Believe it or not – but the new Bluebird nesting season begins in about six months which at first seems kind of far away; however, evaluating the season that just finished and preparing now for the next Bluebird season is important … and that early spring Bluebird season will be here before we know it!

Saturday October 22 will be the state Bluebird Society’s Annual Fall Meeting which is packed with excellent information on Bluebirds and other cavity nesting birds. The meeting will be held at the First Baptist Church at 306 Main St., Batavia.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the meeting concludes at 2:30. There is no charge for attending the meeting, however, if you would like to order a lunch the cost is $10 and must be ordered by Oct. 8 by calling John Ruska at 716-410-5456. There will be several opportunities to learn much more about bluebirds and cavity nesting birds. Some of this information will come from our various featured speakers and other information can be learned from one-on-one discussions with several bluebird experts before the meeting and during lunch. The day moves along quickly as much is happening including a brief business meeting, presentation of awards, a silent auction, and opportunities to purchase Bluebird items. Refreshments will be served as well.

The 10 a.m. speaker, Rick Bunting, will address the many species of cavity nesting birds which should be very interesting. Another presenter, at approximately noon, Tom Damiani, will be speaking about bluebirds in his program called “Birth of a Bluebirder.” These presentations take much time to prepare and will be especially educational to all – including youngsters who have a love of nature and sometimes need a little nudge or encouragement to attend. Two more shorter programs will be presented by Society board members. There will be time to ask questions about bluebirds and all birds.

I serve on the state Bluebird Society Board and have learned so much from the many members of this well established and important organization. The morning of the Bluebird meeting I will be leading a bird ID walk at the DeWitt Recreation Area/Park in Batavia at 115 Cedar St. That will run from 7:30 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. which gives all of us plenty of time to get to the meeting headquarters in time for registration for the day’s activities. The meeting will conclude by 2:30 p.m. with final remarks and announcing the winners of the silent auction.

If you are an active “Bluebirder” or want to become one, this meeting is an excellent way to significantly learn so much more about bluebirds. I always learn some good new information on bluebirds every time I attend! There are so many topics to discuss such as locating your nest boxes in the right place, how to help the bluebirds avoid predation and house sparrow attacks, how to monitor nesting boxes, learning how to identify various species using the nest boxes, what type of nest boxes to use, extra features of nesting boxes, and ways of discouraging house sparrows from using the nest boxes.

Bring along a friend and enjoy the speakers. You can even bring along your own lunch if you like. If you can not stay for the whole meeting that is also OK. (I have to leave a little early for a wedding!) You will enjoy the comradery and vast knowledge of several Bluebird experts and you can share your own Bluebird stories with others. No matter what your level of Bluebirding is, everyone learns something! The fall meeting gives us renewed enthusiasm for the coming spring’s bluebird season and gives us much needed time to prepare for an even more successful Bluebird experience.

The Eastern Bluebird population needs us humans to survive as our nesting boxes are used by so many Bluebirds. Even with nesting boxes available, Bluebirds still face plenty of challenges, and we can help them!

Please call with any questions that you may have at 585-813-2676. You can also go to the state Bluebird Society website. Otherwise, I’ll look forward to seeing you and a friend at the morning bird walk at 7:30 or at registration at 8:45 a.m.!

Pre-registration Note: No pre-registration is required, however, any pre-registration texts or calls to Hans at 585-813-2676 are much appreciated as we plan this meeting! Remember that if you want to order a $10 lunch that you need to call John Ruska by Oct. 8. You can bring your own lunch if you wish.