Bluebird houses modeled by WCCB

WASHINGTON — County conservation staff have set up bluebird houses around their parks, part of an effort Washington County Conservation Director Zach Rozmus said could carry over into the yards of rural and edge-of-town houses with relative ease.

With blueprints pulled from Google, some spare wood, a few T-posts and one especially determined maintenance technician staff member, the department has constructed 40-50 of the birdhouses since January.

“One of the things we’re tasked with at county conservation is the management of our areas, and management of the native species that call those home,” Rozmus said. “Unfortunately, a lot of the species that we’re talking about, like bluebirds, we’ve seen some decline in the population, whether it be to weather-related, warming-type situations or invasive species that are competing with them.”

Choosing an non-park location for the birdhouses may be challenging, but still is quite possible according to Rozmus. Bluebirds are notoriously picky, and want spots close to food with plenty of shade.

“Fence rows are good, along any type of native seeding, but they don’t want too much light,” Rozmus said. “For somebody that has a small acreage, this is a great application for it. I have it on my personal property … it’s kind of a fun thing to be a part of, an easy project that doesn’t have to break the pocket book.”

Still, that doesn’t rule out locations on yards within town. Rozmus said every nesting opportunity, if properly cared for, could help.

“Your nesting rates might not be as successful as what they would be in more rural, secluded areas,” he said. “But there’s absolutely bluebirds … There’s no reason somebody in town couldn’t take this design that we’re building off of and put it up in town. I’m sure they’d have some success.”

While easy to make and set up, the birdhouses do require maintenance efforts from those who want the native birds outside their window. Correcting T-posts that fall over or tilt as seasons change, and swapping out the bottom for fresh, un-rotted wood every few years is paramount.

Rozmus said monitoring for invasive species was especially important, generally on a weekly or biweekly basis.

“That comes with identifying the feathers or the eggs that are specifically on the site, starling, identifying when they’re using it, because that’s not our target species,” he said. “Really, mice is the big competition. Mice will find those locations really quickly … if they have a substantial amount of nesting material, it’s usually pretty evident when you open up those boxes.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com