Fundraiser for Bluebirds of Central Kentucky (BOCK)
For the past three seasons Wild Birds Unlimited has partnered with Bluebirds of Central Kentucky to install and monitor bluebird trails locally, as well as educate the public and train volunteers. It has been a very enjoyable and educational experience for myself, Kristin Nelson, owner of Wild Birds Unlimited. These beautiful Bluebirds have taught me a lot about life and how hard it can be, but also to see the beauty in it. I guess they call them the Bluebirds of Happiness for a reason.
Bluebirds of Central Kentucky (BOCK) was started by Chris Forsythe of Lexington. He created it because of his love of bluebirds and in hopes of creating more habitat in Central Kentucky to help restore the Eastern Bluebird population. The mission is for the team and community of volunteers to lead the way to create and maintain bluebird nest boxes to help restore their habitat and improve their return to our region.
Bluebirds of Central Kentucky currently has two active bluebird trails with more in the works. Our first trail started in Spring of 2019 at West Sixth Farm here in Frankfort. Our second trail was setup in December of 2020 at Josephine Sculpture Park, so this was our first season monitoring there. A typical bluebird season will run from the middle of March until the end of August or beginning of September. So, we are currently finishing up our season.
Education and training are also important to us. This year was our first year to recruit and train volunteers on how to monitor bluebird trails. We were excited to see the number of people who showed an interest in learning to become a "Bluebird Landlord". In the past, (pre-covid times) Chris has done Bluebird presentations at the store, which some of you may have attended. This past spring and summer we had the opportunity to do programs at Josephine Sculpture Park. We also worked with several kids camps, YesArts and LEAP. We are always thrilled to try and get the younger generation excited about nature and wildlife. Recently, we teamed up with Passport Radio for a nature walk at Josephine Sculpture Park where we discussed the bluebird trails and cavity nesters. We will be having another Passport Radio event on September 11th. We look forward to hosting more educational opportunities in the future.
We are currently working on the Non-Profit status for Bluebirds of Central Kentucky and hope to expand. This is where you can help us out. Wild Birds Unlimited has put together several gift baskets to raffle off to help raise funds for Bluebirds of Central Kentucky. Tickets are $1 a piece or 6 for $5. Cash or check only. All of the money raised from the raffle will go directly to Bluebirds of Central Kentucky. Donations are also welcome of course. You can stop by the store to purchase tickets and to check out the gift baskets.
Any and all help is greatly appreciated. The money raised will help with costs of installation and monitoring of new trails, as well as educational materials for programs. Thank you for your consideration!