| On June 22, 1999, I met monitor Gail Bolstad in Sherwood to band nestlings
in a nestbox on her own property on Westfall Rd. After banding the
four nestlings, I captured the previously banded adult female in a potter
trap. Her band number (1511-37567) told me lots about her.
She was four years old, having been banded in June 1995 at a nest box on
a power pole at the corner of Tooze Rd. and McConnell Rd., about one mile
from Gail’s property. Her mate, who was also banded, was five
years old. We were excited at the discovery because most bluebirds
don’t live as long as these two old-timers.
Even more exciting was the discovery that our “super female” was the same one that had nested successfully on Gail’s property in 1996, 1997 and 1998. In the four years she has nested, she has produced a total of 31 fledged young! Over the years, we have recaptured at least 7 of her offspring (5 males and 2 females) presiding over their own broods, some nesting on Gail’s property and others nesting within a radius of a mile or two. With this kind of productivity, Gail’s “super female” is making a generous
contribution to the recovery of the bluebird population in Sherwood!
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