If you have a question or bluebird emergency and don't hear back from me right away, you might try one of these online resources:
Bluebirding Forum (Garden web discussion forum - mostly backyard bluebirders, some very experienced people and great photographers. You will find many helpful, kindred souls there)
Bluebird Nut Cafe (discussion forum. Discussion of active House Sparrow management allowed)
Bluebird_L Mailing List (Cornell - many experienced trail monitors post, along with newbies. Must subscribe. Archived postings available, sorted by topic.)
I specialize in cavity nesters and can't help too much with other birds (e.g., identifying nests/eggs of open cup nesting birds.) I am a crummy birder and can barely tell a chipmunk chip from a Cardinal call.
Why this website exists: I developed this website to share information with anyone interested
in bluebird conservation, after so many others have helped me
with answers and input. I do it out of gratitude towards all those who have shared their knowledge and experiences with me, and penance for the mistakes I have made. It is free from the influence of advertising.
I hope you find it useful. I will be the first to admit that
I am still learning, and welcome any feedback on how this site
can be improved, as I want it to be accurate, reliable and clear. See page on accuracy. The website is always evolving and growing, so if you can't find something, go ahead and contact
me and I will send you a link if the information is somewhere on the site, or try to answer your question as best I can. (You might also want to check the resources listed above - I definitely don't know everything!)
About Me: Someone on a bluebirding forum once asked "Who/what is Bet?" I live northeastern Connecticut.
In terms of education and work experience, I have a B.S. from
UCONN, and an M.S. from Yale in Environmental Management, and was
a Peace Corps volunteer in South America. I am a Certified Environmental
Professional, and have worked in environmental protection since 1979. One of my goals in life is to leave this world not worse, or even the same, but better than it was before I got here.
I saw my first bluebird ever in Bickleton, WA around 1994. I saw my first Eastern Bluebird in the winter of 1998, when I was startled by a flash of blue
by my home office window. See my theories about
why we love bluebirds. Realizing that bluebirds might be interested
in nesting in the area, I set up a trail. Then they sort of multiplied. I have about 100 boxes now in various locations and habitats - some of which were donated for testing. See details.
Most of what I know about bluebirds I owe to those who came before me. I believe that "We are like dwarfs on the shoulders of giants, so that we can see more than they, and things at a greater distance, not by virtue of any sharpness on sight on our part, or any physical distinction, but because we are carried high and raised up by their giant size. " (John of Salisbury, Metalogicon, 1159)
What Sialis Means: The website name is latin for the Eastern Bluebird species (Sialia sialis) although I have expanded the site to include all small cavity nesters (including Mountain and Western Bluebirds). I started the website a few years back after seeing a great list of resources on the Bluebirding Forum.
My Activities: I volunteer on the local Conservation Commission, and developed an educational
website for them (which of course has a page on bluebirding).
I also volunteer to conserve open
space, which is critical to bluebird survival. A few years ago, I
assumed webmaster duties for the Best
of Bluebird_L Classifieds, a resource Jim McLochlin
of the Audubon Society of Omaha put together, but have not had time to update it for awhile. It captures postings
from the Bluebird Listserv and organizes them into categories.
My favorite bluebird book is The
Bluebird Monitor's Guide by Berger, Kridler, and
Griggs.
I belong to the Massachusetts
Bluebird Society and
am a Life Member and Board Member of NABS. I provide data on trail results to those organizations, as well
as to the CT Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP)
and Cornell's
Birdhouse Network. I write a newspaper column on conservation and environmental protection issues for The Villager newspapers (www.ourbetternature.org).
In between, I work part-time from
home for a non-profit research and development organization. My articles and photographs have been published in various publications, including Environmental Engineering, Environmental Management, Bluebird (The North American Bluebird Society journal), Birds & Blooms, Birdwatcher's Digest, the Putnam Town Crier, Our Town, and non-profit organization newsletters. My photographs have been used by the National Park Service, CDC and NYDEQ, and published in Country Magazine, Cat Fancy magazine, and the Hartford Courant. A neighbor and wonderful friend, Joe Chapuis, hosts my web videos and has saved me from many HTML errors. My geologist husband Doug helps install
and repair nestboxes, and patiently listens to endless bluebird
blather.
Content Usage: You're welcome to use any of
the content to write articles, with a citation please (see below and disclaimer). If it's for a bluebirding newsletter,
I'd really enjoy receiving a copy. It helps me stay in touch with my inner
bird nerd. All photos on this site are copyrighted, but you can contact me for permission for noncommercial use of any photos that I took myself, or I can put you in touch with other photographers.
Citation: If you are referencing information on this website, please keep in mind that I am constantly updating and correcting it as I learn more, find errors, and as new information becomes available. If you need a citation for referencing purposes, you can use this: Zimmerman, Elizabeth A. 2009. Sialis.org, Woodstock CT. Retrieved from Sialis online: http://www.sialis.org (you can add the specific address of the source page if desired.)
Thank you for visiting. But most of all, thank you for your own efforts to fill the skies with blue!
May all your blues be birds!
- Bet
Disclaimer: The author does not make any warranty, express or implied, or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, safety or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product or process disclosed on this website, or represent that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, link, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the author.
