Nancy Rourke of Hilltown Township, Bucks County, was chosen from more than 150 volunteers statewide and honored for her “long-term dedication and enthusiasm” displayed over 15 years while volunteering to monitor and help protect and propagate Eastern bluebirds as part of the Bureau of State Parks’ monitoring program.

A flash of russet breast, ever-flitting from perch to ground on a body of cobalt blue. A cheery, non-stop tune piped from atop a flowering dogwood. Together they treat our senses every spring, compliments of that popular harbinger of the season -- the Eastern bluebird.

Pictured in the photo are Nancy Rourke (R0 and Jessica Doxsey, Assistant Manager, Nockamixon State Park.

Appreciate the bluebird and you have to appreciate the work of thousands of volunteers across the state who have guided the beloved songbird onto the rebound trail. If you enjoy seeing them around Nockamixon State Park, you can thank one very special volunteer whose dedication to the bird and its habitat have earned her DCNR’s 2007 Bluebird Monitor of the Year Award.

At least 40 nesting boxes on the state park grounds near Quakertown, Bucks County, are supervised by Rourke, who says the number of bluebirds fledged along her bluebird trail had been “increasing every year” since she took over chores of erecting and repairing bluebird nesting boxes, cleaning them, and keeping track of the occupants. It is a task that comes with surprises:

“I was once checking the boxes and thought I’d remove what I thought was a field mouse nest and all of a sudden a flying squirrel jumped out of what was its nest,” said Mrs. Rourke. “So I just put everything back in and left it undisturbed.”

The retired physical therapist who admits “I probably never saw a bluebird before 1985,” said she was asked to take on the park monitoring post after she began offering suggested improvements to the trail. Nesting box occupancy climbed steadily for years, she said, but has leveled off of late because of limited habitat.

“We really don’t have too many more places to put nesting boxes because of the lack of open spaces,” she said. “And, of course, with Lake Nockamixon right there there’s always a lot of swallows. It’s more their type of territory.”

Would-be helpers of the bluebird should be prepared to invest some time in their endeavor after they erect nesting boxes, said the park volunteer. Regular monitoring is a must, she said, to guard against predators and other unwanted visitors.

“You always find time for bluebirds,” said Mrs. Rourke. “I firmly believe they are the most gorgeous bird there is.”

The bluebird supporter also draws her share of compliments: “Over the years, thanks to Nancy’s effort we have seen a drastic improvement in the number of bluebirds nesting and reproducing in the park,” said Jessica Doxsey, assistant park manager at Nockamixon. “Not only has she been an active monitor, Nancy has also helped build and install almost all of our boxes around the park. She has also helped to train and coordinate other bluebird monitors and volunteers.”

As bluebird trails coordinator, Mrs. Rourke is dedicated to the nesting success of the park’s cheery, winged visitors. Her duties include construction, placement and observation of nesting boxes; spring cleaning before new nesting seasons; and compilation of annual nesting records.

“She has shown us how one woman’s efforts can make a huge difference towards preservation,” Doxsey said. “Nancy has selflessly dedicated her time, money and knowledge to consistently improve our Bluebird Trail at Nockamixon.”

The Bureau of State Parks bluebird-monitoring program, which celebrated its 26th anniversary in 2007, now involves 56 of the 117 state parks across the state, according to Amy L. R. Hill, Natural Resource Program Specialist with the Bureau of State Parks.

The Bluebird Trails Program has involved over 150 volunteers, ranging in age from high school students to some in their upper 80s. They check some 1,600 nesting boxes across the state in individual park efforts that monitor from five to more than 175 nesting boxes.

Commitment in the bluebird-monitoring program is not rare, Hill notes. More than 15 of the volunteers have been checking nesting boxes; cleaning and repairing them; jotting notes; and hiking trails for over 20 or more years.

In 2007, a total of 2,225 bluebirds were fledged, bringing the grand total to 45, 440 since 1981. Data gleaned from observations of Rourke and others is shared with the Game Commission; North American Bluebird Society; the Bluebird Society of Pa.; and the Bureau of State Parks’ Resources Management and Planning Division.

For more details on Bluebird Trails Program, contact Hill at 717-783-4361.

Video Blog: Nancy Putt, President of the Bluebird Society of PA

5/9/2008