After a lot of preparation and weeks of anticipation, lower school students at Mount Paran Christian School now hear the charming call of dozens of baby bird hatchlings across the school’s 68-acre campus. February was bluebird month in Georgia, when the brilliantly-hued Eastern Bluebird began the process of seeking nesting spots and crafting its signature cup-shaped nest in anticipation of warmer weather. This spring, MPCS students were front-and-center, supporting the bluebirds and witnessing the entire hatching process.
After years of development and habitat loss, pesticide use, and introduction of non-native species, the bluebird population had for decades been on the decline. Thankfully, due to conservation efforts, restrictions on harmful chemicals such as DDT, and increased public awareness, the number of bluebirds is no longer declining. To keep the positive momentum of stabilizing the bluebird population, MPCS deployed its own nesting boxes on campus during the 2018-2019 school year. For 2020-2021, the bluebird nesting program has grown, with seven nesting boxes on campus – one for each grade level from preschool age three through fifth grade. The boxes are placed in various locations around campus on the MPCS Bluebird Trail.
Tina Baker, lower school administrator and lower school academic technology specialist, shares, “The MPCS Bluebird Trail creates an awareness that allows our students to be purposeful in caring for God’s precious creatures and the environment, while gaining an understanding that all of us have the ability and responsibility to make contributions in caring for this world.” The goal is for each grade level to monitor their own nesting box, with third graders overseeing a nesting box outfitted with a webcam.
The goal for the nesting boxes is to attract bluebird pairs – monogamous during the mating season – to campus. Students in the lower school are able to observe the birds, gaining awareness of the declining bluebird population while learning more about nature and how ecological impacts affect the environment.
Working under the guidance of local partner and Master Gardener Jim Beardan, founder of “Green Meadows Preserve Park Blue Bird Trail,” MPCS installed its first three nesting boxes in the spring of 2019. The school received a grant from the Robert F. Schumann Foundation to provide for the nesting boxes and the expansion of the lower school garden.
One challenge included finding ideal nesting box locations for the sometimes picky bird pairs. Another challenge is competition for nesting space from other birds. House Sparrows and European Starlings are fierce competitors for nesting spaces and are much more aggressive than bluebirds. Despite these challenges, the first year of the nesting boxes on campus met with success. In addition to four Carolina Chickadee hatchlings, 12 baby bluebirds hatched during the inaugural year. For the 2020-2021 year, lower school students welcomed 11 baby bluebirds, 5 Carolina Chickadees, and 2 Carolina wrens.
A new addition to the program in the spring of 2020 allowed interested fifth-graders the opportunity to serve as mentors to students in the other lower school grades. Students were chosen via an application process managed by Fifth Grade Teacher Shannon Howard. One fifth-grader shared, “I would love to teach other students about bluebirds. This would be a great opportunity to learn, grow, and reflect. Bluebirds are wonderful, beautiful creatures.” The fifth-grade bluebird mentor program was temporarily postponed this season due to COVID restrictions. There is also the potential to maximize cross-divisional learning opportunities with high school science student partnerships with the lower school.
As the program gains momentum each school year, the goal is to further integrate the nesting boxes into the lower school curriculum. Students will continue contributing to scientific research on bluebird populations as they report their observations and data to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s nationwide NestWatch program, whose goal is to track trends in the reproductive biology of birds. Observations will be added to those of thousands of other NestWatchers in a continually growing database used by researchers to understand and study birds.
MPCS has managed to help increase the local bluebird population, bring awareness of the plight facing the environment, and demonstrate that everyone can make a difference. Families can start by adding a nesting box to their yard. To learn more about the bluebird program at Mount Paran Christian School or how to build a nesting box, visit mtparanschool.com/bluebirds.
About Mount Paran Christian School
Mount Paran Christian School, the largest private Christian school in Cobb County, is a non-denominational, college-preparatory school for students in preschool age three through grade 12. MPCS is committed to excellence in academics, award-winning arts, and championship athletics, all within a Christian environment with small class sizes. Founded in 1976, MPCS is fully accredited (SAIS/AdvancED) and located near Kennesaw Mountain on a 68-acre collegiate-like campus. Providing academic excellence in a Christ-centered environment, MPCS unites with home and church to prepare servant-leaders to honor God, love others, and walk in truth.
