“Dash of Blue”

The Eastern Bluebird has made a heartening comeback since the 20th Century when habit loss, pesticide use, and invasive species caused alarming population declines. Non-native House Sparrows and European Starlings were introduced into the United States and quickly took over suitable nest cavities and habitats of the less aggressive bluebird. Fortunately, organizations and concerned citizens stepped in to halt the decline by encouraging bluebird conservation through education, promotion of artificial nest boxes, and establishment of nest box trails, which are protected and monitored by a network volunteers. I chose to create this dashing male bluebird as well as its nest with eggs in this wall-hanging sculpture.