Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs.

First, thanks to Ranger Kade and Volunteer Sammie for conducting the nest box inspections this week in my absence (everybody deserves a little time off). They did an excellent job checking, photographing and reporting on the nest box activity during the past week.

Here’s what they saw.

Three nest boxes are empty. One nest box has two eggs in it, but should be labeled empty (will be, hereafter). One nest box has bluebird eggs while another has bluebird nestlings.

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It’s official, the nest in the box at the Cow Pasture has been holding on to eggs since April. I long suspected they were not going to hatch. They didn’t, and won’t.

This nest was started by bluebirds and at one point had five bluebird eggs inside its pine straw cup. Those eggs were tossed by a house wren. Soon after, there appeared 2 bluebird eggs. One seemed oddly shaped and cracked, the other solid and fertile. But the adults who laid the eggs apparently abandoned the nest and the eggs never hatched.

Explore the Wild nest box has been empty for some time. It has fledged four chickadees so far this season.

The nest box at Into the Mist is empty. It has fledged five bluebirds this season.

The nest box on the east side of the parking deck is empty, no nest.

The nest box on the west side of the parking deck has a bluebird nest with what looks like four nestlings. Five eggs were visible last week. There may be another, yet unhatched, egg under the nestlings in the photo (below).

The Butterfly House nest has four bluebird eggs and was being incubated at the time of the inspection.

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As of May 21, 2024 there are two active nests, one with four bluebird eggs (Butterfly House) and one with at least four bluebird nestlings (Parking Deck West).

Again, thanks to Ranger Kade and Volunteer Sammie for taking on the duties of nest monitors this week and keeping us all up to date with our local nesters.

See you next week!