After Posting Bluebird Update April 26, 2012 I went out to check the Butterfly House nest box. The parent bluebirds were not brining food into the box but were apparently waiting out the nestlings. I’ve seen them do this many times, the parent usually with a juicy caterpillar or other food item in its bill, sitting outside the box some distance away coaxing the nestlings out. In this case the parents were some 20 and 30 feet away on a fence and lampRead more
Posts tagged: #nest box
Bluebird Update April 26, 2012
The bluebird nest box at the Train Tunnel, which had five nestlings in it last week looks to have four this time around. The inside walls of the box, the nest, and nestlings themselves were wet when I opened the box this Tuesday (4/24/12) and I was a little concerned. We’ve had several days of cold rain which adds to the negative factors detracting from the birds’ ability to survive. The parents have a more difficult time in finding foodRead more
Bluebird Update April 19, 2012
On April 17, Karyn Traphagen traveled with me on the Museum Bluebird Trail to check on the occupants of our six nest boxes. You may have already seen Karyn’s Tweets and photos on the subject as she took photos of all the boxes that were occupied. There have been a few changes, as you might expect, the incubation period and growth in nestlings is not a drawn out affair with songbirds, things progress quickly. Last week there were five eggs in theRead more
Bluebird Update April 12, 2012
I inspected all six of our bluebird nest boxes on Tuesday April 10 and there are definitely some changes to report. The nest that had contained 4 chickadee eggs on April 3 now has 5 eggs and 2 tiny hatchlings. The birds apparently have added 3 more eggs for a total of seven, and, two of the previously laid eggs have hatched. It’s difficult to convey how small and fragile those little hatchlings are. Pictures help, but you have toRead more
Bluebird Update April 5, 2012
We currently have six bluebird nest boxes here at the Museum. All of the boxes were donated by Ken Kernodle and friends back in March of 2010 with the addition of two new boxes installed this year. The boxes were checked as to their current occupancy on April 3 & 4 and were all found to contain nests. Four of the boxes contained bluebird nests with four to five eggs each, one box contained a Carolina Chickadee nest with fourRead more
Bluebirds Doing Well!
Ken Kernodle, one of several people that installed nest boxes for bluebirds here at the Museum last year, stopped by yesterday to inspect the boxes. As we walked up to the nest box in Catch the Wind next to the Flap the Wings exhibit a male bluebird flew in with a juicy worm in its bill. Of the five nest boxes on the Museum campus, four are occupied. Three boxes hold bluebirds with 4-5 nestlings each. One nest box containsRead more
People and Birds in the News
Last Wednesday (1/5/11) was a busy day here at the Museum. Besides the sightings of a Barred Owl, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Cooper’s Hawk, two other raptorial birds were seen on the trails of the outdoor areas. Master Teachers Meredith Cochran and Anna Engelke were spotted walking Christopher and Misha, the Museum’s Barred Owl and Red-tailed Hawk. Both the owl and the hawk are birds which were injured in the wild and whose injuries are such that they can not fendRead more
Family of Bluebirds
Ever since bluebird nest boxes were installed earlier this year in Catch the Wind, I’ve seen Carolina Chickadees, House Wrens, Brown-headed Nuthatches, and yes, the intended species, bluebirds, using the boxes. All of those species were observed building nests in the boxes, most laid eggs, and some were seen carrying food into the boxes and/or carrying out fecal sacs, a sure sign that there is young within. I may have missed some nest box activity. Birds don’t wait for meRead more
Birdbox Update 5
I’d been hearing House Wrens since April 20, but hadn’t seen one. On April 28, I heard one singing from the area behind the Sailboat where a bluebird nest box has been installed. This box was inspected on April 10 and although bluebirds had constructed a nest inside, it didn’t contain eggs. I hadn’t seen any activity around the nest for several weeks and had written it off. A House Wren is now putting the box to use. Male House Wrens arriveRead more