Greetings and welcome to the North Carolina Bluebird Society website!
Your interest in the eastern bluebird and perhaps the many other cavity-nesting birds here in North Carolina brings you to this site and we hope you find the information you are looking for.
In the years that I have spent out on nest box trails I never cease to be thrilled by the appearance of a nest in one of our nest boxes followed soon by beautiful blue eggs and finally nestlings which become fledglings which bring us the melodious bluebird song in the following spring.
But our bluebirds have had a hard time getting to this point. So much took a toll on this beautiful bird which for many seemed to be a slowly disappearing a harbinger of spring.
- Loss of habitat
- late winter and spring storms
- invasive bird species
See The Bluebird Story for more details.
Yes, by the 1960’s the eastern bluebird numbers were so low that many people had never seen one – this, a bird which had been as numerous as robins when the first settlers arrived.
As you read further on this site you will learn that the loss of habitat was primarily a loss of nesting sites. People like yourselves built nest boxes and placed them along roadside trails, on meadow edges, in cemeteries, school yards and back yards where they provided safe nesting sites. In doing so we have accomplished one of the greatest bird conservation projects ever undertaken. People recognized the problem and worked together to solve it.
Nest Boxes are Key to Bluebirds’ Survival
Thanks to this effort, bluebirds are doing well today but the challenge of habitat loss grows daily along with other threats.
The NCBS, founded in 1986, seeks through education and guidance, to bring together people from all over North Carolina who work to continue the successful conservation of the eastern bluebird along with our other cavity nesting birds. We do this through our newsletter Bluebird Notes and many educational materials and programs.
You will find a list of our NCBS County Coordinators on this site. These are members who volunteer to share bluebird knowledge with others in their or adjacent counties throughout North Carolina.
I hope you will join us and experience the satisfaction and joy of aiding the eastern bluebird.
Bill Zitek, President
