Young Naturalists’ Bluebird Trail
(COVID-19 edition)
**UPDATED SCHEDULE for June 21 – July 9**
Dates: May 26 to July 11
Time: Weekday mornings and afternoons
(updates with dates and times coming in mid-May)
Cost: Free.
SPACE IS LIMITED to 6 participants per session. Advanced Registration is required for each session.
To register: e-mail saskatoonnaturekids@gmail.com to register or for more information.
At least one parent/guardian must accompany your child/children on all Young Naturalists activities.
Did you know the Young Naturalists’ have been monitoring bluebird populations around Saskatoon since 1969? Join naturalist Greg Fenty and help as he works with bluebirds and Tree Swallows along the Bluebird Trail. Watch for the schedule of dates and times coming in mid-May. Space is limited each date, but there are lots of dates from which to choose. Advanced registration is required. This year we have two meeting locations. One on the west end of Saskatoon (heading out near Grandora or out to the Pike Lake area) and one on the south-east end (heading out near Blackstrap Lake).
Here are the tentative dates for the 2021 Young Naturalists Bluebird Trail (as best as I can predict) and some information about our Bluebird Trail. This schedule will be subject to change. Updates will be posted on the web page.
Wednesday, May 26 at 7:00 p.m. West location (Grandora)
Thursday, May 27 at 7:00 p.m. West location (Grandora) Cancelled
Tuesday, June 1 at 6:30 p.m. West location (Pike Lake)
Wednesday, June 2 at 1:30 p.m. West location (Pike Lake) Cancelled
Friday, June 4 at 10:30 a.m. West location (Pike Lake) Cancelled
Monday, June 7 at 7:00 p.m. West location (Pike Lake)
Wednesday, June 9 at 10:00 a.m. South location (Blackstrap)
Friday, June 11 at 10:00 a.m. West location (Grandora)
Monday, June 14 at 1:30 p.m. South location (Blackstrap)
Wednesday, June 16 at 1:30 p.m. West location (Grandora)
Thursday, June 17 at 6:30 p.m. West location (Grandora)
Friday, June 18 at 1:30 p.m. West location (Pike Lake) Cancelled
UPDATED SCHEDULE FOR JUNE 21 – JULY 9
(Meeting locations to be determined when participants register)
Monday, June 21 at 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, June 22 at 9:00 a.m.
Bluebird Trail Information
The Bluebird Trail is a bird monitoring program to study the productivity (how many babies) and survivorship (how long they live) of cavity nesting birds such as bluebirds and Tree Swallows. (Cavity nesting birds are birds that nest inside hollow trees. A nest box or bird house is essentially an artificial hollow tree). Since 1969 the Young Naturalists (along with many others across North America) have been monitoring special nest boxes. The boxes are arranged in a sequence that is called the Bluebird Trail. The Prairie Bluebird Trail runs from near Edmonton to Winnipeg. The Mary Houston portion of the trail runs from Langham to Hanley.
Our monitoring of Bluebirds and Tree Swallows along our section of the trail is part of a larger biodiversity study looking at the recovery of Bluebirds (from a population low in the 1950s) and the long-term population trends of insect-eating birds (“Ariel Insectivores”) on the Canadian prairies. I have a scientific permit to band birds from the Canadian Wildlife Service, so our program also uses leg bands to track and study the birds. However, this year we will not be banding the birds.
More information (more than you’ll ever need) about Bluebird monitoring check out http://www.sialis.org/
You can sign up for as many dates as you like. Enrolment is limited on any particular date to avoid stressing the birds and to maintain physical distancing. I usually stay out of the trail for about 2 hours. You are welcome to head back home at any time during the program. (If you are unable to attend on a particular date on which you have signed up, please let me know so we are not waiting for you at the meeting location. Thanks). The trail sections are tentative and subject to change. Banding on any particular day will be postponed or cancelled in the event of inclement weather.
To help you pick some dates, here is a rough guide to what happens on the trail: (Remember, there are always exceptions to the rule when it comes to nature).
Last week of May / First week of June:
We need to record which species of bird is using out nest box and how many eggs or young are in the nest. This becomes the task of the Young Naturalists participants. (We’ll teach you how to identify the nest types).
Tree Swallows are sitting on eggs. We find out which boxes have Tree Swallows and how many eggs they have.
Bluebirds eggs will be very close to hatching or there may be young bluebirds in the nest. (Note: Mountain Bluebirds are a recovering species, only about 2-4% of the boxes have bluebirds).
Second Week of June
Tree Swallows are still sitting on eggs. Some Tree Swallow eggs may have hatched.
Most bluebird eggs will have hatched by now and the young will be starting to grow feathers.
Third Week of June:
Tree Swallow babies will start to hatch.
Bluebird young should be fully feathered.
Fourth Week in June:
Tree Swallow young should all be hatched and fully feathered. By the fourth week of June we will have visited most of the nest boxes. We will be driving to specific nest boxes we know contain young ready to fledge (the late bloomers!)
Our west meeting location is the Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotia Bank) at 137 Kensington Blvd). (Access Kensington Blvd by 22nd Street. The 33rdStreet access is not complete). From here we will either travel about 20 km west (near Grandora) or 30 km south (near Pike Lake).
The south meeting location is the Petro Canada Gas Station at Grasswood Road and Highway 11. (Right beside the big PetroCanada sign where it says ‘no parking’). The trail is located about 40 km south of Saskatoon and runs roughly parallel to the east side of Blackstrap Lake.
Be sure to use the bathroom before leaving. There are no bathrooms on the trail!
To sign up for any particular date or more information send me an e-mail (saskatoonnaturekids@gmail.com) and I will e-mail a confirmation along with more information about the Bluebird Trail.