They help brighten the sky and add music to the morning. Bluebirds are a fascinating bird species native to Colorado. Help improve the vitality of these songbirds. The 2023 season of the Colorado Bluebird Project kicks off Thursday, Feb. 16.

Join nature experts for an informational open house from 7 to 8 p.m. Learn about why it’s important to look after these beautiful birds. Plus, find out about the basics of having a bluebird box in your backyard, or how to become a volunteer with the Town. For more details, visit CRgov.com/Bluebird.

Families and individuals of all ages will find this a rewarding, fun and educational way to interact with local wildlife in their community. The program begins in late March, when bluebirds return to Colorado, and runs through the end of summer. Weekly monitoring begins in April.

Volunteers are needed to help maintain and monitor nest boxes throughout the community. Registered volunteers will visit the boxes regularly on a rotating two- or three-week basis to collect important nesting data. Volunteers are also needed to help with nest box construction and repairs.

A separate training will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1, for those who decide to participate as volunteer monitors in the program.

For more than 15 years, the Colorado Bluebird Project has operated under POST Partners and Denver Audubon. The program aims to improve the vitality of native bluebird populations throughout Colorado, and inform and educate the public about bluebirds. Since 2007, there have been more than 7,500 bluebirds, swallows and other native birds fledge from the boxes around Castle Rock.

The Town’s local Bluebird Project maintains and monitors 190 nest boxes at 32 different sites throughout Castle Rock, with two new sites being added this year at Metzler Family Open Space and Cobblestone Ranch Park. In 2022, 130 volunteers contributed nearly 2,200 hours to help increase the bluebird and swallow populations in Castle Rock.

For volunteer sign-up and more information, including a training manual and guidelines for installing nest boxes, visit CRgov.com/Bluebird.

Questions? Contact Barbara Spagnuolo, natural resource specialist, at 720-733-2294, or bspagnuolo@CRgov.com.