It is the Bluebird Project’s Tenth Birthday!
Three of last year’s translocated bluebirds returned to Vancouver Island and this year we brought two new pairs to the Cowichan Valley. These pairs have made a great start towards reviving the population, adding 12 new fledglings. Alongside supporting the bluebird pairs, we continued to improve, maintain and monitor the Nest Box trails established to replace lost nesting habitat. Our trail monitors and staff collected 1825 observations and found 75 nests of various native bird species using our boxes. We fostered stewardship of the Garry Oak ecosystems that bluebirds depend on through our outreach events.
As over 95% of Garry Oak Ecosystems have been lost completely or significantly degraded, it is imperative that the remaining habitats are appreciated, studied and protected. The Western Bluebird is a very charismatic species that, through their conservation, draws attention to the many rare and often endemic plants, insects and other biota that thrive among Garry Oak
Ecosystems. This year’s outreach was a mixture of online and outdoor as safety permitted. By inspiring the public to become involved in Western Bluebird conservation, we hope to encourage the restoration and preservation of the remaining Garry Oak Habitat the Cowichan Valley is so fortunate to have.
View the full 2022 report here: BCCF 2022 Summary Report
Learn more about the Bring Back the Bluebirds Project by visiting the Cowichan Bring Back the Bluebirds Project website.