mbs chatter summer 2013

8/22/2019 MBS Chatter Summer 2013

1/8

The Maryland Bluebird Societys

BLUEBIRD CHATTERSummer 2013

MBS Bluebird Chatter

Page 1

The Presidents PerchAntietam, a Special Day

by Kathy Kremnitzer

It was a bright, sunny morning at Antietam, breezyand mild with not a hint of humidity in the air.Bluebirds were everywhere! It was the perfect day totake a walk back in time. Mark and Jean Raabeinstalled and have monitored the Antietam BattlefieldBluebird Trails approximately 100 nestboxes formore than 35 years. Nearly 9,000 bluebirds have beenfledged from the trail since 1979 and they are

flourishing in this beautiful setting.As we gathered to begin our tour of the battlefield

and bluebird trail, Mark explained that he had chosensome specific sites for us to visit and the surprise of theday came when we found out that MBS member DonMillers ancestor would be accompanyingus! Donsuncles grandfather was a soldier in the war and foughtin the battle at Antietam. Don had brought along theancestorsjournal and, so, as we visited each of thevarious sites, Mark would explain the significance ofthe location to the battle and then Don would readexcerpts from the journal that corresponded to thatlocation. It was as if we were transported back in time.

We could almost hear the cannons booming, theclanking of sword upon sword, the firing of rifles, theshouts of men. The journal gave us a look at the battlethrough the eyes of one who was there and experiencedit first-hand. Then, just as we were caught up in thememory of war, the song of a bluebird would bring usback to the here and now. As we looked at each other,I know we all felt as thoughthere was a part of us inboth worlds.The magic continued as Mark and Jean also sharedwith us the history of their nestbox trail. Theirdevotion to the bluebirds of Antietam is another kindof wonder and we viewed each nest, egg and hatchlingwith amazement. A true bluebird lover never takesthese sights for granted. As I drove home after theevent, I couldnt help but feel like we had all been

given the most wondrous of gifts-time marches on, itstrue, and we try to learn from the positives andnegatives in our past. The most important lesson,however, is that like our beautiful bluebirds we must

never give up our effort to survive and thrive.

MBS Washington County Coordinator, Jenny Hendershot, captured thisamazing shot of a male bluebird. This photo, along with many otherincredible captures, can be seen on the Maryland Bluebird Societys

Facebook page.

Upcoming EventsMBSs 7

thAnnual Membership Meeting and Picnic: Saturday,

September 7th from 2 to 6 p.m. at Black Hill Regional Park,

Shelter C. All are welcome to attend. Hot dogs and drinks willbe provided. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share. Donateditems for our Silent Auction are welcome. RSVPs are

appreciated by not necessary.

36th

Annual North American Bluebird Society Conference:

October 3rd-5th, in Aiken, S.C. Theme: The Art of Bluebirding

For more information, visitwww.mdbluebirdsociety.org, andclick on our Events page.
http://www.mdbluebirdsociety.org/http://www.mdbluebirdsociety.org/http://www.mdbluebirdsociety.org/http://www.mdbluebirdsociety.org/


2/8


Page 2

DID YOU KNOW THAT . . . . you can renew yourmembership to MBS quickly and easily by visiting our website atwww.mdbluebirdsociety.organd clicking on the JOINUS page? Renewal notices were recently sent out but if youare not sure if your membership is current, you can check bye-mailing MBS Treasurer Diane Seward [email protected]

Have You Found Us On Facebook?A couple of years ago, MBS jumped on the bandwagon

and established our own Facebook Page. While we had a

few regular visitors that first year, apparently the word had

not gotten out about us. During the last few months our

visibility has improved and we now have 90 Likes. With

your help, we can do better!

Many Maryland bluebirders are visiting to ask for

assistance or advice with their nestings. Through our FB

page, we managed to locate a foster nest for some orphaned

bluebirds, directed folks on how to install predator baffles

and advised others on how to be proactive with housesparrow control. Weve also had visitors post some amazing

photography, such as the photo above of a male and female

bluebird taken by Washington County Coordinator, Jenny

Hendershot.

Wont you take a minute to visit our Facebook page to

say hello? Wed love to hear about your bluebirding

experiences. Please find us on Facebook and Like us!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maryland-bluebird-

society/143423785682464

Its Been a Busy Year . . . . . But

Were Not Done Yet!2013 has probably been the busiest year for MBS

since its inception nine years ago. Weveparticipated in several events around the state andhave had a wonderful time going to new places andmeeting new bluebirding friends.

We began the years events with a BluebirdFestival at the Ward Museum for Waterfowl Art inSalisbury in early March. Janice Ward, MBSCoordinator for Worcester County helped to organizethis wonderful day of bluebird information and fun.

