Date: Fri 20-Jun-1997

By DOROTHY EVANS

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: DOTTIE

Quick Words:

Quincey-Blanchard-Blue-jays

Full Text:

Blue Jay Housing Authority: Room With A View

(with photos)

BY DOROTHY EVANS

What more could a mother bird want?

An airy nest of sticks built against a sturdy brick chimney.

Ivy curtains letting in soft breezes.

A view of a secluded backyard from 20 feet up.

And a little girl inside the house who watches your every move from her

playroom window, but doesn't disturb your housekeeping or child-caring

routines.

A blue jay has obviously found her dream home in the ivy that clings to a

chimney outside 10-year-old Quincey Blanchard's third floor playroom at 8

Plumtrees Road.

The bird has been raising her family in complete comfort and safety. Clearly,

privacy is not an issue.

The blue jay began building her nest May 29, and the Blanchard family has

enjoyed watching the process from only a few inches away every day since.

Over a period of three weeks, from the moving in and fixing up stage to the

egg-laying, hatching, feeding and tending stage, the Blanchards haven't missed

a moment of blue jay watching.

They were there to see what happened when the violent thunderstorm blew

through Newtown on Friday, June 13. Quincey said she was relieved to see the

mother bird "stand over the nest and protect the babies with her back."

Now the babies have grown so big that Quincey's mother, Judy Blanchard,

figures it won't be long before they'll fly.

"They're all blue and fluffy -they seem to be bursting right out of that

nest," said Mrs Blanchard on Monday.

Quincey has kept track of the nest from Day One, recording events in a daily

log that her father, Kirk Blanchard, helped her set up. She's also been taking

pictures of the eggs and babies through the attic window that looks out into

the chimney ivy.

Interested in what the babies ate, Quincey said that, at first, the mother fed

them by "coughing up food out of her throat into their open beaks."

As the days went by and they grew bigger, "the father would bring dead bugs."

Occasionally Quincey opened her playroom window to get a better view.

"She doesn't mind if we move slowly," she said.

"But we don't dare turn on the attic fan, it would blow right down on the

babies," added Mrs Blanchard.

Mrs Blanchard will be sorry when the babies have flown, but she admits it will

be a relief to turn on the attic fan again - now that the hot weather has

finally come.

The Way We Were

Silver Alert For Blue McGrath Ended

Top Of The Mountain

Cargo Van Driver Taken To Hospital Following Collision With Gas Tanker

Knotweed Initiative Program Planned

Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 20-Jun-1997

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