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Che Summeruille News
Bluebirds Begin Spring Nesting
By LAURIE PERRY
Feature Writer
“T
hey say he car
ries the sky around on his
back,” said Derrell Rush,
referring to the eastern
bluebird, one of his}personal
favorites.
Though once thought to
be an endangered species,
this shy member of the
thrush family has been retur
ning to Georgia and other
areas, thanks to public
awareness, proper nesting
boxes and Georgia's
Nongame Wildlife Program.
Rush who is park
manager at Chattooga (?oun
ty's James H. ‘‘Sloppy”
Floyd State Park, has taien
a personal role in increasing
the number of bluebirds in
Georgia. In 1988 he was
named ‘‘Mr. Bluebird"” for
his efforts in designing,
building and distributing
hun_d_reg_s of bluebird boxes.
Bluebird nesting season
begins this month and he
reminded everyone to clean
and repair their bluebird
boxes as soon as possible.
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RUSH REMOVES OLD BLUEBIRD NEST WITH LONG METAL TONGS
Old Nest Should Be Discarded Away From Nesting Area
More Local Foster Homes
Are Sought By DFCS
By BUDDY ROBERTS
Associate News Editor
A total of 32 children now
live in nine foster homes in
Chattooga County, according
to the Chattooga Department
of Family and Chilgren Ser
vices (DFCS). The department
has lost three of its foster
homes since last year, creating
an overcrowded situation
among the remaining homes,
officials said.
The situation has resulted
in some foster homes, that
would normally house only five
children, providing care for six
or seven, said Darlene Couey,
local foster parents’
caseworker. Ms. Couey, along
with DFCS Director Sharon Pi
nion and Peggy Bohannon,
multi-county resource coor
dinator, expressed a need for
new foster homes and en
couraged interested families to
contact the DFCS for informa
tion about foster parenting.
Ms. Couey said that the
ages of local foster children
range from infants to teen
a%tlars. The ma;‘ority are of
school age, and the oldest is 17.
Children may remain in foster
care until age 18.
TEMPORARY CARE
“The best way to describe
foster care is temporary out-of
home placement for children
who cannot have care in their
birth home,” Ms. Bohannon
said. “Temporary is the key.
Derrell Rush Reminds To Clean Nesting Boxes
Boxes should always be
cleaned to protect the
bluebirds from dangerous in
sect larvae. The larvae
sometimes collect in the
boxes and if they are not
removed, the baby birds may
be Yreyed upon by the hatch
ed larvae.
Rush suggests using long
metal tongs to clean out the
bluebird boxes.
Any branches that may
have grown or fallen near the
boxes should be trimmed. A
low-hanging limb can pro
vide an easy entrance for
predators.
Rush says more than 26
bluebirds were raised in the
one box outside his office
window. Throufih observing
their behavior he has learn
ed a lot about the bright,
winged creatures. He says
they have also brought him
much enjoyment.
Once the young leave the
nest, they are on their own,
he said. The parent’s efforts
are accompl[:shed. This is
why you need to remove the
old nest. They never use the
same nest twice.
The old nest should also
be removed from the site of
the nesting vicinity to keep
predators from knowing that
the birds are housed nearby.
He estimates that 126
The main goal is to get the
child back in the birth home as
quickly as possible.”
Foster parents are selected
and {)repared through the
Model Approach to Partner
ships in garenting (MAPP)
training program. The 30-hour,
10-we§ iprogram helps pro
spective foster parents deter
mine how many children they
can care for, as well as how to
deal with the challenges of
foster parenting.
Ms. Bohannon said that the
initial step for interested
couples is contacting the DFCS
to request information about
foster parenting. The agency
will send a letter arranging an
office interview. Prospective
parents are then registered for
the next MAPP session.
A training session may be
held in Chattooga in autumn,
she added. Some county
residents are now enrolled in a
session held in Floyd County.
REQUIREMENTS
Requirements for foster
parents include havin
physicals for themselves ang
natural children in their home,
a sanitation report, criminal
background check, four
references, verification of mar
riage, militar[\; discharge
pa?ers when applicable, a home
safety check, and photographs
of family members. Physicals
must be paid for by the
parents, to be performed by the
doctor of their choice. There is
no charge for the MAPP
training.
Two home consultations are
also made by the DFCS. “We
Thursday, March 7,1991 . . . ..
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OLD BLUEBIRD NEST, SIZE OF MAN'S PALM
Bluebirds Abandon Nest When Babies Leave
bluebirds were hatched at
Floyd Park in 1990. The park
has 21 bluebird boxes.
. Anesting or roosting box
is available at the informa
tion center at a cost of $5.30.
