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Green Heron Retrospection

On June 24, I noticed a pair of green herons carrying twigs to a small black willow tree forty feet or so from the Main Wetlands Overlook in Explore the Wild. Four days later there was an egg in the nest. A second egg could be seen in the nest two days after the first. By July 2, there were three eggs. Two eggs hatched on 19 July. A third hatchling’s fuzzy head appeared above the rim of the nest twoRead more

Bluebird Update 7.26.16

The 2016 bluebird nesting season here at the Museum of Life & Science is officially over. We had 25 birds fledge, 19 of which were eastern bluebirds with 6 Carolina chickadees. The most productive nest box was the Cow Pasture nest box with a total of 9 bluebirds fledged, 5 early in the season and 4 in a second brood. Five bluebirds each fledged from the Woodland and Butterfly House nest boxes. The Bungee nest box, which is just northRead more

Bluebird Update 7.12.16

The eggs in the nest box at the Cow Pasture, our only active nest, have hatched. There are now four bluebird nestlings in the nest. By the way, if you read these bluebird updates each week, you’ve heard me mention the Cow Pasture nest box each time. It’s the first nest box on my route as I check the nests on Tuesday mornings. This nest box is in a location on the campus that’s only visible to the public through aRead more

Bluebird Update 7.5.16

One week after finding 4 bluebird eggs in the nest at the Cow Pasture, not much else has changed. There’ve been no changes to either of the five nest other nest boxes, all are empty except the Cow Pasture nest, although the eggs in that nest have still not hatched. The only change in the Cow Pasture nest is the fact that the eggs have been moved, rearranged. It’s part of the incubation process for birds to turn their eggsRead more

Nesting Season Continues

Nesting season is still going strong. A pair of green herons has taken up residence in a willow tree in the wetlands, great-crested flycatchers seem to be using a wood duck nest box for what is probably their second brood of the season, and many other bird species are proceeding with their annual attempts at increasing the bird population. Green herons have built a nest in a black willow within easy view of the main Wetlands Overlook. In fact, in 2013,Read more

Bluebird Update 6.28.16

The only active nest on our six nest box bluebird trail is the Cow Pasture nest box located near the train tunnel. It contains four bluebird eggs. It’s not too late to start a second brood but I suspect this will be the last bluebird nest of the season. See you next week.Read more

Bluebird Update 6.21.16

Finally, activity on the bluebird trail. Two eggs have been deposited in the nest at the Cow Pasture, and they are bluebird eggs. It’s been over a month and a half since the first brood of bluebirds and chickadees fledged from their four respective nests. Several of the nest boxes had false starts for a second nesting in May, whether by house wrens or bluebirds. All activity ceased weeks ago. The female bluebird wasn’t incubating the two eggs in theRead more

Bluebird Update 6.15.16

There’s not much to report this week. All nests appear to be inactive. The only nest that showed any change at all was the nest in the nest box at the Cow Pasture. It seems a house wren brought in a few twigs to top off the bluebird nest that was already there. By this time each year there’s usually a second brood of bluebirds in one of our six nest boxes. We’ve had 21 fledged birds so far, 15 bluebirdsRead more

Bluebird Upate 6.7.16

The only thing to report, in regards to our bluebird trail, is the fact that nothing has changed. All of the nest boxes are as they were last week. There have been no new nests built and no eggs have been deposited in nests that already exist (bluebird at Cow Pasture and house wren at Butterfly House). Typically in June, we would have two, perhaps three, active nests. Each nest would contain three or four eggs or nestlings. It’s stillRead more