Bird ecology

Rushton Woods Banding Station Annual Songbird Banding Report 2022

March 27, 2023 By Bird Conservation Team

By Alison Fetterman, Bird Conservation Associate and Northeast Motus Project Manager
and Blake Goll, Education Programs Manager

“Oh Canada, Canada, Canada!” The wistful song of the White-throated Sparrow languidly drifts over the early spring landscape of our region, heralding the end of winter and the coming vernal equinox. Even those not attuned to individual avian sonatas can recognize these indelible notes punctuating the change of seasons. Humans are hard-wired for connection to nature, and birds provide that copacetic anchor. Watching them go about their day can make us feel grounded as fellow creatures of the earth; hearing them sing brings contentment and a sense of wellbeing; and admiring their colors and diversity ignites our curiosity and fascination.

We need birds. Not only for the joy they bring to our lives but for the life they bring to our world. They pollinate plants, disperse seeds, eliminate insect pests, and play a critical role in many different ecosystems. To an ornithologist or a bird bander, monitoring the population of birds allows us to take the pulse of the environment while measuring the success of science-based conservation initiatives and quantifying the value of land conservation.

Spring Bounty | Warblers and Woodpeckers | April and May are mirthful months when Rushton Woods Preserve (RWP) becomes a veritable jungle lit up with the tropical sounds and sights of the most delicate and breathtaking of the bird world: the wood warblers. These exquisite birds feed largely on insects gleaned from leaves, so their northward progression coincides with the leaf-out in our temperate throughway. Some will stay to breed in Rushton like the Ovenbirds, Common Yellowthroats, and Worm-eating Warblers, but most continue on to more preferable habitat or northward, as far as the boreal forest of Canada. Such passerby species included: Black-and-white Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Nashville Warbler, and Blue-winged Warbler.

Overall, spring 2022 produced our highest number of individual birds captured in any spring for a total of 510 (Fig. 2), as well as the highest diversity totaling 55 species. This spring saw a record number of 16 warbler species, though not as many individuals — 117 compared to 161 in 2021 (Fig. 3). One of the highlights was a male Hooded Warbler (second ever for the station), resplendent in lemon yellow contrasting with his ebony hood. This is a bird that seeks mature coniferous woodlands for breeding, or wooded swamps with labyrinthian undergrowth. Under the cool hemlock trees it emphatically proclaims in a tone as clear and pure as the forest air, “tawee-tawee-tawee-tee-o!”

Another unique occurrence this spring was the significant number of woodpeckers. Not only did we catch all five breeding species (Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Yellow-shafted Flicker) for the first time ever in one season, but we caught double the number of individuals for a total of 18 (Fig. 4)! The increased presence of these birds indicates the habitat may be shifting to more dead standing trees — called snags — in the forest and hedgerows. Woodpeckers begin nesting early in the spring, so these individuals were likely already raising chicks in the snags.

Their unique ability to excavate cavities with their strong bills makes woodpeckers keystone species, paving the way for other cavity-nesting birds and mammals who do not possess the tools and talent to make their own. More than 40 bird species in North America depend on woodpecker carpentry for their nest and roost cavities. The woodpeckers’ need for dead or dying trees shows the importance of not over-tidying our landscapes; wherever they do not pose a threat to humans, dead trees should be left as vital components of the food web.

Summer Nursery | Cradle of Caterpillars | The end of May marks the close of spring migration and the start of the hurried nesting season. In the northern hemisphere, songbirds must take advantage of the relatively brief period of increased solar energy that allows for the creation of offspring — powered largely by the dazzling diversity of plant-eating insects. In particular, caterpillars are the herbivores that transfer more energy from plants to animals than any other plant-eaters. Birds, being experts at efficiency, capitalize on caterpillars because their large size and soft bodies make for easy energy packets for nestlings.

Caterpillars are also full of protein needed for nestling growth and antioxidants for plumage development and immune function. The only caveat is that caterpillars tend to be host plant specialists, having evolved over many years to be able to eat only one or two plant lineages to which they were exposed. Therefore, native plants hold the key to supporting population growth in birds. According to Doug Tallamy, author of “Bringing Nature Home,” one pair of Carolina Chickadees — a common breeder at Rushton — must find up to 500 caterpillars a day to rear one clutch. Chickadee parents attempting to raise chicks in a suburban neighborhood that is largely dominated by non-native ornamental plants have a greater risk of failure.

