News & Muse from the Bluebird Trail
Please submit any comments, questions, or suggestions to birding@landisarboretum.org.
News from the Trail
Trail monitoring report
If you’d like to follow along with our Bluebird Trail Map, please click here. If the link doesn’t work, you can find the map on our website via the Discover/Maps&Guides links.
Last summer we removed the pair of boxes at WT5 to make way for some landscaping behind the Meeting House. This drops us down to 42 total nest boxes on the Bluebird Trail. All boxes were inspected and cleaned out in late August and again during March. Bluebirds were seen at the Arb all through the winter and by the time you read this they should be in the early stages of nesting. Routine monitoring of the boxes begins inearly April. Hopefully, this spring’s weather will be warmer than last year’s and the bluebirds can have a better start to the nesting season.
All nest monitoring is conducted in accordance with The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Nestwatch Nest Monitoring Manual. All monitoring data is entered into the Nestwatch database, and an end-of-year summary is also submitted to the New York State Bluebird Society.
Classes/Field Trips
There are many bird-related classes and field trips scheduled for 2026. These events started March 14 with our Setting Up A Bluebird Nest Boxclass and go through to our Annual Halloween Owl Prowl on October 30. Visit our Upcoming Events webpage to see details and to sign up. If there are other classes or field trips you’d like to see, please email us your ideas.
Bluebird Lottery
2026 will be the third consecutive year that we are holding our Bluebird Lottery. It’s free to play. During the first two years of the lottery there were 30 lottery winners. Submit guesses between April 1 and May 1. Please click here for more information and to learn how to participate.
Featured Birds
White-breasted Nuthatch and Red-breasted Nuthatch – These are the only nuthatch species that live in our area. They share many similarities: size (small), color (blue-grey, white, black, rust), habitat (forest and open woodland), food (insects and seeds), and nest type (tree cavities). Bothare common feeder birds. White-breasted Nuthatches will occasionally use nest boxes, though I haven’t seen them in any of ours. Red-breasted Nuthatches rarely use boxes. Nuthatches are very agile tree climbers. While there are many similarities, telling the two apart isn’t hard. Red-breasted Nuthatches are less white, have lots of rust on their underside, and a prominent black eye stripe. They are a little smaller and more energetic than the White-breasted Nuthatch and have a different call. Both birds can be found in our area year-round. You can learn much more about these two species by clicking here.
Muse for the Trail
Birds have always been important to humans. They have provided us with food, ornamentation, wisdom concerning the natural world, and divine inspiration. Most cultures and religions have deities and/or important symbols based on birds. Can you think of a few examples?
Random Facts and Helpful Hints
There is a documentary that is free to watch on YouTube that I highly recommend. It is called Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching. This documentary describes itself as “Two brothers learn about competitive birdwatching by becoming birdwatchers—spending a year living in a used minivan, traveling the country to compete in a ‘Big Year'.” It is very informative, entertaining, and unique. Note that it does contain a little bit of coarse language.
Quarterly Boggler
African Sacred Ibis – A wading bird native to much of Africa and some areas of the Middle East. This bird was the earthly representation of the ancient Egyptian god Thoth. As a result, vast numbers of these birds were sacrificed as part of religious burial rituals. Ironically, Thoth was the god of what?
Chicken – In Scandinavian mythology, Gullinkambi is a rooster residing in Valhalla. His crowing will herald the beginning of what event? Bonus points if you know the origin of the chicken.
Crow – The Celtic goddess of war and fate sometimes appeared as a crow. She was sometimes considered to be a triple goddess. What was her name?
Dove – What do doves represent in Christianity?
Phoenix – Associated with the sun, this mythical bird lives a never-ending cycle of fiery death and rebirth. What is the first culture to mention this bird?
Raven – In several Native American cultures the raven has a dual nature as a hero and a ___________?
(see answers at bottom of page)
Nestbox Spotlight
WPT2 is downhill from the Greenhouse. This location has been a consistent producer of Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows. It is set back from the tree line far enough to discourage many, but not all, Northern House Wrens from attempting to nest there.
Boggler Answers
African Sacred Ibis – Thoth is the ancient Egyptian god of wisdom.
Chicken – Gullinkambi’s crowing will announce the arrival of Ragnarok, the end of the world of gods and men after which the world is reborn. The primary wild ancestor of chickens is the Southeast Asian Red Junglefowl. Domestication probably occurred 7000-10,000 years ago.
Crow – “The Morrigan”.
Dove – Peace and divine presence.
Phoenix – The earliest known mention is attributed to the 8th century BCE Greek poet Hesiod.
Raven – Trickster.