Article written by Anne Wenger for the Heritage at Lowman newspaper with consultation with Jay Keck, of the SC Wildlife Federation.
Image Credit: Eastern Bluebird by Savannah Jordan.
A beautiful example of community support for the Heritage at Lowman is that we have received ten new bluebird boxes to be placed around our campus. Jay Keck, son of John and Carolyn, who reside in the Courtyard apartments, in cooperation with Chapin Women’s Club and the Heyward Career and Technology Center of Columbia provided these in the latter part of April. High School students attending the Heyward Career and Technology Center under the direction of Frank Gilbert built twenty new wooden boxes for us and the Chapin Women’s Club. The ladies provided funds for purchasing all the poles knowing that many will get to enjoy the ten other boxes to be placed on the grounds of both Chapin Elementary and Chapin Middle Schools.
When the bluebird population was declining in our country, efforts were made to restore the proper habitat for these beautiful birds. Now we get to enjoy their annual nesting and raising of the young right here on this campus. The boxes already in place have hosted families this season and it is expected that we will be able to enjoy even more frequent sightings now.
On Saturday, April 20, Jay, who works for the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, came with his two sons, Rowan and Haynes, to complete the placement in locations near the Courtyard Apartments on the perimeter of our property and others closer to the Healthcare Center and the Lowman Pond. Nothing high tech about this work. Jay used his muscles to drive the metal poles into our hard, rocky soil. And a couple of simple screws and a clamp fastened the boxes to the sturdy poles.
Chickadees, the Tufted Titmouse, and Brown Headed Nuthatches are also cavity nesters. They may use these boxes to raise their young too. English sparrows, not native to this area, are not desirable residents in the boxes. Their young are strong contenders for the food that the cavity nesters need. All of these birds love to eat the insects that plants provide. We are encouraged to develop more of the proper landscape to invite the insects as a natural source of food for these lovely birds.
In December Jay will return with his two sons to clean out the boxes and check for any needed repairs. And, after this first season for the new boxes, a metal plate with a QR code will be positioned around the correct sized hole which will lead to interesting information about the bird box residents.
Image captions L to R: Rowan drills and Haynes holds the box steady with Jay’s supervision. Haynes, Jay and Rowan Keck working together for Conservation of our South Carolina Wildlife.