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Every spring, people of all ages leave the city of Saskatoon and head south to become citizen scientists along the Mary Houston Bluebird Trail.
The trail, which was founded in 1969, is about 80 kilometres long, spanning from just south of Langham, Sask. to just north of Hanley, Sask.
Every 400 metres, there’s a small birdhouse affixed to a fence.
Each of the 250 nest boxes acts as a makeshift hollow tree, providing a vital habitat to migrating birds that are monitored by volunteers.
Greg Fenty, a biologist and retired environmental educator, leads the volunteer project for the Saskatoon Young Naturalists through the Saskatoon Nature Society.
“Bluebird Trail is basically a series of nest boxes that are arranged on a country road, that are monitored for bluebirds and tree swallows to see the productivity, how many babies they have, and their survivorship, how long they live,” Fenty said.
This information helps researchers understand how the bluebird and tree swallow populations change over time.
Bluebird populations plummeted until the 1950s due to lost habitat and pesticide use. After that, conservation and monitoring efforts increased.
The average lifespan for bluebirds can be up to eight years. They fly more than 3,000 kilometres south during their migration.
Every spring, the Mary Houston Bluebird Trail brings families together to learn about conservation by monitoring baby birds.
When people sign up to volunteer, Fenty teaches them how to properly hold and band the birds, and how to identify males, females and different species. He holds a scientific permit from the Canadian Wildlife Service, which is required to band birds.
“The kids learn how to identify the species by the nest material, identify the species by the egg colour, as well as the actual bird when we catch a bird,” Fenty said. “So what we’re after is how many eggs are in each box, and the kids will come up to the box and check out the inside.”
For adults, it’s a chance to connect with nature as they learn along with their kids.
For children, it’s a unique learning experience that teaches them how to observe a bird’s life cycle, and eventually, let it fly away.
Pi Srithammawut and his family moved to Canada in 2024.
He said he and his son Pacer wanted to volunteer for the Bluebird Trail project so they could learn more about the environment in their new home.
He said being around the birds has piqued his interest in nature.
“How do birds [hatch?] How [do] they take care of their families?” Srithammawut said. “I want Pacer to experience not only the humans on the earth, but the nature, our friends that live together on this earth.”
Another volunteer, Betty McBride, said she loves coming out to the trail with her grandchildren.
She said the kids really enjoy holding the baby birds, but she believes everything they learn is enriching their lives.
“We just have a good time outside instead of just always being inside,” McBride said. “It really has developed. Like, my grandchildren here, especially my little grandson here, has become very interested in birds. And he can spot birds anywhere, more than I can.”
Maycie McWillie also remembers how it felt coming here as a child.
She said having such a positive hands-on experience as a citizen scientist shaped her future.
“It kind of sparked my interest in birds especially, but overall, being a naturalist, and kick-started my career as a biologist,” McWillie said. “With the Bluebird Project especially, it’s very hands-on, you’re not just watching from the sidelines or hearing about it, you’re actually actively participating in it.
“So it opens up that world that you can actually do this. And it pushed me towards a career to go after field work and actively do this myself.”
Like McWillie, many of the bluebirds also come back.
Fenty said he’s seen many birds wearing his bands, returning to the very same boxes on the Mary Houston Bluebird Trail the following year.
In early spring, long before volunteers start heading out onto the trail, the Saskatoon Young Naturalists group holds a workshop where Fenty teaches kids to build wooden bird boxes. The new boxes will replace any old or damaged ones before the nesting season begins.
Near the end of May, volunteers will begin monitoring and banding the birds, under Fenty’s guidance and supervision.
“There’s a lot of different programs out there now, where you can just get outside and do fun things outside,” Fenty told the SaskOutdoors podcast Let’s Talk Outdoors in 2025.
“I want to try to keep the science level there too as well. So you’re learning about biodiversity while you’re doing it.”
