The Bluebirds of Bickleton

These colorful flyers brighten the farmland of south-central Washington. This is a great side trip just 20 miles north of the Columbia River near Bickleton.

The town of Bickleton, population 91, is barely a dot on the map in the south-central portion of Washington about 20 miles north of the Columbia River. Bickleton is located 3,000 feet above sea level and surrounded by hundreds of square miles of farm fields and open grassland. It is a Mecca for thousands of visitors who flock there each year. Bickleton is the Bluebird Capital of the World.

Each spring when the earth warms and birds' songs rise with the dawn, mountain bluebirds flit and hover sky-blue in a greening landscape. They return to the abundance of insects found in the low-growing grasses, insects that provide sustenance for up to three ketches of nestlings each season. The bluebirds take up residence in the hundreds of little blue and white houses found atop fence posts lining the fields and roads that surround Bickleton.

Not much larger than a swallow, their bright blue appearance cheers the heart of any naturalist or wildlife enthusiast. Poets laud them and singers croon about them. Touring the backroads of Bickleton offers ample opportunities to watch them without even leaving the car.

The bluebirds arrive in Bickleton by mid-February but are best observed during their nesting phase, April through July. They remain residents through October. The first glimpse of a bluebird hovering, which is their characteristic insect-hunting technique, is a long remembered thrill.
 
Bluebirds are members of the thrush family. They are native to North America and were once as common as their cousin the American robin. The eastern and western bluebirds sport the bright orange breast of their relative, whereas the mountain bluebird is all blue with a white belly. Typically the females of each species are more muted in their color patterns. All three species require existing cavities for their nests.
 
In the Bickleton area, the early 1900s began a steady decline in the bluebird population. Farm fields were expanded for more tillable acreage, clearing borders of dead trees and stumps that had provided cavities for clutches of four to six eggs. A nearby sawmill claimed the woodland pines, leaving the bluewinged insect-hunters bereft of more nesting sites. One former resident recalled, "You didn't see many bluebirds after that."

One spring in the 1960s, Jess and Elva Brinkerhoff of Richland, Washington, brought their two young sons to Bickleton to experience nature's colorful display of spring wildflowers. It was by chance that a mountain bluebird flitted across the scene. Jess was aware that bluebird populations were in jeopardy and that they needed existing cavities for their nests. In other parts of the country bluebird populations had been successfully re-established by providing nest boxes. That day Jess fashioned a birdhouse using a gallon can he found at a dump. He mounted it on a tree, and the birds moved right in.

The following spring, Jess made nine wooden birdhouses, painting them blue and white with leftover paint he happened to have on hand. He asked permission of the farmers around Bickleton to install the birdhouses on their property. Within a few years all the houses were filled, and more were needed.

For almost three decades Jess and Elva continued in this labor of love, building new birdhouses and maintaining the existing ones. Bickleton's citizens became actively involved, and at one time more than 2500 bird boxes were in use. There is no official Bickleton Bluebird Committee. Volunteer residents, farmers, and school children clean, repair, paint, and construct new birdhouses as the need arises.

Thanks to the many helping hands from the community and other groups, the Bluebirds of Bickleton arrive each spring about Valentine's Day to become a welcome part of the Bickleton countryside.

Story and photos adapted from Bluebirds of Bickleton by Cindy Burby. Cindy Burby is a Washington resident and her writings and photography reflect the beauty of the Northwest.