BLUEBIRD TRAIL

“Oh, how the waiting countryside thrills with joy when the Bluebird brings us the first word of returning spring. Reflecting heaven from his back and the ground from his breast, he floats between sky and earth like the winged voice of hope.” ~ W.L. Dawson

Vredenburgh Bluebird Nest Box Trail

The Vredenburgh Bluebird Trail was established in 1982 by the Yakima Valley Audubon Society. The trail is comprised of 132 nest boxes along a sixteen mile stretch of road. The lower end of the trail begins at the end of the pavement on North Wenas Road in Yakima County, and the trail ends at the beginning of the pavement on Umptanum Road in Kittitas County (the road name changes as it crosses the county line). The entire trail is on dirt roads that can be challenging with ice and snow in the winter or mud and flooding in early spring.

Bluebirds arrive from their wintering grounds as early as February but become much more visible when tending to nestlings in boxes from mid-May thru June. They hunt insects from low perches and can be seen on fences, shrubs, and power lines. The boxes provide nesting sites that are otherwise limited in suitable bluebird habitat.