The Pennsylvania Game Commission recommended some sites in Hilltop Park for bluebird houses and a purple martin “apartment” house. These birds, native to the United States, have decreased greatly in number due to loss of forest and meadows to build homes, and they could use some human help. In fact, in eastern North America, purple martins are completely dependent on humans to provide their housing.
The bird houses at Hilltop Park need to be monitored weekly to check if non-native birds have taken over the houses, and to check the health of the baby birds. If you would like to become a citizen scientist and help the Easttown Township Environmental Advisory Council monitor the houses between April and the middle of August, please sign up! You can sign up for as few or as many weeks as you would like. You can sign up to monitor bluebirds, purple martins, or both. It will take about 40 minutes to walk around Hilltop Park and check the eight bluebird houses. It will take about 15-30 minutes to lower the purple martin “apartment complex”, check it, and raise it again. You will receive training and an EAC member will go with you on your first monitoring visit. The houses need to be checked weekly to ensure that non-native birds are not nesting in the houses. We need as many nature lovers as possible to help these beautiful native birds!
Contact the EAC with questions at easttown@easttown.org.
Sign up at Neighborhood: Bluebird Monitoring at Hilltop Park