President’s Letter

Welcome to the South Carolina Bluebird Society (SCBS)

Thank you for your interest in the South Carolina Bluebird Society! Please take time to peruse our website and utilize this information to enhance your enjoyment of our feathered friends.

Our mission is the conservation of native cavity-nesting birds, including the Eastern Bluebird, Carolina Wren, Tufted Titmouse, Brown-Headed and White-Breasted Nuthatches, and Carolina Chickadee.

SCBS is a totally volunteer organization and we provide educational information about our amazing Bluebirds and these cavity-nesting birds. We provide services and programs to assist in Bluebird and wildlife conservation and protection.   A sampling includes:

• Quarterly member meetings (ZOOM enabled) to share ideas and our latest programs
• Educational presentations to groups desiring to learn about our feathered friends
• Guidance / Assistance in establishing new Bluebird Trails
• Nestbox / trail monitor training on proper monitoring, recording, and reporting of Nestbox activity
• Informative quarterly newsletter (Nestbox News)
• Bluebird Scholarships ($4,000) for senior Biology Majors at USC Aiken
• Affiliation with North America Bluebird Society (NABS) and shared resources from 61 affiliate organizations across the USA, Canada and Bermuda
• Community interaction / education, such as “Build a Nestbox” events for children

One might ask, “Why belong to SCBS?” But the real question is how the Bluebirds benefit from your membership and contribution. Here is a bit of perspective:

Over one hundred and fifty years ago, 90 million acres of Long Leaf Pine (LLP) forests stretched from Virginia down the East Coast and out to Texas. The LLP is an extraordinary tree, generally immune to fire. The occasional lightning fires burned away underbrush and left a savannah of widely spaced trees with minimal ground cover. This became the perfect environment for the Bluebird.

But where are their nesting sites? Like other cavity dwellers, they seek a cavity (i.e., a hole in a tree). Bluebirds cannot make the cavity themselves, so they look for dead trees called “snags.” They are loaded with insects and when Woodpeckers are done digging out their meal and nesting place, the cavities they create become Bluebird nest sites. So, what is the problem? After World War II, WE CUT DOWN THE TREES to clear land and build houses for our expanding population. Today, less than 5 million acres of LLP remain.

In addition, we introduced Starlings and House Sparrows into the USA which are also cavity dwellers but extremely aggressive and competitive. All these factors lead to the realization in the 1970’s that the Bluebird populations were in steep decline.

To address this, the North American Bluebird Society (NABS) (https://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/) was formed in 1978 and introduced the Bluebird Nestbox. The hole was small enough (1-1/2” diameter) to exclude the Starling and relatively inexpensive to build so that literally anyone could have one in their backyard and enjoy this fabulous bird. NABS established affiliates and Bluebird trails across the USA and Canada; the populations increased; and the Bluebirds are no longer in danger. SCBS is an affiliate of NABS.

Our mission is to save the Bluebird!  We do this with the installation of a Nestbox set and we build, assemble, locate, install and train you in your backyard so you can be a responsible Bluebird landlord!

Enjoy your visit to our website and do look through all it has to offer.  We would love to have you join us as a member for education, enjoyment, and to further achieve the goals of our organization.

Mike DeBruhl,  President, SCBS 

Vice President for Affiliate Relations, NABS