WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST

The Bluebird Keeper

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“I have the ability to look at a piece of wood and say I can do this or that with it.” Ken smiles and the wrinkles deepen as light dances in his twinkling blue eyes.

Ken Leister. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

The earthy scent of cedar and pine filled the hot air inside the workshop on a July afternoon. Piles of sawdust lay here and there under antique drill presses and on top of cut wood as if an elf had been working all night. Perched on a piece of lumber was a bluebird mug, the telltale sign of the woodworker.

Ken Leister’s bluebird mug. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

This workshop is where Ken Leister builds his renowned bluebird boxes with exceptional efficiency and care. At 81, he’s not about to slow down. He’s built close to a thousand boxes in the past ten years for homes, schools, golf courses, local businesses and nonprofits—including Willistown Conservation Trust—and has made over $14,000, all donated to the Bluebird Society of Pennsylvania

20 Years of Passion

Ken Leister in his wood working shop. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

Four years ago Ken grabbed his bluebird mug and closed up his backyard shop as usual after working all afternoon. Meanwhile, a bit of sawdust had ignited in an old woodworking machine and smoldered undiscovered as Ken and his wife went to bed. Later that night the fire raged and took his shop. So Ken did the only thing he could. Rebuild.

Within a year the new shop was up and running, built solely for the purpose of pumping out bluebird boxes. “I think I was smart to take my wife along,” he said, smiling from ear to elfin ear. “She picked out the shingles and all the outside aesthetics and did a beautiful job.”

Ken Leister’s new shop. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

Just outside the charming little workshop stands the bluebird box that started it all.

Twenty years ago, Ken was gazing out his kitchen window in West Chester as two very blue birds were flitting in and out of his bird box. At the time, he didn’t know what they were. After consulting some books, he learned they were Eastern Bluebirds.

Growing up on a hundred-acre farm in York County, Ken had never encountered bluebirds. “They just weren’t around,” he said. Now enamored with his backyard blues, he was disappointed when they didn’t stay to nest that summer.

Eastern bluebirds checking out a “Ken Leister box”. Photo by Mimi Davis

When Ken heard of a Bluebird Society of Pennsylvania (BSP) conference nearby, he decided to go. There, Ken met the group’s president, who coincidentally recognized Ken as her 8th grade geography teacher.

Ken asked his former student why his bluebirds weren’t nesting in his box. “It’s right next to the bushes where the birds are,” he said. She suggested he move the box to the middle of the lawn. And voila! That summer, Ken’s bluebirds nested three times and fledged 14 young! He was hooked.

Beyond the Bluebird Society

Ken Leister monitors a bluebird box in his yard. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

Ken soon became the BSP State County Coordinator, maintaining contact with the 67 county coordinators. He answers questions from members and the public, even making personal visits to help people monitor or maintain their bluebird boxes when necessary. For his dedication, uplifting attitude, commitment and tireless effort, Ken recently received the 2018 BSP appreciation award.

Ken’s bluebird proselytizing doesn’t stop there. He also offers bluebird box-building demos for the PA Farm Show, helps Eagle Scouts with the Bluebird Trail Award, establishes bluebird trails himself, and teaches people how to set up mealworm farms to feed bluebirds.

As a retired teacher, Ken has a knack for spreading his passion for bluebirds through talks. He developed the Bluebird Chat program at local hardware stores, enabling customers to learn from each other. Ken also talks about bluebirds at retirement homes and lifelong learning programs, schools, Penn State Master Gardener meetings, local birdseed stores, nature centers and universities. Last year he had over 20 speaking engagements.

Design

It’s clear, though, that Ken’s favorite job is building bluebird boxes—tinkering with his design and fixing a sub-par box. He’s even designed a camera box equipped with an internal surveillance camera that’s powered by a solar panel and uses Wi-Fi to allow real-time observation of the birds inside. Ken beams as he describes watching a female bluebird build a nest, carefully using her wings to form a perfect cup.

