Welcome mat out for bluebirds at golf course

BLOOMINGTON While golfers putted on a nearby green, Frank Zimmerman and Guy Fraker had birdies of a different kind on their minds.

I used to caddy before, but never bird boxes, said retired attorney Guy Fraker as he carried supplies to Zimmerman to install the first of 10 special birdhouses at Prairie Vista Golf Course last week.

Fraker got the idea after buying a house at Prairie Vista.

The beauty of a golf course in today's disappearing habitat is that the golf course offers an opportunity to create wildlife habitat, Fraker said.

Zimmerman, a minister and amateur ecologist, explained that the open space, mowed grass, trees for perching and ponds of water on golf courses mimic a savannah, which is prime bluebird habitat.

While the goal is to attract bluebirds, other small, native species, such as house wrens, tree swallows and chickadees also might use the boxes.

However, house sparrows an abundant, non-native species are not welcome and will be evicted if they try to nest. Their aggressiveness in taking over nesting spaces is one of the threats to bluebirds, Zimmerman said.

Although they are commonly referred to as boxes, the project at Prairie Vista is using what is called the Gilbertson PVC pipe design. The boxes are painted to resemble birch trees and are the most house sparrow-resistant nesting box, Zimmerman said.

This started as a whim of mine, Fraker said. When he asked his neighbors if they would like to donate to such a project, more than $1,000 was raised.

The golf course means a lot to us living here, Fraker said.

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Welcome mat out for bluebirds at golf course