Rushton is one of more than 1,000 banding stations in North America participating in MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) through the Institute for Bird Populations to understand breeding success of songbirds. Our 12 years of MAPS data show that we have 38 breeding bird species nesting in or around Rushton Woods, including State Responsibility Species such as the Wood Thrush and Scarlet Tanager. Our capture was relatively low last summer with only 107 individual birds (Fig. 2). With a record number of falling trees in the woodland habitat and plant communities shifting to non-native plants, the low numbers could suggest the habitat quality is deteriorating.

However, there are myriad other factors in a bird’s annual cycle that could also be affecting our breeding numbers, including natural fluctuations over time. For example, conditions on wintering grounds and migration routes can affect the survival rates and reproductive success of birds the following summer, a phenomenon known as “carry-over effect.” Analyzing such trends requires datasets that are broad in time and geographic scale, which MAPS as a whole offers with over 30 years of effort.

At Rushton, we strive to act locally to support this diversity of breeding bird species (and encourage landowners to do the same) by practicing land management initiatives that restore nature’s balance, often through plants. For example, our Land Stewardship Team removed a section of the Preserve’s hedgerow that had become heavily invaded with alien plant species and replanted this area with over 150 native shrubs and trees. These new native plants will act as caterpillar vending machines for our hungry breeding birds and their nestlings, just as neglected snags act as food web drivers. Vital habitat components such as these promote resiliency in our landscapes and productivity in birds.

A Quiet Fall | Honing Habitat | Besides productivity and survivorship, bird banding can estimate recruitment. This refers to the number of birds that survived life in the nest and are now out on their own as part of the adult population. Newly recruited “baby birds” bolster our fall catch significantly, making it typically our highest catch of all three seasons. Last fall, however, marked the lowest capture in our station’s history with only 740 new birds (Fig. 2).

One contributing factor for the low total could have been the unpredictable weather; we were forced to close the station for six days due to rain and/or high winds. Another question arises though; was there a regional lower recruitment of birds due to factors such as climate change, development, or habitat changes? Further research may help tease out some of these answers. One of the nuances of a bird’s annual cycle is that they require different habitats at different life stages. This is one of the reasons we try to manage the Preserve for a variety of habitats, especially early successional shrubland. This is the amorphous, often underappreciated plant community of shrub thickets, vines, and small trees that would naturally exist after a meadow matures and before it becomes a forest.

Carolina Chickadee.
Photo by Aaron Coolman

Studies show that the structure of this type of declining habitat is exactly what many young birds seek during the perilous post-fledging period — the time after they have left the nest and before their first migration. For a young bird learning how to survive, early successional habitat provides an abundance of food, as well as denser cover from predators than open woodlands. Consequently, even a forest-dwelling species like an Ovenbird (a wood warbler that builds its nest on the forest floor) can be observed in shrub habitats after fledging. Many migratory birds also seek shrub habitats during fall migration for the bounty of berries — particularly those of native plants — that provide a rich source of fats and antioxidants needed for migration.

Therefore, in order to promote maximum recruitment of young birds as well as encourage migrants to stop over, we must maintain a healthy shrubland. Some indicators from our data — the increase in woodpeckers, the decline in some shrub-loving species like White-throated Sparrow, and our overall low fall catch — could suggest the maturation and deterioration of our shrub habitat and the need for targeted management. Replacing large trees and invasive species with native shrubs — a project that has begun thanks to our grant from Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology — will help improve the habitat integrity.

Bird banding can also reveal habitat integrity through recaptures. In addition to the 740 new birds banded last fall, 97 birds were recorded as “repeats.” These are birds already banded by us within the same season but caught multiple times, which allows us to calculate their weight gain or loss during stopover. For example, we recaptured one Ovenbird on September 14th that weighed 24.1 grams — an almost 25% increase in body mass from its original capture date on September 1st when it weighed only 19.4 grams. This may indicate that the habitat is satisfactory for Ovenbirds.