Bluebird chicks and eggs inside a box. Photo by Mimi Davis

His bluebird boxes are unique, not only because of his knowledge of wood, but because Ken designs them exclusively for the comfort and health of the birds rather than with people and profit in mind.

For example, Ken’s boxes are all about air. They have ample space for ventilation between the sides and roof to ensure the chicks don’t overheat. And the wood itself breathes—unlike the plastic used in commercial boxes. Ken also accounts for the birds’ respiration, which creates heat and moisture in the box. Ventilation’s importance is clear if you’ve ever peeked inside a sealed box at chicks gasping for air on a broiling summer day.

One of Ken Leister’s boxes. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

Ken’s designs include an extra-large roof that extends well past the sides and front of the box to create an umbrella-like effect. This helps keep the boxes dryer, provides shade and protects the chicks against hungry raccoons that could sit on the roof and reach in.

Another signature design element is the sides that extend vertically past the base of the box (instead of ending flush with the floor) so water drips down past the floor rather than pooling at the base, causing rot. Benefits include a longer lifespan for the box and less chance of the chicks getting wet or hypothermic.

Inside Ken’s boxes. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

Many commercial boxes become difficult to open when the wood expands in weather. It’s key to be able to open bluebird boxes to monitor and clean them, so Ken builds his doors smaller than the frame and covers the gap with a weather strip.

Consummate Craftsman

Ken’s work is never done. He’s always trying to improve his design. And ever since he was a young boy, he’s given his all and stuck to his word.

Ken Leister measures wood in his shop. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

As a kid, aside from his farm chores, his childhood was spent playing baseball and dreaming of playing Major League ball. Yet at the end of his senior year in high school, when presented with a contract from two Major League baseball scouts with the Philadelphia Athletics, he kept his word. He had already committed to West Chester University. “In those days, when you made a commitment you honored it, so I turned down the Major League offer,” Ken stated.

When I asked him what inspires him to keep going so strong at his age, he said his inspiration is keeping busy in itself. “I had a grandfather who was busy all the time, and he lived to be 98. I guess I take after him,” he mused. His other secret is topping his cereal with a spoonful of honey every day, which he believes wards off arthritis.

“So I can keep making these boxes!” he grins. “You’ve got to keep active. When I retire is when you’ll put me in the grave.”

Ken Leister. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

As Ken and I walked back to the house from the shop, I looked over my shoulder to the brilliant male bluebird that landed on the box and peered at the two intruders leaving his territory. I smiled to myself as I thought of the hundreds of baby bluebirds that have entered the world over the past two decades of this Bluebird Keeper’s legacy.

Peeking into a bluebird box. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

The Willistown Conservation Trust, a nonprofit land trust, has protected over 7,200 acres of wildlife habitat, scenic views and agricultural lands in the Willistown area. Its mission is to protect land and inspire a lifelong love of the land through education. The Rushton Farm bird banding station in Newtown Square is open to the public from the end of August through November. Ken Leister’s bird boxes are for sale as part of our Homeowner Bird Box Program. More at WCTrust.org.

Saving Songbirds

The housing market is through the clouds for area bluebirds, with a bumper crop of homes available—bluebird boxes in move-in condition! These small wooden havens built by bluebird lovers like Ken Leister supplement the natural cavities in trees and meadows where bluebirds seek to build their nests.

After being at risk of extinction during the past century, bluebirds are slowly rising again in number. The decline began in the early 1900s due to loss of open space and increased pesticide use, which limited their habitat.

But around 1996 bluebirds were finally taken off the rare species list thanks to the availability of man-made bluebird boxes. In fact, bluebird boxes are a main reason we have so many bluebirds inhabiting our backyards and waking us up to a tune that sounds like “chur-lee, chur-lee.”

These pretty songbirds, whose beaks aren’t strong enough to create holes themselves, use small spaces that already exist to build their bowl-shaped nests. They lay 4–5 eggs per brood and live together as a family for 15–20 days feasting on fruits, seeds and insects before the baby birds can go out on their own.

