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
Posts tagged: #nest box
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
Nest Box Clean-up and Mix-up
If you’ve ever been in Explore the Wild and looked out over our Wetlands here at the Museum you may have noticed that there are two wood duck nest boxes planted there. One is on the far side of the Wetlands, the other on a small island about halfway across the water. The nest boxes are there in an attempt to convince a pair or two of the hooded mergansers that winter here at the Museum into stayingRead 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 7/29/14
With only one active nest remaining in our six nest boxes, I feel confident in saying that there will be no further nest starts this season. The four bluebirds that are currently occupying the nest box at the Amphimeadow in Catch the Wind will most certainly be gone by next week’s inspection of the nest boxes. Although I am hopeful, and have little doubt, that the birds in the nest box in the Amphimeadow will successfully fledge within the nextRead more