White-throated Sparrow. Photo by John Drake

Some unique fall highlights included a beautiful Mourning Warbler in September, as well as a record number of five Yellow-bellied Flycatchers and three Cape-May Warblers. Cape May Warblers breed in the spruce balsam northern forests where they raise their chicks largely on spruce budworm. An eastern outbreak of this boreal pest may have contributed to a regional population boost for this warbler. During winter they can be found in shrubby gardens or even coffee plantations in the Bahamas and Greater Antilles.

THe People | Our banding station operates so successfully thanks to a dedicated team of staff and volunteers. The diversity of people who visit, study, and train at RWBS make our labor as enjoyable as the array of birds. In the spring, we hosted French banders from Tadoussac Bird Observatory in Quebec, as well as a drop-in bander from Israel’s Jerusalem Bird Observatory. In the fall, BirdsCaribbean sponsored Omar Monzon Carmona and Dayamiris Candelario to train for one month at RWBS to support the Caribbean Bird Banding Network. Another partnership with the Pennsylvania Game Commission allowed us to host a two-day intensive bird banding training workshop led by guest bander Holly Garrod from Montana.

Like the birds who return to Rushton, we hope we’ll see our old human friends again, as well. Birds connect us across continents, returning to the places that supported them and allowed them to thrive throughout their annual cycle. Capable of taking to the skies, they are still forever tethered to the earth — a reminder to us to remain loyal to our roots, bringing hope and healing to the land just as the birds do.

Resources:

Institute for Bird Populations | birdpop.org
Northeast Motus Collaboration | northeastmotus.com
Rushton Woods Banding Station Annual Songbird Banding Report | wctrust.org/research
Species Seen List | wctrust.org/birds/species-seen

A Rushton Nature Keeper “Graduate” Restores Historic Bluebird Trail to Willistown

October 25, 2021 By Blake Goll

By Education Programs Manager Blake Goll

Photos by Blake Goll

Almost ten years ago, a little girl named Siana Christaldi and her brother began religiously attending the Trust’s nature programs that were then part of the nascent Junior Birding Club. Siana especially loved the adventures in which she and her family enthusiastically participated: watching the dazzling courtship flights of the American Woodcocks at Rushton Farm in early spring, exploring a local vernal pool for spotted salamanders one rainy night in early April with Education Programs Manager Blake Goll, and even lending an eager hand for local stream cleanups at the Trust’s nature preserves.

Siana’s passion for nature flourished over the years as she continued to participate in Rushton Nature Keepers program that was established in 2018 as the Trust’s holistic approach to environmental education, encompassing major conservation themes of healthy habitat, birds and wildlife, watersheds, and regenerative farming. In 2019, Siana and her family also dove wholeheartedly into the Trust’s Homeowner Bird Box Program—receiving their own bluebird box to monitor in their yard. A bluebird family quickly took up residence, and Siana was hooked. Naming the dad Blueberry and the mom Muffin, she bravely inspected the nest regularly despite having her hair tousled by the chastising dives of the parents.

Siana and her brother Daniel at a Rushton Nature Keeper program in 2018

It was this personal connection to the bluebird box in her backyard that inspired her to build bluebird boxes for her Girl Scout Silver Award project last winter. Siana (now 14 years old) first met with local bluebird box builder, Ken Leister, better known as The Bluebird Keeper; he has built close to 1,000 boxes in the past ten years for homes, schools, golf courses, local businesses, and nonprofits like Willistown Conservation Trust. And his boxes are crème de la crème if you are a bluebird; they are equipped with thoughtful features that many commercial boxes lack, such as an extra-large roof and ample ventilation to help prevent the chicks from overheating during hot summer days.

After collecting free scrap wood from a local fencing company, Siana worked with Ken to learn the dimensions and to cut all the parts for ten bluebird boxes. She took these parts back to her building team of two friends and instructed them on how to assemble a “Ken Leister bluebird box.” Siana reflects, “We all had fun learning and building these boxes, and the whole experience felt like a special gift during the Covid-19 quarantine.”