Baby bluebird ready to fledge. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

With a rapid loss of trees and open meadows over the past century, bluebird boxes have become a necessary means to keep this species alive. The restoration of the bluebird population is a prime demonstration that humans can reverse damage done to species headed for extinction.

Today, the majority of eastern bluebirds build nests in these man-made shelters in suburban and rural areas. Thanks to Ken and others who care, these colorful creatures will be filling the air with their distinctive color and song as they brighten our region for years to come!

Learn more about bluebirds at BluebirdNut.com

This article was originally published in County Lines Magazine in 2018.

Our Native Wildflower Meadow: An Example of How to Heal Nature from Home

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The Willistown Conservation Trust’s “front yard.” Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

In the heart of Willistown lies a Garden of Eden: over an acre of native wildflowers blankets a gentle slope in front of the Trust’s office on Providence Road. It provides a living example of how homeowners can help support nature in their yards. 

The first seeds for our wildflower meadow were planted in 2008, and since then around 800 flower plugs were carefully tucked into the soil each spring by elementary school children who learned about the myriad benefits of these native plants— from supporting the insects that drive food webs to minimizing water usage.  Year after year we watch the cradle of green grass morph into a field of countless perennials awaiting their turn for inflorescence throughout the summer. 

Variegated fritillaries on asters in late September. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

Last year I kept a photo journal of the spellbinding symphony of life the meadow supports during its prime flowering months of July and August. 

In July, the red milkweed beetles wiggled their black antennae against the common milkweed as a few tiger-striped monarch caterpillars happily munched away at the toxic leaves.  Honeybees and nectar-loving wasps buzzed peacefully around the velvety mountain mint in such masses as to make the plant seem like it had a pulse.  Hummingbird clearwing moths probed the charming purple sprays of the wild bergamot, and clumsy bumblebees clung to the elegant ivory candelabras of Culver’s root.  Swallowtail butterflies became fluttering fixtures on the delicate clusters of lilac blooms produced by the garden phlox—seemingly every pollinator’s most cherished cocktail. On a lucky day even a battered monarch butterfly danced with hope among the Joe-Pye weed, its torn wings a symbol of the trials that this threatened species can overcome if we only provide it with more sanctuaries like this.

Culver’s root. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Hummingbird moth on wild bergamot. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Meadow fritillary on mountain mint. Photo by Celeste Sheehan

In August the meadow takes on a golden hue as the brilliant yellow of the native sunflowers is augmented by goldenrod species.  Contrasting splashes of deep purples from the ironweed and vervain create a blissful palette in which at least ten species of butterflies can be counted at once.  Birds also abound in this kaleidoscope of colors: kingbirds and bluebirds hunt for insects, as goldfinches bounce up and down on the long stems of the cup plant, chattering to each other while feasting on the seeds of the spent blooms.  I watched a young house wren take shelter among the stems of the pokeweed, where he made his first babbling attempts at his father’s spirited song.

Grass-leaved goldenrod. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Honeybee on ironweed. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Goldfinch on Virginia cup plant. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

This is life at its finest.  There are few natural landscapes where you can be surrounded so closely by so much visible life that is not in any hurry to evade you.  A cathartic place like this has the power to free us of loneliness, sadness, and worry by igniting our fascination. Your eye catches sight of a butterfly and the mind follows; such involuntary attention is the opposite of what our daily tasks demand and is exactly what promotes clear-headedness, calm, focus, and happiness.

Not only are native wildflower meadows elixirs to human health, they also promote ecological health and act as unsurpassed nurseries for biodiversity.  Imagine having all these benefits right at your back door.

There are over 48 million acres of largely biologically barren lawn in the U.S, and we lose 1.5 million acres of land to development each year.  Our lawns do not have to be monocultures of grass; by choosing native plants for at least half of our properties our yards could actually begin to rebuild the ecological food webs that are breaking down as a result of loss of habitat and pesticides.  By incorporating patches of native plants in your yard you can provide habitat for countless insect and bird species, including beneficial predators that keep pest insects in check naturally.

