In 3 short days, Spring, the season of vernal pools, skunk cabbage and birdhouses will be here! While tangentially about wetlands, the information found on sialis.org, a Connecticut based bluebird site, is a encyclopedia of bird lore, particularly about how to dissuade the invasive house sparrow and grackle from taking over your birdhouse. The site also has helpful information about the tree swallow, which catches all of its food on the wing, to the tune of 2,000 insects per night to feed its young, second only to the bat which is estimated to capture between 6,000 - 8,000 insects per night. With the general anxiety about mosquitoes, and the Zita virus, its a good time to put up some swallow and bat houses to keep mosquito populations at bay.

Some other good resources:
FWS page on Invasives and Birdhouses
CT DEP page on Bluebirds

Wetlands in the News

03 April 2025