The roosting box is just
like the nesting box except
that it has the %{)le near tfl’e
bottom and has’several Y
inch dowel rods inside for
them the roost on.
have to get to know the
families to know which needs
they can best meet,”” said Ms.
Bohannon. The final consulta
tion is held toward the end of
the MAPP training to discuss
problems or questions the pro
sgective parents may have
about the program. A commit
ment to become foster parents
is requested during the second
consultation.
“They're not tied in because
they go to the training,”’ she
said. ‘‘They may select out.
They have 10 weeks to decide.
If it's not right for them,
thegre not tied in.”
onsultations are ‘‘really
involved,” and may last as long
as three to four hours.
Caseworkers are responsible
for gettihl:f to know the familfi
before children are placed wit
it, and must obtain detailed in
formation about the family.
15 WEEKS
The process of becoming a
foster family takes about 15
weeks. The MAPP training
and home visits take up about
12 weeks, while another two to
three are required for the
regional office to consider and
approve case studies.
After approval, the foster
home is subject to yearly
evaluations, and must have
monthly contact with the
DFCS caseworker after
children are placed in the home.
The number and type of
children placed are determined
by the home consultations.
“We discuss the number and
type of children who would
best fit in that home. We
1-B
One roosting box should
be used for every five nesting
boxes and placed in the same
general area. Rush said 12 to
15 birds will gather in the
roosting box in the winter to
fiam from the collective body
eat.
The nesting box should
be glaced facing an open area
and houses should be a
minimum of 75 yards apart.
“The birds compete for ter
ritory like a buck deer or a
house cat,” said Rush. ‘“They
will ignore a house that is too
close to another’s turf.”
The boxes should be
mounted three to seven feet
above the ground. Five feet
is good. Remember to place
the box where you can ex
amine it without a ladder.
It does not seem to mat
ter where you put the
roosting box as long as it is
not on the same post or tree
as the nesting box.
The birds nest from mid
‘March to mid-October. The
female bluebird will lay three
to six eggs. She will sit on
the eggs for 12 to 14 days
prior to hatching. In 16 to 18
additional days, the young
birds fly and leave the nest.
“It is quite predictable,”” he
said. *“They always leave the
nest early in the morning.”
Both male and female
feed their young. They feed
them at least 7§ times a day
with worms and insects he
added. ““This is why they
grow so fast.”
The young birds cannot
fly very far, initially. They
geed to have somethiniclos_e
[\)’ they can fly to that is
above the ground such as a
match the children’'s needs
‘vjvlith what the parents can han
e.VY
The number of children is
determined by the amount of
bed space in the home, coupl
ed with how many foster
children the parents can care
for, Ms. Bohannon and Mrs. Pi
nion said. Regulations require
that no more than six children
reside in one home, includin
the foster parents’ biologicafi
children.
Exceptions can be made in
certain circumstances upon ap
proval from the regional
DFCS, Ms. Bohannon added.
PAYMENTS
Foster parents receive pay
equal to $lO per Yay per cfiild
by the department. ‘‘That is
supposed to take care of the
children’s needs,” Mrs. Pinion
said. Per diem pay is provided
by the state, as well as an in
itial clothing allowance of $l5O
per child 12 years old and
younger, and S3OO for children
13 and older.
Ms. Couey said that local
funds are sometimes provided
for extracurricular school ac
tivities, as well as for
Christmas and allowances.
Foster parents are reimbursed
for transporting children for
medical care, and the children
usually receive Medicaid
benefits, Mrs. Pinion said.
“Foster parents don't get
?aid, but they are reimbursed
or the needs of the child,” she
explained.
“They're normally digging
into their own pockets to make
see LOCAL FOSTER, page 4-B
Features/News
bush or fence.
Very few days go by that
Rush does not iet a call from
someone with questions
about bluebirds. Many ask
him why bluebirds do not
nest in their houses even
though they followed ther
basic directions in building
them or hanging.
“I tell them, when you
are looking for an apartment
to rent, do you take the first
one you lool}; at? I guess they
don't like the way you have
the furniture arranged,” he
said jokingly.
Rush is a member of the
glor;h American Bluebird
ociety, a non-profit
organization determined to
increase the population of
the three species of bluebirds
on this continent. These
species are the mountain,
gastern and western
luebird.
Georgia's Nongame
Wildlife Program has also
been instrumental in
bluebird restoration since
1987.
The North American
Bluebird Society explained
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BLUEBIRD NESTING HOUSE MADE OF CEDAR
Wire Covering Keeps Squirrels Away
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FOSTER PARENTS LOOK ON AS SHARON PINION DISPLAYS PLAQUES i i
DFCS Director Presented Citations To Parents Last Week
Temporary Guidelines Enjoy Challenges, Rewards
Local foster parents were
honored last week during a
recegt,ion (sjponsored by the
Chattooga County Dcirartment
of Fami%y and Children Ser
vices (DFCS). Seven of the
county’s 15 foster parents were
presented with plaques while
sharing success stories of their
children.
