Delaware Campus Bluebird Conservation Project continues

Campus News | Monday, October 20, 2025

Students in the field recording nest box data during the third annual Conservation Project.

The third annual Delaware Campus Bluebird Conservation Project yielded impressive results following the 2025 nesting season for the Eastern Bluebird and Tree Swallow. This year, there were seven Tree Swallow nests and five Eastern Bluebird nests. The Eastern Bluebirds had a 100% success rate, meaning that 5 out of 5 nesting attempts resulted in fledglings leaving the nest boxes.

A bluebird laid the first egg of the year on April 13, the first hatch occurred on May 4, and the last fledgling to leave a nest box was on Aug. 6. During nesting season, an interactive display table for the project was available in Moeller Hall. Visitors could see updated data numbers from our nest box monitoring and look through a spotting scope at one of the outdoor nest boxes. 

“The project engaged students in the Summer Semester ENGL 2367 class who stopped by nest boxes as part of an outdoor nature journaling activity, and they were able to hold baby tree swallows,” said Art History Instructor Gwynne Dilbeck. She is one of two faculty members overseeing the project. See the Library information page about the project.

This year, the team initiated two related projects. One was a small pollinator garden established in partnership with Pollinator Pathways and the Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative. The pollinator garden further enhances the educational value of the campus green space and surrounding habitat. 

The other project was a Nature Kit and Observation Station which will be available for student use in the Delaware Campus Library. It will create an opportunity for students to observe, identify, research, and discover the nature that surrounds the campus. 

 

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