link between mountain bluebirds, pesticides and insects

​This year, Dr. Delano Lewis and Dr. Natalia Lifshitz are partnering with Ellis Bird Farm to conduct a study that explores the link between mountain bluebirds, pesticides and insects. With funding from Alberta Environment and Parks, we are collecting feces from mountain bluebird nestlings, then sending the feces to a lab to determine what types of insects are being eaten and whether there are any pesticides in the feces. We are also setting traps to determine insect diversity and abundance around bluebird nests, as well as analyze the pesticide concentrations in the insects that are caught in the traps. We hope to determine whether bluebird reproduction is affected by insect abundance, diversity and contamination. 

Fun fact - nestling bluebirds package their poop into what's called a fecal sac, and the parents either remove the sac from the nest or eat it. The fecal sac is made up of a black part (undigested insect remains) and a white part (uric acid). Who knew bird poop could be so interesting?!