Jackson’s Library Wants to Teach You How to Build a Bluebird a Home This Month

White Smith Memorial Library in Jackson will host an Alabama Cooperative Extension System workshop on bluebirds July 23 from 3 to 5 p.m., teaching attendees how the birds support local ecosystems and how residents can help them thrive.

The workshop covers practical, hands-on skills alongside the ecology lesson: attendees can learn how to build a birdhouse and create habitat suited to Eastern bluebirds, along with broader conservation practices that support local bird populations in Clarke County. The program also touches on identifying other local bird species commonly found in the area.

Space for the workshop is limited, and organizers say youth are welcome to attend as long as they’re accompanied by a registered adult. Those interested in attending are asked to register in advance by calling the library at 251-246-4962.

About Eastern bluebirds

Eastern bluebirds are cavity nesters, so they depend on old woodpecker holes, natural tree hollows or nest boxes to raise their young. Bluebird boxes are typically mounted on a pole in an open, grassy area, with an entrance hole about 1 1/2 inches across that admits bluebirds while keeping out larger birds, and a predator guard to deter snakes and raccoons. In Alabama, bluebirds can raise more than one brood in a season, which runs from late winter into summer.

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is the outreach arm of Alabama A&M University and Auburn University, offering research-based programs on agriculture, natural resources and home topics in every county.