Friends of a feather: Wareham Land Trust hosts birdhouse building workshop

Wareham residents came together on Saturday morning to construct 25 new homes for Eastern Bluebirds at a workshop organized by the Wareham Land Trust.

Advisory Board member Tom Kinksy led the workshop with help from several other Land Trust members at the Wareham Free Library.

“It’s not a master class in carpentry,” Kinksy said. “Its something I do with my students all the time, and I think its something everyone can enjoy.”

Eastern Bluebirds live in meadows and open fields surrounded by trees. They prefer to nest inside tree holes, Kinksy said, which makes simple wooden nest boxes an ideal fit for the species.

The birds lay one to two clutches of eggs each year according to Wareham Land Trust President Sue McCombe, so providing the birds with safe places to raise their young increases their chances for survival against non-native species like House Sparrows.

“We try to do events like this once a month,” McCombe said. “A lot of people think Wareham is built up, but in reality we still have a lot of beautiful areas worth investing in and protecting.”

The Wareham Land Trust provided workshop attendees with the materials needed to build the birdhouses, funded in part by a grant from the Wareham Cultural Council.

“Its just about time for the bluebirds to start migrating back to Massachusetts,” said Kinksy. “So hopefully these birdhouses will have some residents.” 

To learn more about the Wareham Land Trust and upcoming events, visit www.warehamlandtrust.org.