Conservation of the Eastern Bluebird
David Hill and Dick Preston of the Tennessee Ornithological Society will discuss the biology and nesting habits of the Eastern Bluebird. Having built, installed and monitored hundreds of bluebird nest boxes over the years, they will also share their secrets for success with your own boxes. Dick Preston is a past-President of the Tennessee Ornithological Society, a position he held for four years. He currently serves as the Society’s Vice-president and Conservation Co-Chair. Born in New Jersey in 1948, Dick moved to Munford in 1988, where he retired after serving 27 years in the United States Marine Corps, primarily as an air traffic controller. He was stationed in six states and six countries, including a combat tour in Viet Nam. He worked for ten years with the U.S. Census Bureau, mostly with the American Community Survey, and as a Field Operations Supervisor for the 2000 Decennial Census. Dick began his lifelong study of birds during his time in the Boy Scouts. The first merit badge he earned on his way to becoming an Eagle Scout, was, of course, Bird Study. Dick combines his passion for birds with his love of travel, which has taken him to 57 countries (so far) and enabled him to see over 6,700 of the world’s 11,100 species of birds. Dick is active in many bird-related “citizen” science projects, such as the U. S. Geological Survey’s annual Breeding Bird Survey, and the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Counts. He works with David Hill having placed and maintaining nearly 100 Eastern Bluebird nest boxes at Shelby Farms, Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge and the Wolf River Wildlife Management Area. David O. Hill studied ornithology until, at age 24, he changed career paths. Since then, he has directed his attention to conservation. He was the founding president of the Menunkatuck Audubon Society in Connecticut, where he initiated a major bluebird project. He founded RARE, Inc. (now Rare.org) in 1974, which to this day conducts a multi-million dollar worldwide environmental program. Today he manages about 100 bluebird boxes locally under the aegis of the Memphis Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society. He has served on several national boards and was twice a member of the U.S. delegation to international environmental conventions. He has birded for 72 years and on six of the seven continents. His articles and photographs have been widely published.