A total of nine foster homes
?rovide care for more than 30
oster children placed by the
DFCS. Parents who attended
the recegtion were Peggy
Pierce, Orville and Lil%ian
Rash, Betty Hall, Annie
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Rt WILDLIFE SERVICE o y
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Staff Photos By Laurie Perry
DERRELL RUSH, MANAGER OF JAMES H. FLOYD STATE PARK
Displays Bluebird Nesting, Roosting Boxes
that bluebirds are in jeopar
dy primarily because they
cannot find enough places to
breed successfully. They are
among the relatively few
.cav.itfy-nesting birds. They
insist on either natural or ar
Powell, Frank Kellett and
Wilma Burrage. Other foster
parents are Paul and Hester
Brown, James Burrage.
Eugene Hall, Carl Pierce,
Grady and Joyce Johnson and
Tammy Johnson. 3
The parents reflected on the
joys of working with foster
children, and agreed that the
most rewarding aspect is see
ing the children grow into hap
py. productive youths.
(grville and Lillian Rash
have worked with about 40
foster children durin% the past
10 years, and currently care for
tificial enclosures. Dead
trees and wooden fence posts
that once provided the
nesting cavities are disap
pearing with the advance of
technolo%'y.
Use of pesticides in areas
where bluebirds made their
nests also drove the
songbirds away. Harmful
pesticides such as DDT are
now banned, but suitable
‘sipo;s are still increasingly
ifficult to find.
These troubles combined
with harsh winters and rac
coon and snake predators
have reduced the bluebird
population by as much as 90
%erqent. according to the
Society.
Bluebirds often perish in
winter from the effects of ex
treme cold and insufficient
food. Nesting boxes should
remain in place all year since
they are often used by
bluébirds and other birds as
sleeping quarters on cold
winter nights.
- Plantings to provide
winter food will often save
the lives of many birds.
Berry-bearinfi trees, shrubs
and ‘vines that hold their
fruit all winter are particular
ly helpful to bluebirds.
Among the best are
American holly, staghorn
sumac, mountain ash, bit
tersweet and pyracantha.
The Bluebird boxes are
generally made of cedar
though cypress or any other
type of wood that does not
rot is fine, says Rush. The
cedar does not need to be
painted or stained. If it is
painted, a light color of latex
paint, not necessarily white,
should be used.
four children.
“Once you get them, you
can't get rid of them,” Rash
said with a grin. The couple has
enjoyed *‘seeing them grow up
to try to make something out
of themselves.”” Their adopted
daughter, Betty, who came to
them as a foster child, will be
married in the spring.
Bet‘%y Hall and her hus
band, Eugene, became foster
parents after rearing three
children of their own, and
deciding they could care for
other children. The couple has
provided temporary care for 11
The interior of the house
should be slightly rough. He
suggested using a
screwdriver, ice pick or wood
chisel to roughen the boards.
This provides a ‘‘toe hold”
for the baby birds to climb
out of the box for their first
flight, he explained.
A square of hardware
cloth is placed over the 12
inch diameter hole. This
keeps the squirrels from
gnawing the hole larger to
get inside. He said a piece of
used screen could also be
used.
Wasps are attracted to
the boxes and generally build
their nest underneath the
hinged tops. The wasps will
drive the bluebirds away
from the box. Rush
discovered that a thin skim
of Vaseline on the inside of
the box lids prevents the in
sects from attacking their
nests. He said the wasps
usually do not build further
down in the box.
He édded :}}:at Jmf‘éying
squirrels - are the biggest
p(rledator his bluebirds %?Jw
tace at Floyd Park. *They go
into the boxes easily,” and
are fond of eating the bird’s
eggs. "'lf you see straw stick
ing out of the hole, you know
it is a squirrel.”
Diagrams and instruc
tions for building a bluebird
nesting box are available at
the Floyd State Park or by
writing the Georgia Depart
ment of Natural Resources,
205 Butler St. SE, Suite
1258, Atlanta, GA 30334. In
formation on the North
American Bluebird Society
is available from Box 6295,
Silver Spring, MD
20906-6295.
children in 11 years, and cur
rently cares for three children.
Mrs. Hall said she was in
spired by Hester Brown, who
“‘raised 12 children of her own
and still had enough love to
keep foster children. She in
spired me a whole lot.”
She added that she has
been rewarded by seeing the
children “‘succeed at becoming
a productive person.”
With foster children, suc
cess stories are few, she said
but “if not for them, I'd pro
bably give up.”
see FOSTER PARENTS, page 4-B