If you watch our events calendar closely, you may have noticed once-monthly birding field trips to Lundale Farm in northern Chester County. Lundale Farm is a non-profit organization and a community of farmers that serves as a model for local food production. Our partnership with Lundale has taught us a lot about regenerative and sustainable farming practices and how these benefit our region’s environment, agricultural heritage, and health. In return, we have taught them about the birds that benefit from their hard work and thoughtful stewardship of the land.
We noticed that the farm supported a rich and plentiful bird population, but there were not enough nesting sites for cavity nesting birds. That this was a problem was clearly demonstrated during the April birding outing when Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows were fighting over the only two nestboxes installed along the farm road. As VFAS volunteers explained the importance of providing safe and appropriate nesting sites for birds, Lundale board member Robin Spurlino immediately voiced her support for acquiring and installing more nest boxes at the farm. Robin connected with the Bluebird Society of Pennsylvania which provided guidance on the most up-to-date box design as well as appropriate predator guards, calculated the cost for everything, and then wrote a grant proposal which she submitted to Valley Forge Audubon Society for funding. Since two attendees at the next VFAS birding trip at Lundale in May enthusiastically volunteered to monitor the nest boxes – another critical component of any successful nest box system – all the pieces were in place and VFAS’s board of directors voted to approve and fund the grant proposal.
In short order the nest boxes, mounting posts, and predator guards were acquired and assembled and were installed on June 28 by volunteers from Lundale Farm and the Bluebird Society of PA, who also donated one box/guard/pole system. So if you join us for one of the upcoming field trips to Lundale Farm, you will see 10 new VFAS-funded nest boxes around the property – hopefully with some happy new avian tenants already making themselves at home.
Pictured L-R: Lyn Caltabiano (nestbox monitor), Patty Werth (VFAS Board Secretary and Programs Chair), Nancy Fraim (Bluebird Society of PA Board Member), Robin Spurlino (Lundale Farm Board Member), Joe Fraim (Bluebird Society of PA volunteer), John Werth (VFAS Conservation/ Community Science Committee Co-Chair), and Becki Patterson (Lundale Farm Executive Director).