Common milkweed in the Willistown Conservation Trust’s native meadow. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
Rare sand wasp species (Psammaletes mexicanus) found in our wildflower meadow last summer. It is pictured here carrying a leafhopper prey. Photo by Celeste Sheehan

Studies show that native wildflowers are also an answer to feeding the world’s growing population; the diversity of birds and insects in strips of wildflowers next to agricultural fields reduces or eliminates the need for pesticides and significantly increases crop yields, thanks to pollinating services.  Even in the dormancy of winter, unmown native wildflowers and grasses provide essential seed sources and shelter for birds.

There is a wonderful quote, “Leave room in your garden for fairies to dance.”  I remember reflecting in the wildflower meadow that summer and marveling at two monarch butterflies that seemed to be curious about me as they glided past and fluttered back to me in a teasing manner.  With iconic species like this on the brink of becoming like fabled garden sprites to our children, it is hard to justify not doing everything we can to heal nature.  What a gift it is to learn that your yard actually has the power to make a big difference.

White M Hairstreak. This rare butterfly species was found in our native wildflower meadow last summer, highlighting the importance of native plants. Photo by Celeste Sheehan

The Trust invites you to check out our website or call for information on creating your own wildflower paradise. You are welcome to visit our wildflower meadow at the office (925 Providence Road, Newtown Square).  Its peak months are July and August, but you’ll be rewarded with new joys any month you go.  Wildflower strips are also incorporated along the farm fields at Rushton Farm.  Common Milkweed is spectacular at all of our preserves for a brief window in mid-June.

Ready to join the movement?

Here is our curated list of great sources to get you started learning about, buying, and planting natives:

Which Native Plants to Buy for What Purpose

Where to Buy Native Plants Locally

Online Native Plant Marketplaces

 Summer Reading List

  • Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy
  • The Living Landscape by Doug Tallamy and Rick Darke
  • Nature’s Best Hope by Doug Tallamy
  • Noah’s Garden by Sara Stein
  • The Backyard Parables by Margaret Roach
Monarch on echinacea. Photo by Celeste Sheehan

Nature Escapes for Kids: Create Your Own Headdress

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Rushton Nature Keeper wearing her nature headdress last summer. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff
A Rushton Nature Keeper wearing her nature headdress last summer during Discover Rushton Mini Camp. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

One of my childhood memories that has not faded throughout the years is from “Outdoor School,” which was basically a week-long field trip to a local nature center.  Simply reporting to a nature preserve instead of school everyday with my classmates was enchanting on its own.  One of the lessons, however, really got my attention: role-playing the Native American way of life.  I remember the instructor telling us about how connected they were to the land and how even when they walked it was with respect to the earth.  Following her lead, I picked my way delicately among the leaves —rolling my foot from the heal through the outside edge and then finally the ball and toe. This was, she explained, how Native Americans could stealthily walk through the woods without making a sound during hunting trips.

Role playing is such a wonderful way for children to mentally escape and be transported to a different time and place.  Making nature headdresses is one such activity that fully engages a child’s creativity and focus while exercising fine motor skills and communication.  I got this activity from a marvelous little book called Play the Forest School Way by Peter Houghton and Jane Worroll.  The book is full of great ideas for outdoor play and is an essential resource for parents, especially during this time.

A Rushton Nature Keeper wearing his nature headdress last summer. Photo by Blake Goll

Start with introducing the concept of a headdress to your child.  For example, in England a king or queen wore a crown with jewels to represent nobility, or a Native American chief may have been awarded a feather in his headdresses for an act of courage.  Then explain to your child that they will be creating their own headdress and embellishing it with items found in nature; these items can be chosen to personally represent themselves and/or transform themselves into a mythical deity, woodland fairy, or other character of their imagination.

