Colorado Bluebird Project

Volunteers needed for the 2024 Season!

All volunteers are required to attend four hours of training to ensure they are conducting themselves with NestWatch’s Code of Conduct as well as ensuring proper monitoring technique and data collection for this citizen-science-based volunteer project.

Volunteers of all ages are recruited in February to assist with monitoring the nest boxes from April through August. Volunteers will visit the boxes on a rotating basis once every two or three weeks to collect important nesting data. Additionally, volunteers help with the maintenance and repair of older nest boxes.

Volunteers are required to attend both the open house and monitor training to learn project background, species identification, monitoring tips and instructions for entering monitoring data to NestWatch, the online nationwide nest-monitoring program and database maintained by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Registration is required online at CRgov.com/Volunteer. Wondering what to expect as a volunteer? Check out a slideshow (PDF) featuring photos provided by our volunteers from the past season. For information on registration or volunteering in 2024, contact us at 303-814-7456 or email Marcy Jones.

Improving bluebird populations

The Colorado Bluebird Project operates under the guidance of Denver Audubon and is offered through POST Partners in Castle Rock. This volunteer-run project aims to improve the vitality of bluebird populations throughout Colorado and to inform and educate the public about bluebirds. For more information, see the project overview sheet (PDF).

For the past 15 years, with the help of hundreds of volunteers and students from several Castle Rock schools, we have watched and carefully monitored thousands of nests from native cavity-nesting birds such as bluebirds, swallows, wrens and chickadees in nest boxes established all over Town. We have documented over 7,000 chicks fledging from these boxes since 2007. Each year, the monitoring efforts and data collected by volunteers are assembled into a summary presentation (PDF) that features highlights from the year, overall project data and quotes from the volunteers.

Information about monitoring your own nest box

Feel free to download our Colorado Bluebird Project Volunteer Training Manual (PDF) as a reference for your backyard monitoring. We encourage those installing nest boxes in their own yards to follow these guidelines (PDF).

Additional educational opportunities

The Town's Natural Resource Specialist, Barbara Spagnuolo (email) is available for educational presentations to schools, scout troops, volunteer groups and community organizations. Learn more about the program and how you can help bluebirds in Castle Rock.

Bluebird nest boxes in Castle Rock

Bluebird boxes are located throughout Castle Rock on various public parks, trails, open space and school properties. View a map of all the locations (PDF).

Volunteers

Thanks to the volunteers mentioned below, who contributed over 2,000 hours to help with the program and increase our Bluebird and Tree Swallow populations in Castle Rock.

If you were a volunteer and are curious about the specific site you monitored, we can provide a site summary. Call 720-733-2294 or email us for more information.