In April, the Greater Princeton Branch of AYLUS (GPA) continued its bluebird box monitoring project along with Mercer County Park and Plainsboro Preserve.
Eastern Bluebirds were once a common bird in New Jersey. With habitat loss and competition from introduction of aggressive, non-native birds, the populations of these beautiful birds declined. Through the efforts of caring people, esp volunteers who aid the nesting of bluebirds and other native bird species by monitoring boxes for nesting attempts by non-native birds, Bluebirds are nesting successfully at Mercer County Park.
Plainsboro Preserve (80 Scotts Corner Road, Cranbury, NJ 08512) and Mercer County Park Commission (4 parks) have their bluebird nest monitoring projects continuing in 2023.
The four parks include Mercer Meadows Pole Farm/Princeton Country Club (Lawrence/Pennington), Mercer Oaks Golf Course East (725 Village Rd W, West Windsor, NJ 08550), Mountain View Golf Course (850 Bear Tavern Rd, Ewing, NJ 08628), and Mercer County Park Disc Golf Course (West Windsor, NJ 08550).
With the help of GPA volunteers, both organizations will get a better understanding of the bluebird species and populations here around central New Jersey. It will be a weekly monitoring where a group of volunteers will go out to different locations in the preserve and record data by checking the bird nests.
This will take place during the daytime hours, through (depending on the weather) April to August.
GPA volunteers: Zihan Yu (4/16, 2 hrs), Kathy Yang (4/16, 2 hrs), Gina Shen (4/16, 2 hrs), Pearl Song (4/16, 2 hrs), Ethan Jiang (4/16, 2 hrs), James Jiang (4/16, 2 hrs), Branden Zhou (4/16, 2 hrs), and more.