As MBS board members and CountyCoordinators busied themselves with getting theirown bluebird trails ready for nesting season, theyalso fulfilled speaking engagements and assistedother bluebirders in setting up new trails and inhelping to solve problems with predator and housesparrow issues.

In May, the 3rd Annual Bluebirds Forever Festival

was held at Black Hill Regional Park in Boyds.Despite a rainy forecast, the event was well-attendedas visitors participated in trail hikes, arts and crafts,information sessions, face-painting, music andgames.

June found many of us visiting the AntietamNational Battlefield Bluebird Trail with trailoperators Mark and Jean Raabe. The weather wasperfect, the bluebirds were everywhere and it isdifficult to describe the feeling of standing in a placewhere so many gave up their lives for a cause. Tounderstand, you must go there and feel it foryourself. I promise you will enjoy your visit.

In Maryland, were right smackin the middle ofnesting season and, just like our bluebirds, were notdone yet! MBS will host its Annual MembershipMeeting and Picnic on Saturday, September 7 th atBlack Hill Regional Park, Shelter C, from 2 to 6 p.m.This will be our 7th annual gathering and they getbetter each year. What could be more fun thanspending an afternoon in the company of people whounderstand and share the love of bluebirds? Ifyouve attended our picnic in the past, Im sure well

see you there. If youve never been, give it a try.You cant go wrong with the beautiful park setting,

tasty food and wonderful camaraderie of fellowbluebirders.

In October, many of us will be heading to Aiken,South Carolina to attend the 36th Annual NorthAmerican Bluebird Society (NABS) Conference,hosted by the South Carolina Bluebird Society. Formore information about this event, visit the Eventspage atwww.mdbluebirdsociety.orgor the NABS

web site atwww.nabluebirdsociety.org.
http://www.mdbluebirdsociety.org/http://www.mdbluebirdsociety.org/http://www.mdbluebirdsociety.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.facebook.com/pages/Maryland-bluebird-society/143423785682464https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maryland-bluebird-society/143423785682464https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maryland-bluebird-society/143423785682464http://www.mdbluebirdsociety.org/http://www.mdbluebirdsociety.org/http://www.mdbluebirdsociety.org/http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/http://www.mdbluebirdsociety.org/https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maryland-bluebird-society/143423785682464https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maryland-bluebird-society/143423785682464mailto:[email protected]://www.mdbluebirdsociety.org/


3/8


Page 3

Bluebirds Forever Festival 2013

The 3rd Annual Bluebirds Forever Festival was held on

Sunday, May 19th at Black Hill Regional Park and, as in

past years, was a huge success. Though the event started

slowly, probably due to the threat of rain, attendance

picked up and the nature center experienced capacity

crowds!

Visitors were treated to face painting, games and music,

story times, crafts and trail hikes. MBS volunteers were on

hand to answer questions and give advice as well as to pass

out information to enthusiasts. Presentations were given on

Planting for Native Birds, Homeland Security-Bluebird

Style, and Beautiful Bluebirds.

Thanks to the Friends of Black Hill, volunteers from Black

Hill Regional Park .and Maryland Bluebird Society

volunteers for making this event a success. Special thanks

to MBS Vice President, Stan Fisher, for his amazing

organization.

Salisbury Bluebird Festival

by Janice Ward

On Saturday, March 9, 2013, the mostcomprehensive wildfowl carving museum in the worldinvited the public to join them in celebrating thebluebird.

The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art in Salisbury,Maryland, hosted its inaugural Bluebird Festival,

featuring nature-themed music, art, entertainment andinformation. Janice Ward, Worcester CountyCoordinator for MBS, along with Kim Check,Education Director of the Ward Museum, organized theevent. Both are long-time advocates of the bluebird.

The event began with a performance by the SnowHill Middle School Glee Club. Abundant informationabout bluebirds and other cavity-nesting birds, wildlifeconservation was available for adults. MBSs Ed

Escalante presented a lecture entitled BeautifulBluebirds and the Maryland Bluebird Society was on

hand to answer questions and offer advice to bluebirdenthusiasts.

Additional kid-friendly events included bluebirdstory times, face painting, bluebird painting, maskmaking, cookie decorating, crafts, puzzles and coloringactivities related to bluebirds.

Varieties of bluebird-themed and bird-related itemswere given as door prizes and were also available forpurchase.

The event was well attended and hopefully all leftwith a greater appreciation for the Eastern Bluebird.

Above: The Snow Hill Middle School Glee Club performs atthe Ward Museum of Wildfowl Arts Bluebird Festival inMarch.Below: Children enjoy arts and crafts activities offered fortheir enjoyment.