A Rushton Nature Keeper wearing her nature headdress last summer. Photo by Blake Goll

All you will need prepared ahead of time is a long strip of sturdy plain white paper or posterboard.  It should be 3-4 inches wide and long enough to go around the child’s head.  You can help the child with fitting the strip to their head and cutting it to the right length; be sure to mark on the strip where the ends will overlap with tape so the child knows not to decorate that little section.  Put a piece of double-sided tape along the length of the strip, onto which the child will stick bits of grass, seeds, flowers, twigs, feathers, and whatever else they find.  (You will also need regular tape to put over top of the embellishments to secure them in place, and to tape the ends of the strip together once they are finished decorating—a stapler will also work.)

Decorating nature headdresses. Photo by Blake Goll
Making nature headdresses. Photo by Blake Goll

When you set the child loose to look for their embellishments (whether in your yard, a woodland, or nature preserve), I found it is easiest to have them gather their items and then bring them back to a work space rather than bring the paper strip with them during the foraging.  It is easier for them to focus on foraging first and designing and sticking things to their headdress second.  And boy do they design!  You will be amazed at the beautiful works of art that your child will create. 

Rushton Nature Keeper wearing her nature headdress last summer. Photo by Blake Goll
Rushton Nature Keeper wearing his nature headdress last summer. Photo by Blake Goll
Rushton Nature Keeper wearing her nature headdress last summer. Photo by Blake Goll

Be sure to have your child explain their creative decision process when they are finished.  What does each decoration symbolize?  Why did he/she choose that item?  What was the role of that decoration in the natural world?  Who have they become with the headdress on?  How does it make them feel?  Are there animals in nature that create works of art or use decorations? Can you think of animals with headdresses of sorts?

Last but not least, don’t forget to take a picture of your child wearing the headdress since unfortunately these do not last in their original form for very long.  They are, however, guaranteed to last a lifetime in your child’s memory.

Rushton Nature Keeper wearing her nature headdress last summer. Photo by Blake Goll

Rushton Nature Keepers

Blake manages our Rushton Nature Keepers (RNK) club for children ages 7-11. Through year-round programs covering four conservation themes (birds and wildlife, regenerative farming, healthy habitat, and watersheds), RNK provides children with unique opportunities to develop a meaningful life-long relationship with nature. Although things are subject to change regarding Covid-19, we plan to resume children’s activities on May 2nd.  Click here for the schedule of RNK programs and membership information.

Nature Escapes for Kids: Healing Forest Art Walk

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A young student making forest art in Rushton Woods. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls. ”

Pablo Picasso

You may have heard of healing forests around the world, especially in countries like South Korea and Japan, that are designated as places for people to find calm, balance, and rejuvenation.  There is abundant research that supports the many benefits of nature to our wellbeing: relieving anxiety, depression, and stress while boosting our immune systems, productivity, and even sleep.  Walking has all of these benefits as well; one study found that adults who walked for 30 minutes five times a week had more energy to get through the day, felt healthier, and were more confident than people who walked less frequently.

An Abington Friends student enjoying a woodland walk at Rushton Woods Preserve last fall. Photo by Blake Goll

Now imagine combining the super therapies of nature and walking with art!  Art is healing in its own way because it connects us to something deep within our soul.  A Healing Forest Art Walk is therefore beneficial to both children and adults.  I found this fantastic activity from HealingForest.org, which I encourage you to visit for more ideas and extensions of this.

The Healing Forest Art Walk starts with a quiet walk in the woods.  There are many nature preserves in our area (including our own Rushton Woods Preserve and Ashbridge Preserve) with trails that bring you through wooded areas.  This quiet walk encourages the release of the executive network of the brain (the part that is overworked as kids sit in front of screens doing school work or as you feverishly answer email after email).  Once that part of the mind is relaxed, the rest of it is free to wander here and there with all senses and emotions present and engaged.

Blake with Rushton Nature Keepers in the woods of Ashbridge Preserve.

Now find a spot with a nice open section of forest floor.  With a partner, spend 5 minutes exploring the vicinity and collecting 5 items each (so you’ll have 10 total).  As with building toad abodes, the main rule is to only collect what has already fallen or about to fall. Reconvene with your partner and spend 5-10 minutes creating nature art with your found items.  Once finished, everyone goes on a “gallery walk” to visit each pair’s artwork; you can guess what the artist had in mind and then hear the artist’s interpretation.

