During the spring of 2024, Landis Arboretum is holding a free Bluebird Lottery with entries accepted from March 1 through April 15 to celebrate recent updates to our property and website which benefit birds and birders! The purpose of this lottery event is to have some fun while highlighting the birding opportunities at the Arboretum. Oh ... and there will be prizes! Click here to access the online entry form.

How to Participate - It is easy and free to participate in the Bluebird Lottery. Our nest boxes are placed in pairs; all you have to do is look at our Bluebird Trail map, pick one nest box pair location that you think will produce fledged bluebirds by June 15, 2024. Submissions will be accepted from March 1, 2024 to April 15, 2024. Please use the form linked in multiple locations in this posting to submit your guesses.

Prizes - All participants who submit correct guesses by the April 15 deadline identifying one of the nest boxes that produces fledglings by June 15 will receive a free one-year Landis Arboretum membership and be entered in a drawing for one of our grand prizes. Existing paid members will receive a one-year free extension to their membership. Only one submission will be accepted from each participant.

The Grand Prize drawing will be held in late June and winners will be notified by email. Grand Prizes will include:

• a bluebird nest box and pole generously donated by Wild Birds Unlimited, and advice on how to set it up;
• a Nature’s Way Funnel Flip-Top Mesh Finch Feeder, generously donated by Wildbird Junction LLC
• Two prizes of $50 generously donated by The Apple Barrel.
• Five prizes of a free subscription to The Mountain Eagle/The Schoharie News generously donated by the publication.
• A nest box built by a Landis volunteer, with advice on how to set it up
  
• a $20 coupon to use at one of our plant sales; and
• free attendance at one of our events or field trips.

More prizes may be added as local business friends of Landis provide them. Scroll down to see information on sponsors and links to their websites.

Click here to access the online entry form.

While this is a bluebird lottery, please note that no bluebirds will be given away as prizes!

You don’t have to be present at the drawing to win one of the grand prizes, but unless you agree to pay shipping, you must pick up the prize at the Arboretum within 30 days following notification that you are a winner. Another drawing will be held to award any grand prizes that are not picked up within 30 days of notification.

Odds of Winning – There is no way to accurately predict your odds of winning. Each person gets to pick one out of the 20 nest box locations. Landis typically has several locations that produce bluebirds each year, varying from year to year, so every location is a potential winner. That said, the bluebirds definitely have some favorites. You can try to improve your chances by doing research to learn which nest box designs (we have four types) and habitat settings bluebirds might prefer and then walk our Bluebird Trail to see which location looks most favorable.

PLEASE NOTE: Bluebirds and other cavity nesting birds may begin investigating nest locations by early spring. Between March 15 and September 15 please do not linger near any of the nest boxes or you may cause abandonment. Only Landis Arboretum staff and wildlife researchers (with prior approval) are permitted to touch a nest box

Click here to access the online entry form.

Please visit our Bluebirds & Birding at Landis webpage for general birding information.

Sorry, not every bird gets its own lottery. Maybe next year …

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