting, and everything looks promising.

Brood of chicks from Arneson Acres in Edina

Lisa McIntire – assistant Hennepin County coordinator

Pine County UPDATE – May 30, 2024

Box check yesterday at the St Croix Park – a bear or bears hit 9 of my boxes. Six were swallow nests but lost 8 bluebird chicks and 5 bluebird eggs in the other 3. Most were on one trail where there is 9 boxes in a row. Probably the same bear hit 6 of those.

Since switching most of the boxes over from Peterson style to Gilbertson style, predation from other sources has reduced to zero. But a bear has hit the Peterson boxes in the past.

I’m thinking the bear can hear or smell the chicks in the box. Once it found chicks in one box, it just went down the line, checking the other boxes in the area. None of the swallow boxes had chicks, only eggs; which is still a snack for a hungry bear. A bear hit 2 boxes on the 49ers trail (my neighbors). Both had swallow nests in them. Hopefully as more food sources become available, they’ll leave the boxes alone. I’ve read about some homemade concoctions that deter bears with a bad smell, so I’ll check into those. There’s not a whole lot one can do about bears.

Last count for the Park Trails was 54 eggs and 38 chicks, 49ers Trail was 10 eggs, no chicks, and Lost Creek Trail was 4 eggs and 5 chicks.

Jeanne Olsen – Pine Co. County coordinator

Hubbard County UPDATE – May 28, 2024

I’ve had a great BB level of activity for this time of year- all nests have 5 or 6 eggs plus many chickadees. Want to beat my record of 300 this year. 2 nests with white bb eggs.

Ron Jensen – Hubbard County coordinator

Rice County UPDATE – May 18, 2024

Blue feathers covering the babies.

New Rice County coordinators – Mike & Stacy Shuda

Nicollet County UPDATE – May 11, 2024

Minnesota Master Naturalist volunteers Bix and Beth Baker are reviving the bluebird trail at Fort Ridgley State Park. Here are some photos of the present and hoped for what’s to come. We are wishing them much good luck!

Bix and Beth Baker, Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteer

Dakota County UPDATE – May 9, 2024

Daughter and Dad monitoring a bluebird trail at Highland View Park in Burnsville observed this in one of the just installed new Bluebird Program donate nest boxes. Dad took this amazing photo, Thanks!

Nancy Engel, Bluebird Program board member and Expo Chairperson

Ramsey County UPDATE – May 8, 2024

“I checked my trails this A.M. and things are looking good for a change. I have about 20 eggs between both courses with more to come. The only problem is what you see in the photo below. I have come across this a few times in the years I’ve been monitoring trails, but never found the results until today.

It must have happened within the last couple of days since the ants haven’t decimated the eggs yet. Usually, one cannot find what is thrown out of a nest site when you check once a week. In case there are members who have not seen what wrens can do, please post this on the Bluebird Program website site.”

George Brown, Ramsey County Coordinator

Morrison County UPDATE – May 5, 2024

County coordinators Mike Fulford – Morrison Co. and David Schmidt – Dakota Co. replaced 6 nest boxes on the Larry Wunder Trail on CR1 and added an additional 2 boxes to continue the upgrade of this 44 box trail between Pliager and Cushing.

Dakota County UPDATED – May 3, 2024 & May 22

This spring has been full of surprises here in Dakota county, two different sites in the northern part of the county have report 6 eggs in the first nesting. However, not to be outdone Farmington, County Coordinator Marilyn Suter submitted this photo of one of her nests with 7 eggs. As she said, “lets hope they all hatch and fit in the nest box until fledge time!” UPDATE – All seven eggs have hatched, now hoping for all to fledge !!!

Marilyn Suter, Dakota County Coordinator

Bluebird Program of Minnesota

"Sustaining Bluebirds For Future Generations"

County Coordinator Notes