So far, so good. All of our six nest boxes have been productive. Some have already fledged birds, others soon will. Not all of the eggs laid have hatched but we have had no nest lost in its entirety. I consider that good news. The Cow Pasture nest, which had previously fledged 4 chickadees, now has a complete house wren nest. No eggs yet, but there are feathers in the nest and it looks prime for laying. There are fourRead more
Posts tagged: #bluebird nest
Nest Box Update 5.8.18
There’s been both hatchings and fledgings this week. Nine birds have hatched and 8 birds have fledged. The number of hatchlings has no doubt increased as I write. Earlier this morning there were 5 unhatched eggs in the nests with newly hatched nestlings. I’m sure more have hatched in the four hours since I checked the boxes. I heard the ominous sound of a house wren as I approached the nest box at the Cow Pasture. House wrens are notoriousRead more
Nest Box Update 5.1.18
As they were last week, three of our six nest boxes are occupied by Carolina chickadees and three by eastern bluebirds. The three chickadee nests have a total of 6 eggs in one nest, and what appears to be 8 nestlings with 4 each in the other two nests. The three bluebird nests contain 8 eggs split evenly among two nests and what looks like 4 nestlings in other. The Cow Pasture nest has 4 chickadee nestlings. Two weeks agoRead more
Nest Box Update 4.24.18
This week’s inspection came out all positive. There are hatchlings, new eggs, and two nests have seen a rejuvenation. There were hungry mouths to greet me as I peered into the nest box at the Cow Pasture. Although the nest previously had 6 eggs, I could only make out 5 nestlings. There may have been one chickadee nestling under the mass of blind, naked parids that lay before me but I couldn’t see it. They’ll still be in the nestRead more
Nest Box Update 4.10.18
Everything looks great out on the bluebird trail. All of our 6 nest boxes have nests and all but one has eggs. Only one nest had a bird incubating, so egg laying may yet continue. There are 3 bluebird nests and 3 chickadee nests. The Cow Pasture nest has a full compliment of 6 eggs. An adult was incubating as I opened the inspection door on the side of the nest box. Soon after I took the photo you seeRead more
Nest Box Update 3.28.18
We’re on the move. All of our nest boxes have seen some sort of activity the past week. Three bluebird nests are underway, two chickadee nests, and one nest box has had been modified slightly by some unknown entity. The nest box at the Cow Pasture which contained some 3” of moss last week has now been topped off with fur and feathers. A well-defined cup has yet to be made to finish off the nest, but that may veryRead more
Nest Box Update 3.20.18
Although it’s been minimal, there has been activity in some of our six nest boxes. And, I’ve had to move one nest box due to exhibit construction. So, I can at least report something other than “No changes in the nest boxes” this week. A Carolina chickadee has begun a nest in the nest box at the Cow Pasture near the train tunnel. The nest is not complete, but nearly so. The nest box on the service road in ExploreRead more
Nest Box Update 3.13.18
Not surprisingly, there have been no changes to the nest boxes since last week’s inspection. No new nests have been started and the one which had the beginnings of a bluebird nest last week, the Butterfly House nest box, looks the same. The weather needs to improve before we see more in the way of nest building. As usual, we’ll have to wait till next week to see what happens on our six nest box, bluebird trail.Read more
Bluebirds 3.6.18
This is the first official 2018 status report of our bluebird trail nest boxes. We have six nest boxes located across our 84 acre campus, from the Cow Pasture near the Train Tunnel, through Catch the Wind, to the south side of the campus near the Woodlands Classrooms. I’ve had to make adjustments over the last seven or so years that I’ve been monitoring our nest boxes, allowing for changes in landscaping practices, new exhibit openings, and even parking deckRead more