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We are so grateful to the dedication of these volunteers and the work they do throughout the nesting season and year-round, walking trails, counting eggs and young, periodically cleaning out the boxes, and all around caring for the miles of nest box trails throughout Vermilion County.

Attention volunteers: It’s that time of year again. If you have not yet turned in your 2018 data, please do so soon. See the letter below from our volunteer coordinator, Lee Solter, for more information.

Greetings Bluebird Monitors!

Another nesting season has come and gone and the results sent in so far suggest a good year for bluebirds. I am looking forward to receiving the remaining reports so that we will have a full data set to send to the East Central Illinois Bluebird Society.

I want to thank all of you for your enthusiasm, dedication and work to preserve bluebird populations and to monitor their progress. You have braved wet and chilly days in the spring and blazing sun in the summer to ensure that we have this important information. Happily, it becomes a bit “addictive” to follow the progress in the nests and we find ourselves developing some parental protectiveness about our little charges. We also have the amazing good fortune to deeply experience the flow of the seasons and be in closer touch with the environment in our yards and field sites.

I also want to thank Sue Smith and Cheryl Vergin for their advice and training to collate the annual bluebird data, as well as the opportunity to be in touch with all of you!

As a final reminder, at minimum, reports need to contain the total number of bluebirds fledged and the total number of boxes that you monitored. Many of you are also monitoring other species that fledged from your boxes and I will try to collate this information to send to you, also.

All remaining reports can be sent to this email address (lsolter@illinois.edu) or via mail:

Lee Solter

508 W. Vermont Ave.

Urbana, IL 61801

I’m also happy to take reports via telephone: 217-417-0262. Simply leave a voice message with your name and the data or let me know who you are and your phone number and I can return your call.

Again, many thanks for your participation and I hope to work with you again in the spring!

Sincerely,

Lee Solter

Join Middlefork Audubon on Thursday, April 26th @ 7:00 PM, at the Danville Public Library to hear Todd Jones, U of I graduate student and PhD candidate, brings us updates on his research of nesting birds. He is studying ground nesting bird activity at Kennekuk County Park and has been including bluebird nest box data in his research. He has a wealth of information about many of the local nesting birds in that area, including findings about what bluebird fledglings do when they leave the nest. This is a great learning opportunity for all nest box volunteers and anyone who wants to know more about nesting birds in our area. Come for lively discussion and refreshments.  In honor of John James Audubon’s birthday, cake is being served!  

Middlefork Audubon invites you to join us on Thursday, March 29 @ 7:00 PM at the Danville Public Library, to learn more about the eroding coal ash pits in the Middle Fork River floodplain near Kickapoo State Park. Protect the Middle Fork, a citizens’ group dedicated to protecting one of Illinois’ greatest natural resources, the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River, is bringing a short presentation to update us on this important issue. Illinois EPA must make a decision by September 2018 on whether or not to mandate removal of the eroding coal ash pits from the floodplain. Come and learn what you can do to protect Illinois’ only Wild and Scenic River. Please note that this month’s program is on the 5th rather than the 4th Thursday.  

In addition, there will be a brief discussion about the upcoming bluebird nest box monitoring season in Vermilion County.  If you are interested in learning more about this program and possibly becoming a nest box monitor please let us know. There are currently 418 boxes and over 40 volunteers throughout Vermilion County but we can always use more volunteers and welcome anyone who would like to participate.

Refreshments will be provided. We hope to see you there!