Attendees at the 2013 Bluebirds Forever Festival at Black HillRegional Park could accompany MBS Secretary Bonnie Bell on

a trail walk. This nestbox located at the rear of the Nature Centerhoused a nesting of tree swallows.


4/8

Leucistic Bluebirds

After 20 years of monitoring bluebird nestboxes, MBSmember John Collier got to see something new this nestingseasonleucistic bluebirds!

Albinism is a genetic (inherited) condition resulting inthe complete absence of melanin pigmentation in eyes, skin

and feathers. True albinos are extremely rare. Leucism is atype of partial albinism and is a rare genetic mutation,though not as rare as albinism. Leucistic birds have faintlycolored markings and dark eyes. Both parents must havethe recessive albino gene for their young to be albinos.Since each egg in a nesting has its own set of genes (andindeed, could have different parentage if the female mateswith more than one male) not all young in a nesting will bealbino or leucistic.

This year, 2 nestboxes at Johns home had leucisticbluebirds. The top photo on the right shows 5 young

bluebirds that came from a clutch of blue eggs. The bottomphoto shows 4 bluebird young from a clutch of white eggs.

There is no connection between egg color and leucism.John has had bluebirds lay white eggs on many occasionsand the hatched young were completely normal.

For more information on white bluebirds, visit this link:

http://www.sialis.org/leucistic.htm

To the Bluebirds News PressBy Emeline Smith

From the moment Bonnie (MBS Secretary Bonnie Bell)started leading me on the bluebird trail, I knew it wasextraordinary. Not many places offer free trails in naturefor anyone to see. Everything about the trail was lovely.Bird songs filled my ears, fresh morning dew filled mynostrils and bird poo filled my touch. Looking around Icould barely tell man had interfered with the trails. It wasnice for me to see, but mostly nice for the birds. I saw lotsof beautiful plants and eye-striking birds. Bonnie was anoutstanding guide as she pointed out nearly everythingthere and filled my brain with knowledge! It was not aboring experience and I couldnt find one negative thing

about the trail. The best compliment I can offer is that itwas worth waking up early-and I am a teen-ager after all!I saw lots of birds, bees and plants. Thank you, Bonnie,

for giving me an experience I will surely never forget!

Emeline, age 13, and her sister, Clara age 9, werevisiting from Texas recently. Along with theirgrandmother, they visited MBS Secretary BonnieBells bluebird trail. Emeline wrote an article for

MBS newsletter about her experience. Both girls

sent Bonnie lovely thank-you notes. Claras note is

pictured above.

MBS Bluebird ChatterPage 4
http://www.sialis.org/leucistic.htmhttp://www.sialis.org/leucistic.htmhttp://www.sialis.org/leucistic.htm


5/8

Maryland Bluebird Societys County Coordinators

MBSs County Coordinator Program is an important aspect of what our society is all

about, helping bluebirders throughout the state when troubles arise. Thesevolunteers accept phone calls and e-mails and are ready to assist with informationand resources on the spur of the moment. Do you need help figuring out how to setup your nestbox? Maybe you have an abandoned nesting and dont know why.Perhaps house sparrows are plaguing your neighborhood and you dont know what to

do. Well, an MBS County Coordinator is always willing to listen and share whateverknowledge and experience they can with you.

Anne Arundel andQueen Annes CountiesDave Gillum

410 [email protected]

Baltimore CountyMatt StormsH 410 686-2089C 410 [email protected]

Calvert CountyRobin WedewerC 410 474-7639H 410 414 [email protected]

Carroll County andHoward CountyFelicia LovelettH 410 489 -7169C 301 [email protected]

Charles County and

Prince Georges CountyJacalyn Thomas301 203-5553

[email protected]

Frederick CountyKathy KremnitzerH 301 662-7818

C 301 [email protected]

Harford CountyPam FordH 410 569-2205C 443 617-5556

[email protected]

Montgomery CountyEd Escalante301 [email protected]

Washington CountyJenny HendershotC 301 [email protected]

Worcester CountyJanice WardH 410 632-0671C 443 614-8318

[email protected]

If you do not see your county in the above listing it is because we do not have avolunteer from your county. Please contact us if you would like to serve as CountyCoordinator from your area of our beautiful state.

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


6/8

Nesting data and news from founding member, past president and current board member

Fawzi Emad, in Southern California:

Of course here in Southern California we have Western Bluebirds (WEBL.) Last year I had the first nesting and the pair had fourbabies. This year they nested twice, first nesting produced four babies and one infertile egg (which was removed after four

hatchlings were around for several days) and in the second nesting they had five very healthy babies (total of nine babies thisseason.)

