Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, August 9, 1994                   TAG: 9408090063
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Brian Kelley
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

THEIR MISSION IS FOR THE BIRDS

There's some 200 of the small, 81/2-inch by 41/2-inch boxes posted some 4 to 5 feet off the ground beside rural roadsides. They are specially designed for that winged beauty of Virginia's open countryside, the Eastern bluebird.

And they're there in large measure because of Bill and Barbara Aldridge, who have lived off Childress Road for 32 years, on a portion of the farm Barbara grew up on.

I went to talk to Bill Aldridge a few weeks ago for a story unrelated to birds. Near the end of our chat, he pulled out some photocopied information on helping the bluebirds. Then he gave me a brief update of his efforts since Donna Alvis-Banks first wrote about them in the New River Current four years ago.

The Aldridges, who closed their furniture business in downtown Christiansburg and retired last month, live within sight of the new Lucas Estates subdivision near Childress.

``With the new neighbors, you make a lot more friends,'' he said. ``The community has a lot of people from various walks of life now.''

But one neighbor who doesn't enjoy the former farming stronghold's new diversity is the bluebird, which thrives in open fields and is a cavity-nesting bird. That means it likes to build nests in dead trees and holes in old fence posts. But it must compete against non-native species such as house sparrows and starlings, who are more aggressive and use up many of the natural cavities available.

That's where bluebird lovers have come to the rescue with specially designed bird houses. The 11/2-inch diameter entrance hole and the 6 inches between the hole and bottom of the house make them unattractive to sparrows, who have trouble getting through and jumping out from a structure with such dimensions.

Aldridge found out about the bird's plight while recovering from a heart attack six years ago. He needed a hobby that could get him out on a regular walk; checking bluebird houses was just the trick.

Since then, he's recruited other enthusiasts across the New River Valley who have picked up on the mission, including two people in Giles County, Aldridge said.

The Aldridges now check about 90 bluebird houses. With proper maintenance, one of the structures can be home to two broods of bluebirds in a season. But the house has to be cleaned out between nests.

Now the bluebird houses are prolific and their migratory tenants are very much present.

I was driving down Childress Road last month with a co-worker, checking out the beautiful, rolling countryside of the Riner area, when two of the azure beauties darted across the road, just ahead of our truck. They'd just zipped away from one of the bluebird houses at the roadside.

Brian Kelley, a New River Valley bureau staff writer, covers Montgomery County, but doesn't mind the bird beat on occasion.