Bluebirds will soon be welcome at First Presbyterian Church in Valparaiso, as a line of houses were placed on the north end of the property by volunteers and youth group members.
On Sunday afternoon, Annette Hansen, executive director of the Porter County Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, gave a brief talk about the partnership between the league and the NIPSCO Environmental Action Grant.
The program allows Hansen and members of the chapter to place birdhouses in the homes of citizen scientists in Northwest Indiana.
“Through the grant, I have the opportunity to give the boxes to citizens who can commit to monitoring the boxes,” said Hansen.
“With Cornell University’s nest watch program, our goal is to open the box, take a peek and make notes on the tally sheet,” said Hansen. “They (the ornithology department) collect this information because scientists cannot be in our backyards every day, and they want to know what we see.”
Hansen then went on to educate on how to identify which birds you have in the box based on the style and makeup of the nest inside.
“The chickadee will use a lot of moss and have small eggs,” said Hansen. “The bluebird will make her nest of all grass from the most pristine pieces of the meadow.”
Tracy Blecha of Valparaiso came to hear Hansen’s talk, as she has two bluebird boxes at her home.
“I have had some eggs hatch, which is exciting,” said Blecha. “I came here to see what else I can learn.”
Tim Sutherland of Valparaiso also attended the event, as he heard about it from another Izaak Walton League board member.
“I am having issues with house sparrows taking over my boxes, so I am looking for advice,” said Sutherland.
Hansen was able to obtain repurposed posts through Rebuilding Together, and showed those gathered how to assemble the bluebird box to the post.
Annette Hansen, executive director for the Porter County Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, talks about how to identify birds in boxes based on the contents and conditions of their nests on Sunday, May 5, 2024, at First Presbyterian Church in Valparaiso. (Deena Lawley-Dixon/for Post-Tribune)
Bonnie Swarner is a member of First Presbyterian Church and the Porter County Chapter of the Izaak Walton League. Swarner brought the idea of the bluebird boxes to Trish Lawson, director of Faith Formation at First Presbyterian.
“For as long as I have known Bonnie, she has been a fierce advocate of all things nature and its protection,” said Lawson. “The bluebird boxes are just a part of what we have planned.”
Lawson works with First Presbyterian Church’s youth group, the Presbys, age 11 through high school, on different service projects, including the bluebird boxes. The Presbys will monitor the bluebird box data.
“Over the year, we have made some small changes like installing more efficient lightbulbs, purchasing biodegradable materials, and we are now in the midst of installing solar panels,” said Lawson. “We are committee to doing our part to go green.”
“We are only on this Earth for a period of time, and we need to do our part now for generations to come,” said Lawson.
Anyone interested in getting a bluebird box for their home or who wants to learn more about the Porter County Chapter of the Izaak Walton League can contact executive director Annette Hansen at executivedirectoriwlapcc@gmail.com.
Deena Lawley-Dixon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