The babies of the first hatching (I call them the teenagers) were feeding the second-generation babies and helping the parents totake care of the younger babies I have never seen this before; it is so amazing to see one baby feeding another! I have heardabout this happening in other places including the East (EABLs,) but this is the first time I was able to see it happen in my 25years of bluebirding!

The two pictures below show the nest box and the feeder I use. The nest box is the so-called Mansion designed by Linda Violettand myself in 2001. See this link for the design and construction of this nest box:http://md.fpemad.com/p2/mansion.htm. Herethe female is bringing in straws to build the nest. The mealworm feeder design and construction are on this web page:http://md.fpemad.com/p2/feeder.htm. The male is on the feeder taking mealworms to the nest box to feed the mother and babies.

http://md.fpemad.com/p2/mansion.htmhttp://md.fpemad.com/p2/mansion.htmhttp://md.fpemad.com/p2/mansion.htmhttp://md.fpemad.com/p2/feeder.htmhttp://md.fpemad.com/p2/feeder.htmhttp://md.fpemad.com/p2/feeder.htmhttp://md.fpemad.com/p2/mansion.htm


7/8

Nesting News from Around the StateMontgomery CountyCoordinator, Ed Escalante monitors 32

nestboxes on his trail. To date, 57 bluebirds have fledgedalong with 48 tree swallows. In the 4 boxes at his home, 10 bluebirdshave fledged as well as 10 chickadees. This is the highest number ofchickadees he has fledged in a single season! He also had a Carolinawren nest in a pot of chrysanthemums. Ed reports that somenestboxes at Stella's Dream Trail, monitored by Stan Fisher, AnneSturm, and Linda Pepe, experienced damage from a bear looking forfood. In addition to his own trail responsibilities, Ed was asked tohelp with a house sparrow problem at Goshen Elementary School inGaithersburg. He will also be assisting in setting up bluebird boxes atStedwick Elementary School and will be presenting to the studentsand teachers on how to monitor them.

Diane Seward ofMontgomery Countymonitors 15 nestboxes. Shereports that to date there have been 35 bluebirds fledged along withthe loss of 10 bluebird young (one nesting due to raccoon predation).She also fledged 6 Carolina chickadees and 6 house wrens. Bothspecies experienced loss due to predation, some by raccoon and others

by unknown predators. She has 4 bluebird pairs making 2nd nesting

attempts and also 4 house wren pairs making 2

nd

attempts. One pairof house wrens prevented bluebirds from completing a nest but noeggs had been laid.

Anne Sturm, also ofMontgomery County, reports the following:From her own trail and that of friends who report to her, 29 bluebirds,12 chickadees and 6 tree swallows have fledged. One bluebirdnesting had failed and there were 5 active bluebird nestings as of herreport date.From the trail she monitors at Linden Farm, 21 bluebirds fledgedalong with 22 tree swallows. 5 bluebird nestling died and there are 4active bluebird nests.From 4 Streams Golf Course, 49 bluebirds have fledged, 19 treeswallows have fledged and there are 8 active bluebird nestings.

Jay Jones, ofMontgomery County, reports that 42 tree swallows and33 bluebirds have fledged from the 18 nestboxes he monitors in 2separate locations. 10 of the boxes are located at Adventure Park inPotomac and the other 8 boxes are at Blue Marsh Golf Course inBrookville. He also monitors 2 nestboxes at his home in Derwood.

Bonnie Bell ofMontgomery Countyreports that through MBSsMontgomery County Student Service Learning Program she had herfirst student sign up to see her bluebird trail. The student came withher father and both had a great learning experience. She also took afriend and the friends two teen-aged granddaughters visit the trail andher dedicated mowers children and grandchildren also visited. Awonderful time was had by all. (See notes page 4)

Nancy Evansof Frederi ck Countyfledged 16 bluebirds and 13

chickadees from her nestboxes so far this season. She lost one clutchof 4 baby bluebirds to a house wren, so tried something different withher sparrow spooker to try and deter the wrens from interfering withfuture nestings. She turned the spooker backwards on the nestboxand it worked! No more predation by house wrens!

Jenny Hendershot, Coordinator for Washington County, reportsthat she has fledged 34 bluebirds so far this season. She currently has5 active bluebird nests with 14 eggs.

Kathy Kremnitzer reports that her trails in Frederi ck andWashington Counti eshave fledged 78 bluebirds and 87 treeswallows from the 31 nestboxes she monitors. Kathy fosteredyoung into two separate bluebird nestings this season due toemergency situations with some local bluebirders. In one instance,the mother bird had been killed by a cat. The father was not feedingthe young, so the 3 babies were fostered into 2 nests with young ofsimilar age. All fledged successfully.