In early spring, Siana worked with Blake to install the ten boxes at a private property in Willistown. This was significant because the farm’s current owner is keen on reestablishing the bluebird box trail that her grandfather, Hardie Scott, had lovingly established in the 60’s. In those days, concern was growing over the declining bluebird populations; threats included non-native competing species like House Sparrows, widespread pesticide use, and habitat loss from development. With the help of compassionate citizens establishing nest box campaigns and well monitored bluebird trails beginning in the 60’s and 70’s, Pennsylvania is once again home to healthy populations of these stunning backyard birds.

Siana helped monitor the bluebird trail this summer with Blake and found that the boxes were also being enjoyed by Tree Swallows, native birds that hunt insects on the wing. Since bluebirds hunt insects by diving into the grass from a hunting perch, they are not a direct competitive threat to Tree Swallows. Consequently, a swallow will generally allow a nearby bird box to be occupied by bluebirds but not by other swallows. As such, the boxes were cleverly paired at a private farm in Willistown to hopefully allow Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows to live and breed harmoniously.

The new bluebird trail now lies vacant under the crisp autumn sunshine in the wide-open rolling hills, wild meadows, and fields of Willistown. The boxes hold the promise of many more broods of baby birds in the spring to come. When the Tree Swallows return to somersault through the honeysuckle-scented air and the bluebirds’ sweet songs bubble forth from the new leaves, Siana’s boxes will again come to life.

Siana and her brother Daniel monitoring the bluebird trail this summer. BHG

Blake Goll | she/her | Education Programs Manager | Blake plays a big role in the Trust’s Bird Conservation Program, as well as the outreach and educational initiatives as the coordinator for the Rushton Nature Keepers program.

For the Love of Birds

February 26, 2021 By Blake Goll

Join Blake Goll, Education Programs Manager, for a virtual session (video below) that introduced birds through the lens of why we love them. From their beauty and song that inspires and uplifts us to their incredible migratory feats and daily dramas that leave us awestruck, birds are the perfect gateway to conservation. They have the power to awaken us to the natural world; what we do for them, we do for the planet and ourselves.

Bluebird feeding on Winterberry by Greg Schneider, Mount Joy, PA Nov 2014 (permission granted)

Blake began the talk discussing why we love birds. First, they come in a dazzling array of diversity found on every continent (10,000 species)! No other life form is this widespread besides microscopic organisms. Birds give us hope with their ultimate freedom of movement and life lived in the present. They represent resiliency having been around for 150 million years longer than we have. Birds are beautifully adapted living dinosaurs!

Birds help us engage with nature. In fact, bird-watching has soared since the pandemic. “It’s quite meditative to watch another life form go about its day,” said Ms. Adanero, 23. “It’s like another way of practicing mindfulness.” (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/29/science/bird-watching-coronavirus.html). Jonathen Franzen opined, “They are our last, best connection to a natural world that is otherwise receding.”

Blake went on to say that birds are intelligent and emotional. For example, you might assume Mourning Doves are dull and dumb, but according to wildlife rehabilitator Julie Zickefoose, they are incredibly intelligent and communal. In her book, “Baby Birds”, Julie describes a tender moment in her garden when one of her doves that she raised and released came back to sit right by her in the dirt while she went about her garden chores. The young bird even occupied itself in her company by building itself a “play nest” on the ground.

Other examples of bird intelligence and emotion include crows giving gifts to humans who feed them regularly, or crows entertaining themselves by “sledding” down a roof on a plastic lid! Another example Blake gave was the Barn Owl, known to be monogamous and devoted to their mates. The book “Wesley the Owl” goes into great detail of the intimate relationship an owl developed with his human caretaker over the years.

Another reason people love birds is that they are clever and resourceful. Take the House Wren for example. This little brown bird has deliberate reasons for all its fussing about our yards during the breeding season. Even the little white spider egg sacs that they love to weave into their stick nests has a purpose: these sacs contain the baby spiders of a predatory jumping spider! The spiderlings feast on mites in the nest that could otherwise kill the wren chicks if left unchecked.

