Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. The bluebird nesting season here at the museum is officially over. There’s no activity in any of our six nest boxes. The table below is a total of all the birds fledged since 2012, when I first began monitoring the nest boxes. There were a total of 36 birds fledged this season. The best years for bluebirds were during the 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons. Chickadees had their best years in 2013, 2018, and 2023,Read more
Posts tagged: #bluebird nest
Nest Box Update 7.11.23 and 7.18.23
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. (This post covers two weeks of nest box inspections due to my absence) We have one active nest, the Cow Pasture. ————————— The Cow Pasture nest has what looks to be five house wren nestlings. The oversized bills on the birds give it away. (Thanks to Ranger Dakota and Volunteer Sammie for getting a photo of the nestlings last week – 7/11/23). Previously, there were six eggs in the nest but in both photos, fromRead more
Nest Box Update 6.27.23
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. It’s now down to one active nest, a second brood by house wrens. —————————— The nest box at the Cow Pasture now has six house wren eggs. This nest has already produced 4 house wrens. This is the second brood of the season. The Explore the Wild, Into the Mist, and Parking Deck East nest boxes are all empty. I expected an empty nest at Parking Deck West during this week’s inspection of the nestRead more
Nest Box Update 6.20.23
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We have two active nests. One is a rebuild and second brood by house wrens. The other, a bluebird nest about to fledge its occupants. ——————— The Cow Pasture nest which was empty last week, and which has already fledged four house wrens is at it again. After cleaning out the nest box and putting in a new berry basket, wrens have again built a classic twig nest in the box. No eggs yet. ExploreRead more
Nest Box Update 6.13.23
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. There is only one active nest on our six nest box bluebird trail. ————————— The Cow Pasture, Explore the Wild, Into the Mist and Parking Deck East nest boxes are currently unoccupied. When opening the inspection door o the Parking Deck West nest box there were five bluebird nestlings huddled into the bottom of the pine straw nest, eyes yet to open. I took my obligatory picture and let them be. The final next boxRead more
Nest ox Update 6.6.23
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. There is currently only one active nest. House wrens have fledged and bluebirds have hatched. ————————— The four house wrens that had been in the nest box at the Cow Pasture have fledged. I could hear the family warbling away in the woods behind the nest box as I confirmed their departure by peaking into the nest. It was empty. The Explore the Wild and Into the Mist nest boxes are empty. The nest boxRead more
Nest Box Update 5.23.23
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We have three active nests, at least in part. There are four nestlings in one nest, four eggs in another, and nesting material added to another nest. ————————— The Cow Pasture nest appears to have four nestlings. They’re house wrens. Last week I could clearly see four house wren eggs and it appears there are four nestlings piled atop one another now. It’s difficult to see them all, but I’ll check the nest again laterRead more
Nest Box Update 5.16.23
Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We have three nest boxes which have at least some activity, one has four eggs, one has a complete new bluebird nest, and one has only just a suggestion of a bird’s interest in making a nest inside, one twig was placed in the middle of the berry basket inside the box. ———————— The Cow Pasture nest is doing well. The house wren that was inside the box incubating the four eggs as we approachedRead more
And Then There Were None
Top Photo: Lone barred owlet peeks out from damaged nest. Barred owls are cavity nesters. They nest in holes in trees, nest boxes built for them, or a broken off trunk open at the top, exposed to the weather and other dangers, like predation. On April 29, I posted on this blog about a barred owl’s nest here on campus. At the time there were two owlets in the nest. On May 6, one of the owls fell out ofRead more