Children creating nature art at Rushton Woods Preserve. Photo by Blake Goll
Beautiful fungi on the forest floor of Rushton Woods Preserve: an example of what NOT to collect for nature art. Photo by Blake Goll
Nature art: an owl made of leaves. Photo by Blake Goll

This activity can easily be done with only one child as well, in which case it’s fun to have them create their own forest friend.  Whooo would not enjoy this?

I will leave you with some quotes about art to help get your child’s (or your) creativity flowing:

“Art is not what you see but what you make others see.” – Edgar Degas

 “The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration.” – Claude Monet

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” – Pablo Picasso

Rushton Nature Keepers

Blake manages our Rushton Nature Keepers (RNK) club for children ages 7-11. Through year-round programs covering four conservation themes (birds and wildlife, regenerative farming, healthy habitat, and watersheds), RNK provides children with unique opportunities to develop a meaningful life-long relationship with nature. Although things are subject to change regarding Covid-19, we plan to resume children’s activities on May 2nd.  Click here for the schedule of RNK programs and membership information.



Nature Escapes for Kids: Building Toad Abodes and Heart Space

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A Rushton Nature Keeper shows off a baby toad he found at Rushton Woods Preserve last summer. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

I first learned of this whimsical nature activity (building toad abodes) while I was living in the wilderness of Central Pennsylvania soon after college, training as an environmental education intern at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center. Our soft-spoken instructor always took us through training activities as though we were children ourselves, which helped to get us in the mindset of seeing the world through the eyes of a child. Only in this mindset can you understand what makes these little people tick, what ignites their imagination, and what sparks those seemingly small moments to burn into their memories forever.

A toad abode. Photo by Blake Goll

So there I was curiously scrambling and scuffling about the crisp brown bed of cool soil, fragrant dried needles, and damp green moss beneath the shade of the giant hemlocks . My fellow interns and I each worked our own patch of the forest floor, collecting bits of bark, twigs, pine cones, stones, and fallen leaves —anything that could be used to build the foundation of our own sturdy toad abode.  Then came the interior design aspect because it only took a small stretch of the imagination to surmise that toads are discerning creatures with particular aesthetic tastes.  A shimmering found butterfly wing might become a welcome doormat, or a fern frond might act as a cozy curtain.

As you can probably guess, a child can be entertained by this activity for quite a long time.  And just as I look back fondly on that time with the forest floor of Central Pennsylvania, so too may your child remember their toad abode building fun.  The best part about it is its simplicity; the core of this activity is really a tactile connection to nature.  All you need is a patch of earth (in the woods, your yard, or a nature preserve) and a fertile imagination.  The only rule is that you try to avoid picking mushrooms or plants from the earth. (Focus instead on items already at rest.) 


A Rushton Nature Keeper building a toad abode. Photo by Blake Goll


A Rushton Nature Keeper building a toad abode. Photo by Blake Goll

You can extend this activity from one simple toad abode to a whole village or even focus on houses for fairies instead of toads.  The details are not important.  This kind of free play in nature as a child is what fosters critical thinking, creativity, empathy, and mental health as adults.  In doing something as simple as building a place for a toad to rest his head, a child is actually creating a healing space in his/her heart to return to as an adult.

Children playing under a pine tree. Photo by Blake Goll

Rushton Nature Keepers

Blake manages our Rushton Nature Keepers (RNK) club for children ages 7-11. Through year-round programs covering four conservation themes (birds and wildlife, regenerative farming, healthy habitat, and watersheds), RNK provides children with unique opportunities to develop a meaningful life-long relationship with nature. Although things are subject to change regarding Covid-19, we plan to resume children’s activities on May 2nd.  Click here for the schedule of RNK programs and membership information.

Connect With Us

Willistown Conservation Trust

925 Providence Road
Newtown Square, PA 19073
(610)353-2562
land@wctrust.org