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Bluebird Update 4.28.15

This week’s inspection of the nest boxes has confirmed that there are now 3 species utilizing our modest bluebird trail here at the Museum. House wrens, after having been responsible for emptying two nests of chickadee and bluebird eggs at the nest boxes at the Sailboat Pond and Picnic Dome have decided to build in the Picnic Dome nest box. This bird, or birds, may later move on without actually nesting, but for now it has taken over full controlRead more

Bluebird Update 4.21.15

First, the good news (yes, there is bad to follow). We have two (maybe three) female bluebirds incubating, and four new bluebird eggs. And, at least two chickadee eggs have hatched. Now the bad news, two of the nests have been pilfered, all of the eggs which were once in the nests are gone. And I know who did it. The nest by nest: I was glad to see a female incubating in the nest box at the Cow Pasture.Read more

Bluebird Update 4.14.15

It was only one week ago when the nest box at the Cow Pasture contained a mere two pine needles. It now has a complete nest and one bluebird egg behind its wooden walls. It took these bluebirds a while to get started, but they wasted little time since the last time I checked this box. I suspect I’ll find more eggs in the nest box next week. Last week the nest box next to the Bungee Jump (Take Off)Read more

Bluebird Update 4.7.15

There’ve been some changes in some of the nests. Some of what were once chickadee nests are now bluebird nests and four new eggs have been deposited. Here’s what I found on Tuesday, April 7 on my weekly inspections of the nest boxes. The Cow Pasture nest has seen a very minor addition to the single pine needle that I found in the nest box last week, another pine needle. And the original had been moved, the spare furnishings haveRead more

Bluebird Update 3.31.15

I can now say that there is at least some nest material in each of our six nest boxes here at the Museum. And, one nest has a few eggs. Here’s the low down. The Cow Pasture nest box, which for the past two weeks has had nothing at all inside its cedar walls, now has one single pine needle. A male bluebird has been in the box and signaled his interest in perhaps starting a nest. Will more pineRead more

Bluebird Update 3.24.15

If you were to scan through the photos below and compare them to the photos from last week’s Bluebird Update you may notice similarities in the photos. There’s not been much progress in any of the nests. There are, though, two new developments to report. The nest box behind the Sailboat Pond in Catch the Wind has a fully executed chickadee nest within and a bluebird has shown at least fledgling interest in starting a nest at the Picnic DomeRead more

It’s Bluebird Time, 2015

It’s bluebird time again. I cleaned our six nest boxes last week (3/10), getting them ready for the birds to move in. With the weather as nice as it is today (expected to get well into the 80s) it actually felt like nesting season as I went around checking the nest boxes. My hopes were high as I peeked into the first nest box. The Train Tunnel nest box showed no sign of occupancy, no pine needles laid out onRead more

Bluebird Update 8/5/14

The occupants of the last remaining active nest in our six nest boxes here at the Museum have fledged. Four new bluebirds have been added to the local avifauna. I do not expect further activity in any of the boxes. All that remains is the counting. Curiously, the total number of birds fledged (33) was precisely the same as last year. However, the make up of that total was different. Last year there were 20 bluebirds and 13 Carolina chickadeesRead more

Bluebird Update 7/15/14

At this time in 2012 we had five empty nests and one active nest, the Cow Pasture nest. That nest was raided the very night following the nest box inspection, the eggs cleared out, I think by a raccoon. Last year at this time we had no active nests, the last one having fledged 5 young sometime before the 9th of July. This year we have two active nests, the Amphimeadow (AM) and Butterfly House (BFH) nests. There are fourRead more