Nest Box Update 5.20.25

Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. Finally some action, there is a small clutch of eggs in one nest box. All the others are empty. ——————————— The Cow Pasture nest, though there are house wren twigs in the nest box, doesn’t seem active. The nest hasn’t been altered since last week’s inspection. The Explore the Wild, Sailboat Pond, Into the Mist, and Parking Deck East nest boxes are all empty with no sign of activity. The PKW nest box, after havingRead more

Goslings

Top Photo: Tending to goslings. The six Canada goose goslings in these photos were hatched on or immediately before May 3 and have been seen daily since. Waterfowl young are precocious and leave the nest within hours of hatching from their eggs. They’re growing fast and are constantly on the move in the company of their parents. The photos here were shot on 5.15.25. Keep a lookout for them in Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind, the Dino TrailRead more

Nest Box Update 4.15.25

To Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We have, as we did last week, four nests with eggs. All the eggs were being incubated, that is, there was an adult bird in the nest sitting on the eggs when the inspection door was opened. Egg counts in the nests were the same as last week indicating the females are done laying. ——————————— The Cow pasture nest box is empty. The Explore the Wild nest has 5 chickadee eggs which were being incubatedRead more

Nest Box Update 4.1.25

Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. We now have five nest boxes with nest material inside their cedar walls. One of those nests contains bluebird eggs. One has a new chickadee nest. One is still empty. ————————— The Cow Pasture nest box is empty with no activity noticed in the area on any of the past five weeks of nest box inspections. Chickadees have built a moss, fur, and feather nest in the box at Explore the Wild. ETW nest boxRead more

Tree Swallows Arrive

Top Photo: Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) sits atop new nest box built with the swallow in mind. Ever since our new tree swallow nest box was installed in our wetland (2.28.25) I’ve been waiting for tree swallows to return from their wintering sites along the North and Central American coasts. For the past several days we’ve had at least two pairs of the insect eating aerialists sorting out who is going to use the nest box. Not only that, they’veRead more

A New House for the Tree Swallows

Top Photo: New tree swallow nest box in wetlands. For the past three years we’ve had tree swallows nesting in a nest box meant for waterfowl, wood ducks or hooded mergansers to be specific. That’s fine. We welcome all birds. In fact, great crested flycatchers have used the box in the past, as well as the intended wood ducks. We discourage mammals such as raccoons. Those wily creatures have used one of our wood duck nest boxes in the pastRead more

Merganser in the Wetlands

Top Photo: Some of the fourteen hooded mergansers in the wetlands at the end of December. From mid-November to about the middle of April hooded mergansers are a common sight in our wetlands. Some days you may see a lone merg in the pond and other days there may be a dozen or more. The birds fly back and forth between local area ponds. But unless the pond is frozen over there’s bound to be a merganser or two presentRead more

Nest Box Final Count 6.18.24/6.25.24

Top Photo: Eastern bluebird eggs. The last nest with birds has emptied, all the birds have fledged. There are new berry baskets in each of our six nest boxes in case a bluebird, chickadee or even a house wren decides to give it another go. But, it’s late in the season and though we’ve gone into August in years past, it doesn’t seem as though it will happen this year. I see no new nest under construction, though one nestRead more