For The Birds - Sonoma Valley wineries provide nesting boxes for bluebirds - Brief Article

Flower & Garden Magazine, March, 2001

In early spring when his grapevines are sprouting their first growth, Mike Crumly goes out in the vineyard to check on another form of new life--baby California bluebirds. Every spring, the vineyard manager at Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves watches for activity inside specially designed nesting boxes among his Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines in the Carneros district of California's Sonoma Valley.

The bluebirds are rapidly losing their natural habitat to the encroachment of development and non-native birds, and grape growers are delighted to give them a home. In return, while their impact is miniscule, these natural predators feast on leaf-munching insects, reducing the use of pesticides. The winery also has nesting boxes to house barn owls, which help control rodents.

As Sonoma's coordinator for the California Bluebird Recovery Program (sponsored by the Audubon Society and the North American Bluebird Society), Crumly is helping to give these beautiful and beneficial California natives a place to call home. He also offers the boxes for sale to the public at the winery, which donates 100% of its proceeds to the bluebird program.

California bluebirds don't build nests in the open air like other birds. They seek out cavities with openings of 1-9/16 inches. Because their beaks aren't strong enough to make their own cavities, they depend on woodpeckers. And, fortunately, they'll live in anything that resembles a woodpecker hole. The nesting cycle begins early in the spring, when the male claims his territory and tries to attract a female with a warbling song. She lays 4-6 blue eggs, which incubate for 2 weeks. Within 2-3 weeks of their birth, the young take their first flight.

The Sonoma Valley is ideal for bluebird boxes because the birds are attracted to areas with varied landforms and differing plant communities. At Gloria Ferret, they're positioned between the vineyards and surrounding rolling hills. Even in semi-rural and urban neighborhoods, they can be placed on utility poles or adjacent to homes with large yards.

--Flower & Garden Staff