Clifton, Evans and Newman with a Blue Bird Box in Greenfield.

“An opening exists for a Blue Bird box  trail tender along the Cherry Blossom Trail in Greenfield,” said Theo Evans. Last summer despite the heat, it was a banner year for Botetourt Blue Birds with some 665 babies raised.

Evans of Troutville, is a monitor for the blue bird boxes in Botetourt County, and needs one volunteer to help check boxes on one trail through out April  to September.

“Blue birds were almost extinct during the ’70s,” said Evans. All over the state trail leaders and monitors are gearing up for the blue bird nesting season, according to the Virginia Blue Bird Society Web site. Volunteers  check the boxes on the Cherry Blossom Trail at Greenfield Park along the walking paths.

Over  a dozen years ago Aubrey Newman of Daleville and Tom Clifton of Salem began the program at Greenfield. Clifton makes Blue Bird boxes and sells the pole as well all for $30. They are a Petersen styled Blue Bird Box Model with a shingle roof and triangular shape. Each is fitted with a predator guard.

” A volunteer would check the boxes weekly,” said Evans. A nail in the top allows the nesting area to be exposed.

So what does a volunteer monitor? “Only a select section of the trail,” said Evans. “We wouldn’t want to wear anyone out checking the boxes.” They keep information like when the nesting begins, the number of eggs in the box, how many hatched, how many fledged, how many attempts at a nest attempt is made in the box and if only blue birds were part of the nesters in any particular box.

For more information on how to be a blue bird volunteer contact Evans at 966-6872.