Bluebird numbers have plummeted. Here’s how Albertans are helping them recover

Contrary to what the name suggests, mountain bluebirds can be found across the Canadian Prairies.

Best known for their bright blue plumage, they’re a familiar sight for many Albertans. But the conservation issues they’ve faced over the years are cause for concern among many.

According to The State of Canada’s Birds, a joint production of Birds Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, mountain bluebird numbers in the country have declined by 60 per cent since 1970.

There are an estimated 650,000 mountain bluebirds in Canada — about 12 per cent of the migratory bird’s numbers in North America, and the lowest recorded population abundance to date.

That data, compiled through citizen science initiatives and professional research programs, suggests that population numbers in the Canadian Prairies accelerated rapidly from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s, but they have declined significantly ever since.

Jody Allair with Birds Canada said the exact reasons for the decline in mountain bluebird numbers are not entirely known, but they could include climate change, habitat loss and a decline in insect populations — the bird’s primary food source — due to pesticide and herbicide usage.

“It’s actually been a consistent decline, and particularly since the early 2000s, it has basically just been dropping solid,” he said.

That decline is part of what inspired the Badlands Trail Society to take steps toward mountain bluebird conservation in Alberta.

The group operates 48 bluebird nest boxes throughout the Drumheller Valley and surrounding area.

Cheryl Taylor, one of the organization’s founders, said the boxes are designed to give the bluebirds “a little bit of help.”

“Mountain bluebirds have been part of the Drumheller Valley area for as long as I can remember,” she said.

The nest box project, established with the help of fellow society member and longtime bluebird conservationist Claude Rioux, operates on Nature Conservancy of Canada property west of Drumheller.

With its ideal prairie environment, ample food availability and lack of human development, the land is “a perfect site” for bluebirds.

Taylor said the group is supporting the species not only by helping the birds safely raise their young in areas where natural nesting cavities are few and far between, but also by raising awareness.

“I think when people are more familiar with birds, they’ll be more responsive to protecting the areas that they require to survive,” she said.

“And birds are an indicator species, so if they’re not going to be doing well, we’re not going to be doing well.”

The Badlands initiative is one of many bluebird nest box projects throughout the bird’s natural range in Western Canada.

According to Allair, the public’s clear interest in bluebird conservation is a promising sign.

“You can’t put a price on how valuable it is to engage people in conservation,” Allair said.

“That’s when you’re really going to make the difference … get people involved, get people to understand and care about the birds, and that could really change people’s whole world. They could change their entire perspective on birds and the importance of preserving our natural environment.”

And Allair said that interest in bluebirds could extend to conservation issues affecting other species, particularly ones experiencing even more grave threats.

But while the mountain bluebird isn’t facing as dramatic a population decline as some other birds, Allair said it’s the perfect species to get people to learn more about Canadian bird conservation.

“Obviously, one of the advantages mountain bluebirds have compared to other birds is that people are really interested in them,” he said. “They’re like the most beautiful bird that we have in the country.”

“If a mountain bluebird doesn’t get you excited about birds, I don’t know what I can do for you,” Allair said. “It is one of the most spectacular-looking birds in the entire world, period.”

Allair said people across Canada can help birds in many ways, including keeping cats indoors, taking steps to prevent window collisions and protecting insect food sources by not using pesticides and herbicides.