Nest Box Update 6.26.18

We have one active nest with five bluebird nestlings. All but that one nest box is empty. The nest box next to the Parking Deck contains 5 newly hatched bluebirds. Look closely at the photo below. You can clearly see the main feather tracts (rows of gray “dots” where feathers will grow) on the nearly naked nestlings. All other nest boxes have been cleaned and readied for new occupancy. We still have time for another brood but that will beRead more

Nest Box Update 6.19.18

One nest box has fledged its occupants and another is waiting for its eggs to hatch. The Cow Pasture house wrens five nestlings have fledged. The nest was empty on this morning’s inspection. Explore the Wild and Into the Mist nest boxes are empty. There are 5 eggs in the bluebird nest at the Parking Deck nest box. An adult female bluebird flew from the nest as I approached it. I expect the eggs to have hatched by next week’sRead more

Nest Box Update 6.12.18

A tree nearly smashed one of the nest boxes, fresh eggs are in another nest box, and an injured or deformed and dead bird in still another. A small walnut tree came very close to landing on top of the nest box at Cow Pasture. As it is, a grape vine that had been growing on the walnut caught the top of the box. The nest box is occupied by house wrens. I could hear and finally saw the adultRead more

Nest Box Update 5.29.18

Eight birds have fledged over the past week, 5 eggs are being incubated, and one “new” bird has been discovered. The house wrens at the Cow Pasture nest are incubating their 5 eggs. They should hatch this week. The 4 chickadee nestlings that were in the nest box at the Explore the Wild nest have fledged. Likewise, the 4 bluebird nestlings in the Into the Mist nest have flown the coop. I must say, bluebirds leave a messy nest behindRead more

Nest Box Update 5.22.18

We now have four active nests, one house wren, two bluebird and one chickadee nest. The house wren nest has 5 eggs. The 2 bluebird nests have 4 nestlings each, and the chickadee nest has 4 nestlings. The Cow Pasture nest which has already added 4 new chickadees to the local avifauna now has 5 eggs laid by a house wren. There are 4 chickadee nestlings in the Explore the Wild nest box that are ready to fledge. I fearedRead 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

Final Nest Box Update 8.22.17

The nesting season on our bluebird trail is officially over. There has been no recent activity in any of our six nest boxes. Three species of bird utilized the nest boxes. The last nest, a house wren nest, fledged 1 bird during the second week of August. House wrens were the most successful species with a total of 11 fledglings. Carolina chickadees fledged 9 birds this year. Bluebirds were way down at only 3 fledged. This has been the theRead more

Nest Box Update 8.8.17

There is one active nest and one nestling inside that nest. The nest box at the old site of the Bungee Jump started with five eggs (7/25). The following week it held 2 house wren nestlings (8/1). It now has one nestling (8/8). What happened to the other eggs or nestlings is a mystery. The fact is, there’s only one nestling left and I’m not sure I’ll be able to determine if it fledges or perishes in the nest. I’llRead more

Nest Box Update 8.1.17

We now have only one active nest, and it belongs to house wrens. Last week, there were 5 house wren eggs in the nest box at the old site of the Bungee Jump. Two of the eggs have hatched. Looking at the photo below there’s no evidence of the other eggs or nestlings, dead or alive. We have two nestlings in the nest box at Bungee and no other activity in any of the other five nest boxes. We’ll haveRead more