How to Get Involved

Nest Boxes on Your Property:
If you would like to participate in the project by having nest boxes located on your property, please contact us at email@prescottbluebird.com. One of our volunteers will contact you and help evaluate the habitat and possibility of bluebirds in your area. You may monitor your own boxes or if one of our monitors is already working in your neighborhood, be added to an existing bluebird trail.

The ideal habitat for western bluebirds is mowed grass, pasture land, vineyards, or open fields. They are not forest birds and don't use swampy areas. They pair up at the nesting boxes for reproduction from April through August, feeding on live insects they pick up from the ground and out of the air.

Volunteer Opportunities:
If you would like to volunteer with the project, there are several ways to do so:

Become a Monitor -- Attend the annual spring training and work with a licensed bander who will show you a route and train you through the summer. This commitment requires about four hours each week from April to mid-August driving an existing route and checking on 25 to 30 boxes. Monitors maintain records of their observations and report regularly to their assigned banders.

Help at Events -- A variety of different roles need to be filled to make events such as the Champoeg Bluebird Festival a success. This is a one-time commitment depending upon the specific event, such as setting up and hosting an information table at a farmer's market or summer festival. This is an important way to advance our educational and community outreach functions.

Make Presentations -- Community groups, school classes, and civic organizations request speakers to present slide programs and educational materials about bluebirds and the project. Training for this role is not difficult and display materials are available to support your effort.

Check Email and Voicemail -- Every few days the project email and voicemail accounts need to be checked and messages answered or forwarded to the proper authority. This commitment requires some experience with bluebirds and about an hour two to three times each week.