Nearly two dozen juvenile Western bluebirds are now flitting around San Juan Island, products of weeks of incubating and insect-gathering by hard-working bluebird parents. Some of the adult bluebirds are already working on incubating eggs or feeding nestlings for a second brood this season.

The Western Bluebird Project has been tracking the juvenile bluebirds since they emerged from the nest boxes built by volunteers and housed on private land. People sighting bluebirds, especially those living in the Cady Mountain area, are asked to call the project with information.

The project knows the locations of most of the active nests, and has noted individuals, pairs, and family groups moving around the islands but calling in information on sightings will help them keep track of their movement. If possible, information on the color bands on the birds’ legs, used to identify individuals, should be included.

The Cady Mountain bluebirds have been more difficult to track then those in other areas. The abundance of great oak in the area may have resulted in the birds retreating to a natural nest cavity for roosting or for raising a second brood.

The bluebirds are medium-sized songbirds with large round heads. There wings and tails are blue and they have red chests with some red coloring on their backs.

The head, throat and upperparts of the male birds are bright, deep cobalt blue. They have chestnut breasts and are blue on belly and undertail coverts. They have large dark eyes and dark legs. The females are duller and not extensively blue. Their heads and throats are gray and their backs are a gray-brown. The abdomen and undertail coverts are a grayish color and they have blue wings and tail. The chest of the female is a duller chestnut. The juvenile have a spotted chest and back, and have blue wings and tails.

Eleven pairs of adults were brought to San Juan Island from the Ft. Lewis Military Installation in 2009 and plans are being made for another group of adults to be brought in during fall and winter of 2010.

Sightings may be reported to the Western Bluebird Hotline at 298-2822 or after August 14 to Kathleen Foley at 298-1856.

It costs nearly $50,000 each year to keep the San Juan Islands Western Bluebird Re-introduction Project flying. Donations may be mailed to SJPT, Box 327, Lopez Island, WA 98261. Checks should have “bluebird” written in the memo area.

The San Juan Islands Western Bluebird Reintroduction Project is a partnership of: The San Juan Preservation Trust, the American Bird Conservancy, Ecostudies Institute, the San Juan Islands Audubon Society, the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife and the Fort Lewis Military Installation.