Bluebird Trail Monitoring at Seven Bends State Park

Volunteers with Friends of Seven Bends State Park and the Virginia Master Naturalists are monitoring bluebird activity at Seven Bends State Park. The bluebird trails at the park are designed to provide habitat, to collect data and provide education about our local bluebird populations.

There are currently no openings or upcoming trainings for Bluebird Trail Technicians for this season. If you are interested in getting updates when there are openings, please contact Kaycee Lichliter, Seven Bends State Park Volunteer Bluebird Trail Manager: kayceelichliter@hotmail.com

Additional Information about Being a Volunteer Trail Technician:

• Volunteer trail technicians commit to volunteering for at least one monitoring season.
• Trail objectives are: 1) provide habitat, 2) education, and 3) research. 
• Learn about bluebirds and other native cavity-nesting birds that utilize the nest boxes.
• Learn proper monitoring techniques, including making critical observations and recording concise and consistent data. 
• Trail technicians will be assigned to monitor on specifically scheduled dates. Monitoring days/times are Saturday or Sunday, starting no earlier than 12:00 noon, and must be completed at least one hour before dusk. 
• Advance monitoring schedule is coordinated throughout the season by trail manager wherein every effort will be made to work around planned vacations, etc. A backup/substitute call system will be utilized. Volunteers are given choices for frequency of participation; ex.: once a month/twice a month.
• The trail technician will agree to inform the trail manager if they cannot monitor their assigned date and will be responsible for obtaining a substitute to monitor and immediately relay that change to the trail manager.
• Close communication between trail manager and all volunteers, along with strict adherence to protocol, is required in order to make the trail system operate in a safe manner for both the technicians and the birds.  
• This Citizen Science project is a fun way to make a contribution to conservation and a great opportunity to participate in field-related scientific study.
• Workshop and monitoring volunteer hours are recognized by the Virginia Master Naturalist program.