Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We currently have two nests with at least some activity. One nest is definitely house wren occupied, the other seems to be bluebird. The four remaining nest boxes appear to be stalled with either “old” abandoned nests or are where nestlings have recently fledged and are waiting for new occupants. The Cow Pasture nest box had recently fledged 4 bluebirds, had been cleaned and looks to be over-going a rebuild. The rebuilders are most likelyRead more
Posts tagged: #nestling
It’s All About Procreation
Top Photo: Fledgling eastern phoebes huddle together as they await feeding from parent. Spring keeps chugging along, and with it the lives of many different creatures. Below are photos of some of our local residents rolling with the flow. A nestling blue-gray gnatcatcher waits for one of its parents to deliver protein. The lichen covered nest is in a maple tree on an island in our parking lot. It was spotted by sharp-eyed Ranger Dakota. Unlike gnatcatchers, brown-headed nuthatches nestRead more
Nest Box Update 5.3.22
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. Since last week we have seen twelve birds fledge, eight bluebirds (two different nests) and four chickadees (one nest). Two nest boxes are occupied by house wrens and one box still has three bluebird nestlings within. The Cow Pasture bluebird nestlings have fledged. The box was lightly cleaned and a new berry basket placed inside for potential future occupants. The Explore the Wild nest box remains untouched. The nest material in the box also remains,Read more
Nest Box Update 4.26.22
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We have four nest boxes full of nestlings. With the rapidly growing nestlings its becoming difficult to tell just how many there are in each nest, they look like a big pile of feathers. Additionally, there has been one hostile takeover. The nest at the Cow Pasture is full of nestlings ready to fledge. It looks as though there are four nestlings in the nest. The Explore the Wild nest box is still on theRead more
Nest Box Update 4.19.22
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. In our seventh week of nest box inspections we have about 20 nestlings, 15 of which belong to bluebirds and 5 with chickadee parents. There are 4 chickadee eggs being incubated. The Cow Pasture nest box looks to have a full house of 5 nestlings. What appears to be a big ball of feathers and flesh is a handful of individual nestlings. If you look closely you can pick out several beaks, some feet andRead more
Nest Box Update 4.12.22
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We currently have 17 eggs, 10 bluebird and 7 chickadee. At least 5 bluebird nestlings have hatched. There is one inactive nest. It’s difficult to determine from the photo below, but it appears as though at least 5 of the 6 bluebird eggs in the nest at Cow Pasture have hatched. One note, I heard a house wren singing in the background as I viewed the nest. House wrens are known to commandeer the nestRead more
Nest Box Update 4.5.22
Top Photo: Bluebird eggs. Every nest box on our six box trail has a nest within. Four are eastern bluebird nests and two belong to Carolina chickadees. We have a total of 21 eggs spread out among the occupied nests, 16 bluebird eggs, and 5 chickadee eggs. All but one nest with eggs had an adult incubating at the time of the inspection. We saw no activity at the nest at the Cow pasture, which contains 6 bluebird eggs. WeRead more
Nest Box Update 3.29.22
Top Photo: Bluebird nest with eggs. There are 10 eggs spread out along our six nest box trail. Seven of those eggs belong to bluebirds, three to chickadees. One nest, which had been started by bluebirds has been abandoned and reoccupied by chickadees. The Cow Pasture nest box, which last week held three bluebird eggs, now contains six. I saw neither parent while checking the box. There’s been work done on the bluebird nest in the box in Explore theRead more
Nest Box Update 3.15.22
Top Photo: Bluebird eggs from a previous season. Over the past week, two nest boxes have change somewhat, while all the rest remain as they were last week. At last week’s inspection the nest box at the Cow Pasture contained a near complete bluebird’s nest. The nest is still in the box but hasn’t shown any progress, no new nest material added and certainly no eggs. The Explore the Wild nest box is empty with no sign of activity. Curiously,Read more
Nest Box Update July 2021 (the final count)
We have six nest boxes on our bluebird trail. I inspect the nest boxes once per week following the same sequence each week; Cow Pasture, Explore the Wild, Into the Mist, Parking Deck East, Parking Deck West, and Butterfly House. This is a compilation of the nest box inspections for the month of July. July 6 Though there are two nest boxes containing nest material, one with house wren twigs (Cow Pasture) the other with bluebird grass and pine needlesRead more