Stan Fisher, MBS Vice President, reports that he has had 13bluebirds fledge from his home, Bluebird Hill and 19 bluebirdsfledge from the Model Airplane Park trail in Montgomery County.He also reports that he has worked with Anne Sturm, Jay Jones andEd Escalante to install stovepipe baffle predator guards on 20 of thenestboxes at Stellas Dream. The trail has suffered predation fromsnakes and raccoons for the last 2 nesting seasons.

Jodi Hewitt ofCarroll Countyhas had a long a dramatic nestingseason so far. Nest building began on 3/11 and was completed on3/26. A clutch of 5 eggs was laid, 4 of the 5 hatched and all 4

young fledged successfully on 5/9. On 5/12, the female began the2nd nest. 6 eggs were laid and all hatched on 6/3. On 6/8, Jodiobserved nesting material hanging from the entrance hole andscratches on the outside of the box. 2 young were missing. Jodimoved the nestbox further away from the fence line and installed astovepipe baffle. The 4 remaining young fledge on 6/21. On 6/24,the female began her 3rd nest. Jodi observed a male house sparrowcoming out of the box (even though she has not yet removed thesparrow spooker from the previous attempt). There were bluefeathers mixed in with the nesting material and the female bluebirdhas disappeared. Jodi attempted to trap the house sparrow, but hewould not go inside the box. She tried a decoy box as well, but hestill would not go in. On 6/27, Jodi placed an in-box trap on theoriginal nestbox and concealed the trip wire with a leaf. The female

bluebird reappeared and before she can enter the nestbox, the male

house sparrow flew in and was trapped. The female bluebirdcompleted her 3rd nest and laid a clutch of 5 eggs. 4 eggs hatchedon 7/20 and the 5th on 7/21. On 7/28, there was a terriblethunderstorm and the female bluebird disappeared. The malecontinues to feed the young and Jodi can hear them peeping whenhe appears with food. She is hoping that the female bluebird willreturn.

7th graderAlia Nissley ofFrederi ck Countyreports that herbluebird pair fledged 3 young this year.

Matt Storms ofBaltimore Countyreports that his nesting seasonhas been active, though he likes to save his totals for the end ofnesting season (dont count your chickens . . . . ). Matt spends much

of his time offering assistance to bluebirders in the Baltimore area

and will be walking a bluebird trail at Cromwell Valley Park onAugust 10th to offer advice and suggestions.

NESTING NEWS FROM OUR FACEBOOK FOLLOWERS:Donna McCauley Shoemaker has fledged 10 bluebirds so far thisseason from her nestboxes inAnne Arundel County. She hasfledged over 60 bluebirds in the last 4 years and her bluebirds are ontheir 3rd nesting of this season.Kathy Boones bluebirds fledged 4 young and are on their 2 ndnesting of 4 eggs for the season. Kathy and her family live inWestminster.



8/8

THE MARYLAND BLUEBIRD SOCIETY, INC.MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

Mail to: Maryland Bluebird Society10809 Rock Run DrivePotomac, MD 20854

Instructions: Print and complete this application and mail to the above address. Pleaseremember to enclose your check payable to the Maryland Bluebird Society.Memberships and donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

[ ] New Application [ ] Renewal ApplicationNote: Membership is effective for the calendar year (s) in which the dues arepaid, except that dues paid in the fourth calendar quarter are effective for the .year in which they are paid. Please check the appropriate membership category:

Individual [ ] One year - $10.00 [ ] Three years - $25.00

Household [ ] One year - $15.00 [ ] Three years - $40.00

Lifetime: [ ] Individual - $250.00 [ ] Household - $300.00

Studentage 23 or under [ ] One year - $7.00 [ ] Three years - $20.00

Corporate/non-profit [ ] One year - $30.00 [ ] Three years - $85.00

[ ] Corporate sponsor (non-voting) One year - $100.00

[ ] Make a tax deductible donation, amount $_______________

Please print:

Name: __________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________

________________________________________________

E-Mail Address: __________________________________________

Telephone No.: [ ] home [ ] cell [ ] work ________________________

Dear MBS Members:

Please check with MBS Treasurer Diane [email protected] be certain you are

current with your membership. You can renew using the form below or online at

www.mdbluebirdsociety.org

If you know of someone who is interested in bluebirds, please feel free to pass this newsletter

on to them.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.mdbluebirdsociety.org/http://www.mdbluebirdsociety.org/http://www.mdbluebirdsociety.org/mailto:[email protected]

mbs chatter summer 2013

Documents