Watch the rest of the recording to learn more about why we love birds, why birds are important, what is happening to birds today, and how we can all help birds thrive. This talk was a private event for Radnor Hunt Club on February 10th, 2021. The attendees’ questions follow the presentation.

(Note: The recording begins with music and PowerPoint slides until Blake’s audio comes in around 1 minute 13 seconds.)

The Wings of Change

September 19, 2020 By Blake Goll

*A male Black-throated Blue Warbler (after hatch year) banded 9.17.2020 at Rushton Woods Preserve. Photo by Jennifer Mathes*

As wolfish northern winds set out on their hunt for summer, the tips of leaves begin to blush, and the night skies come alive with the wings of millions of birds coursing south through the inky darkness. Just before daylight breaks, these voyagers drop out of the unmarked cloud highway into obscure forested patches below. If they’re lucky, they’ve touched down in sanctuary like that provided by Rushton Woods Preserve where they can dine all day on seeds, berries, or insects and then hit the skyway again by night. Never remaining in one place for long, change is a part of being a bird.

Our banding station has been operating for fall migration for the past three weeks, and change is evident in the masked faces of visitors set back behind a purple rope. It looks like Harold from Harold and the Purple Crayon was busy drawing a line ten feet around our banding table between where our crew works and the visitors watch. One thing remains the same and is visible even on the half faces: the glittering light of fascination and awe that fills their eyes as volunteers bring the wild birds closer to them before release.

Common Yellowthroat being released after banding. Photo by Jennifer Mathes

*Volunteer Victoria Sindlinger shows a cardinal to the visitors. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff*

Rushton was full of life this week including visitors wanting to learn about the winged creatures with which we share this tumultuous earth and high numbers of migratory birds that rode the crisp fronts south. On Thursday our catch came to a total of 97 birds of a record-breaking 26 species! One net alone was vibrating with 14 birds, six of which were Northern Parula warblers.

*Measuring the wing of a Northern Parula banded on 9.17.2020 at Rushton Woods Preserve. Photo by Jennifer Mathes*

The other Thursday highlight was the infamous Connecticut Warbler; we catch one to three of these skulkers this time of year each year, which brings the avid birders flocking. Largely a Canadian breeder preferring open larch-spruce bogs, this staid bird graces us with its presence on its way to the tropics, but it is rarely seen because of its habit of lurking among the leaves of dense thickets.

*A female Connecticut Warbler banded on 9.17.2020 at Rushton Woods Preserve. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff*

Tuesday of last week brought gems including a dashing young male Black-throated Green Warbler, lovely Magnolia Warblers, flashy American Redstarts, and a young Cooper’s Hawk! We also got our first shipment of Swainson’s Thrushes joining ranks with high volumes of our other thrushes including Veery and Wood Thrush. September 3rd brought our major highlight of the season so far: our first ever Blue Grosbeak and the 100th species for the station!

A male American Redstart (after hatch year) banded 9.15.2020 at Rushton Woods Preserve. Photo by Jennifer Mathes

A male Magnolia Warbler (after hatch year) banded 9.15.2020 at Rushton. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

A male Black-throated Green Warbler (hatch year) banded on 9.15.2020. Photo by Jennifer Mathes

Chestnut-sided Warbler banded 9.8.2020. Photo by Kirsten Snyder

A Cooper’s Hawk (hatch year) captured at Rushton Woods Preserve on 9.15.2020. Photo by Jennifer Mathes

Veery banded on 9.15.2020. Photo by Jennifer Mathes

Brown Thrasher (hatch year) banded on 9.17.2020 at Rushton. Photo by Jennifer Mathes

*Blue Grosbeak (second year male) banded on 9.3.2020 at Rushton. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff*

Fall migration is in full swing, and we’ll be tracking the wings of change through the last week of October. If you’d like to visit us on a Thursday to see firsthand how our conserved land is helping migratory bird species, please register on our events page.

No matter where you are in life—whether making your way across dark skies or enjoying rest in a green oasis—remember there’s a lot going on in the woods.

Blake

A very young Gray Catbird (hatch year) banded last week. Photo by Jennifer Mathes

The Bluebird Keeper

June 18, 2020 By Blake Goll

“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.

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.”

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.