Over the Garden Fence: For the love of bluebirds and a Blue Feather Award
On the morning of March 2, with a commitment to be in Ashland by 7:30, the rise-and-shine hour hit early. The night before quart jars decorated as bug catchers, 18 wreaths with flowers and bugs, table runners and insect charts had been loaded.
There was an educational exhibit, too, with a tall background, handouts and lots of seeds. All had been prepared by our Earth, Wind and Flowers Garden Club members. There were over a dozen silent auction items.
A spitting rain offered a thought that this was a great day for the Ohio Bluebird Society conference. By 8:30 a.m. everything was in place for the event themed Bring On the Bugs. By 9 a.m. Jim McCormac was speaking about moths and larvae with observations from the book published collaboratively with Chelsea Gottfried. She is our Crawford County Park District naturalist at Lowe-Volk Park.
In the morning session awards were presented. In all my years of involvement and service, which go back to 1985, never had such a flurry of bewilderment come over me. Baffled and dumbfounded, frozen at first, my feet moved reservedly towards the front.
OBS Treasurer Molly Wilsbacher was talking about me. How was this possible? The Blue Feather Award is reserved for members who go the extra mile, those who live and breathe eastern bluebirding. The faces of many of these members streamed before me. My hearing was blurred even though the hearing aids were in place.
Blue bird memories streaming in
A coveted hand-carved blue feather was now in my hand along with a plaque with my name and that of our garden club. The word "flabbergasted," which means surprised, sums it up.
Later on the drive home memories were streaming through my head. There were years of board service. Once the "Bluebird Monitor" was published by me in agony as issues were sorted into zip code piles to go to the post office. Second graders held a bluebird day for parents and grandparents. My searches for blue candy so tiny eggs could be placed in a coconut "nest" on top of cupcakes was crazy. We used the bluebird Bingo game created by Susan Coffman.
Back then a bluebird trail was developed on Wyandot Road onto Shupp. Children helped me monitor nest boxes. Later sixth graders set a trail on the fairgrounds. They wrote a script "LIttle Blue Flying Hood" which defined bluebird eating habits, sharing it on Earth Day in costumes.
Back then our garden club held open meetings at the library with everyone sharing their bluebirding efforts. While at Mohican Outdoor School, my learning led to classes on bluebirding. Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts asked for box building sessions.
Our family set the first nest box in 1981 in a lake setting in Licking County. Bluebirds appeared instantly. Soon, my excitement led to monitoring a trail at the Dawes Arboretum. When we moved here a box in the field near Arrowhead Drive brought bluebirds. Board service took me to The Wilds, to Wilmot, Columbus, Zanesville, to Lake Erie − all over Ohio.
Still a county coordinator my efforts have been directed to reporting fledglings to get Crawford County's count increased. Our yard was blessed last season with four young ones raised. Mentally baffled by this thank you, the words "life is good" resonates.
Mary Lee Minor is a member of the Earth, Wind and Flowers Garden Club, an accredited master gardener, a flower show judge for the Ohio Association of Garden Clubs and a former sixth grade teacher.
This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Mary Lee Minor presented with Ohio Bluebird Society award
