Fuels specialist is ‘for the birds’

  • Published
  • By Capt. Mae-Li Allison
  • 96th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) --  Nicknamed “Nature Boy” by his colleagues, Master Sgt. William Burke spends much of his free time in the more pristine parts of the base.

Amidst a green, tree-filled landscape, he tends to his true passion -- nature, and more specifically, the Eastern Bluebird.

“Although Eastern Bluebirds aren’t threatened or endangered, they’re beautiful, nonaggressive creatures,” said Sergeant Burke, a fuels specialist for the 96th Logistics Readiness Squadron here. “People should know these aren’t anything like the blue jays that can be nuisances because of their aggressiveness.”

Sergeant Burke has placed birdhouses around the base for about four years. On a regular basis, he dutifully checks each of the 25 houses he has placed for signs of little bluebird life.

“It normally takes me about two hours to check all the birdhouses for nests, eggs and hatchlings,” he said. “I try to check up on the nests at least once a week.”

Most of Sergeant Burke’s birdhouses are in a local area that he said is a perfect place for bluebirds because the trees are not too close to one another, power lines provide a great place for the birds to perch when hunting for insects, and there is plenty of water.

Bluebirds nest March to August, and a pair of adult bluebirds may raise up to three different broods of chicks in one nesting season, Sergeant Burke said.

“Since typically only one out of four hatchlings survives to maturity because of predators, among other reasons; I try to provide a hospitable nest for the bluebirds,” he said.

The special birdhouses Sergeant Burke buys from a supplier and bluebird expert in Minnesota keep out many of the competing birds that also live in tree cavities with the bluebirds.

“The entrance to the nest is small enough to keep out European Starlings, which are common to this area,” he said. “And another competitor, the English House Sparrow, doesn’t like nesting in the (polyvinyl chloride)-pipe material of the birdhouse.”

Sergeant Burke also uses a couple “tricks of the trade” to keep predators away that may want to snack on a baby bluebird.

“I put each birdhouse on a half-inch-diameter metal pole, which is hard for snakes and squirrels to climb,” he said. “I also add a ring of tanglefoot wax around the metal pole to keep fire ants away.”

After assembling the birdhouses, Sergeant Burke selects a good area to put the birdhouses and spaces them out about 100 yards apart, making a “bluebird trail.”

Although keeping track of all the birds on his bluebird trail takes a lot of his time and energy, Sergeant Burke said he loves the challenge of finding a better birdhouse and helping the bluebird population grow.