Home-Sweet-Home

“Home-Sweet-Home” is my newest Eastern Bluebird wall-hanging woodcarving and sculpture. In fact, I just added the complimentary flowers, which I fabricated from metal, wood, and acrylic polymer. I love how the carved and naturally finished cottonwood base (its home) makes the beautiful male bluebird pop.

Bluebirds are symbolic of hope because they have come back from the brink of extinction. Like many birds, they declined across North America in the 1900s, largely due to the loss of habitat, dead tree (“snag”) removal, pesticide use and a growing number of aggressive, non-native bird species. As cavity-nesters, bluebirds rely on natural tree cavities for laying their eggs and rearing their young. When snags are removed or when aggressive competitors like European starlings and house sparrows move in, bluebirds are less likely to produce offspring.

The solution? More viable nest sites. Volunteers across the country have put up small, wooden birdhouses, which have been critical to the bluebird’s recovery effort.

Arranging the boxes in pairs allows for highly territorial tree swallows and more accommodating bluebirds to nest next to each other, while reducing competition between the two species. Now, bluebirds are doing better 93% better compared to other birds.