Marilyn Michalski’s 20th Year on CVKH’s “Bluebird Trail”
Marilyn’s dedication to the birds here at Camphill Village Kimberton Hills began in the late 1990's when she saw kestrels and bluebirds on the grounds. As she helped the famous Mrs. Eleanor Morris, of the French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Group, she drove by Camphill Village often and saw her first bluebird there! She had never seen an Eastern Bluebird in Ohio or Michigan.
Marilyn Michalski is originally from Ohio. She moved with her family to Detroit, at age 5, where her parents had a Lutheran ministry. She earned a bachelor's degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, and moved to Columbus to earn a Master's degree in American Literature from The Ohio State University. She then moved Pennsylvania to become a high school English teacher in the Lower Merion School District, teaching American and British Lit to 11th and 12th graders, along with Journalism, for 28 years. After retiring a few years ago, she devoted her life to Conservation and to helping birds.
Her innate love of birds came from her father. She devotes her time and energy to Conservation, especially birds. She is fascinated by everything about birds: their long history (over 100 million years in existence), ability to fly, loyalty to their young, beauty of shape and color, amazing anatomical features (feet, beaks, feather structure, respiratory system, egg-laying), and their ingenious way of surviving on every continent on Earth (including penguins on Antarctica)!
Katherine Gould-Martin and Marilyn checking the purple martin nests.
Birding is Exciting and full of Adventure!
We never know what we're going to find inside a nest box. This heightens our anticipation and joy. To do this important work, we are out in nature and enjoying every minute. This work is also good for our health.
Birding is Challenging!
We encounter dangers and problems. Mainly, non-native birds. We struggle with the House Sparrow, also called the English Sparrow. It is NOT a native North American bird, and it kills bluebirds, chickadees, and tree swallows. We have found all three of these native birds hacked to death inside their nesting boxes.
Marilyn and Katherine checking each nest in the Purple Martin House.
Innovations! We are developing new techniques, nest box designs, and devices to protect birds! This work is beneficial and exciting. There is never a dull moment in birding. We work on new designs and innovations mainly over the winter when birds are not nesting. We try to design boxes that will not let House Sparrows or House Wrens in them. We have begun to use in-box cameras - to be able to identify what's happening inside. BSP (Bluebird Soc. of PA) has invented the "Monofilament Line"- a fishing line on each side of the entry hole that keeps out sparrows.
We are working now on a nest box that will keep out House Wrens - the deadly Jenny Wren. For more than a decade, House Wrens have expanded their population, and they want every nest box available. To obtain a nest box, a House Wren will stab the eggs and baby birds of bluebirds and chickadees - then toss them out of the nest box. We at Camphill have lost many bluebirds and chickadees from predation by House Wrens. However, the Carolina Wren, which nests at the Village, is a safe and well-behaved bird - he stays with us all Winter long. The deadly House Wren migrates.
Tragedy! Have we lost our Chickadees? We have not seen them or had them nest in several years.
Our busy Purple Martin house.
Camphill’s Bluebird Trail officially began in 2004, when John Tower helped Marilyn put up nesting boxes. They made an effective team. They also got help from Steven Clee and Ben Cownap, who helped put up boxes for the endangered American Kestrel. In 20 years, we have had kestrels nest about four times. We continue to help them and supply them with nest boxes. Right now, we are considering a new location for a kestrel nesting box - with a camera inside.
Bluebird Trail Achievements:
Installed and monitored an average of 50 nest boxes every year. Replaced used nest boxes with new ones as needed.
Installed two nesting boxes for Screech Owls.
Supported Little Brown Bats with a bat house. REMEMBER: The front of a Bat House must face EAST. Bats need the Sun's warmth after a cold night. We have no bats currently.
Trained Villagers and local residents to check nest boxes.
Designed innovations on nest boxes - the Monofilament Line & Terro, to keep ants out.
Provided 2 to 4 bird baths and kept them filled with water, especially during droughts.
Submitted an "Annual Nest box Report" to the Bluebird Soc. www.thebsp.org.--2004 on.
Began Purple Martin Colonies. We waited 3 years for Martins to find our community nesting chambers. This year we fledged 47 new Martins. Early in 2024 we got donations for a new T- 14 (Purple Martin House) and installed it at Franklin House. Thank you, Donors!
Baby Purple Martins at Franklin House.
Our Bluebird Trail has grown. The number of nest boxes fluctuates between 40 and 60 boxes on the campus. During the nesting season (April through August) Bird Lovers check (monitor) these nest boxes, including 8-10 boxes at Sankanac. Marilyn has been training new monitors, and she thanks Katherine Gould Martin for outstanding help this year in monitoring. She will train more new monitors in 2025.
In 2024 we reduced the number of boxes to 42. Reason: We have a major influx of House Wrens - a dangerous bird, because of its destructive behavior. House Wrens are not satisfied with just one nest box. The male goes around and puts sticks and twigs in every box. If he sees the eggs of bluebirds or chickadees in a box, he jabs his pointed beak into all egg and kills them. Then he tosses them outside the nest box.
Please do not permit House Wrens to nest. They are a major cause of the decline of the Chickadees! The good news is that the population of Eastern Bluebirds in Pennsylvania is rising slowly. It is better to take down a nest box than to let wrens nest in it.
ANNUAL EASTERN BLUEBIRD FLEDGE NUMBERS AT THE VILLAGER - New baby bluebirds:
