A cooperative effort involving Panorama Schools, an LPA member and Friends of Lake Panorama led to the recent installation of 16 bluebird houses on Lake Panorama’s south shore.
Plans for low-impact recreational amenities on the south shore were developed over a two-year period by Friends of Lake Panorama and approved by the LPA board last summer. By the end of 2023, a disc golf course and trail system were ready for visitors. A small shelter and picnic table with a view of the main basin now are in place.
The plan also called for birdhouses throughout the recreation area. Steven Brannan, who has a home at Lake Panorama with his wife Rita, volunteered to build and donate bluebird houses for the south shore. Josh Arganbright gave Brannan the material.
“The birdhouses all are made of a composite material, so are low maintenance. It makes for cheap, affordable housing and I hope the birds like them,” Brannan says.
Mark Dorhout, Panorama middle school science teacher, offered to choose suitable birdhouse locations. Last fall, he enlisted the help of all 146 of his sixth, seventh and eighth grade students.
“We looked at prominent places on the trail, if there was some short grass nearby, the amount of tree cover, and proximity to an additional perch. The males like to have a spot near the nest so they can keep an eye on things,” Dorhout says.
Funds donated to Friends of Lake Panorama for the south shore were used to purchase seven-foot metal posts. On a sunny Sunday afternoon in mid-March, Dorhout enlisted the help of Brannan and three eighth grade students to install 16 posts and attach 16 birdhouses.
Dorhout says bluebird pairs usually produce three to six pale blue colored eggs. “They start nesting around the first week of April, and it can continue until late June and into July,” he says. “The female is involved in the nest building and 18 days of incubation. They both are involved in feeding the young. They usually have more than one brood each year. Two is normal, but pairs can have three.”
This bluebird house effort ties into a learning project Dorhout has conducted with his students for three years. The first year, all middle school students were involved in building 20 birdhouses, which were installed on school grounds.
In the last two years, Dorhout’s seventh grade students built a total of 105 birdhouses. These were sent home with students for installation, along with a guide to help them choose good locations, and how to do follow-up monitoring.
“It's a citizen science project,” Dorhout says. “Using these birdhouses, the students learn about invasive species, such as house sparrows and European starlings that will try to take over bluebird houses. They also learn about the biology of cavity nesters, do quality research and enjoy being outdoors.”
In March Dorhout built three birdhouses himself and installed those on posts in front of three elementary classrooms. These are located on the nearby prairie he and his students helped establish over the past few years.
Students who take home birdhouses are given a check sheet to complete every two weeks through the spring and early summer. The students make notes about whether the house is occupied, number of eggs, chicks hatched, and evidence of predators or unwanted birds and pests.
Dorhout and a couple of students will do those same regular checks for the 16 new birdhouses on the south shore, and the three recently added to the school prairie. He and his students also will clean out the houses annually.
Prior to the birdhouse project, Dorhout introduced his middle school students to Lake Panorama’s south shore as part of his outdoor education efforts.
“We have done some longer walks there, looked at lake species, birdwatched and gathered water samples to do some rudimentary water analysis,” he says. “It's been awesome to be able to incorporate outdoor education into our regular curriculum. Kids of this generation sometimes find it difficult to connect to the out-of-doors. With this program, they gain the benefits of, and appreciation for, the outdoors.”
Another part of the south shore recreation area plan is adding benches. Five benches are ready to be installed when conditions allow, with two along the shoreline portion of the trail and two along the meadow portion. Another bench, donated by Lana Leander and Ryan Gruhn, will be located near the fifth tee box on the disc golf course.
To get into the recreation area, there is a fenced driveway that begins at 5501 Chimra Road and leads to a parking lot with walk-through access. Beyond the shelter are two brown markers; one points right to the first hole of the golf course, the other points left to the beginning of the trail system.
The recreation area is open during daylight hours. Wheeled vehicles are prohibited. There are no trash receptacles, restrooms or running water; visitors should plan accordingly.