When the Monitor is Away, the Birds will Play

Well, I was away for a week and knew that the odds were the nestlings in Box 1 would fledge, which they did. What surprised me was that two new families seem to have moved in to the other boxes in the park. There are two new Tree Swallow nests, with eggs. Another surprise is that the new nests are in paired boxes. The literature would suggest that when boxes are paired, Eastern Bluebirds will take one box and Tree Swallows may take the other. Supposedly, Tree Swallows do not care to nest so close together. I will be monitoring these two boxes carefully to see what develops! An Eastern Bluebird perched nearby and watched as I checked the boxes intended for him!

Today, nestlings from another box were banded. This is Day 12 for them, and the next week or so is a critical time for them to remain undisturbed. If disturbed past today, they may fledge prematurely, putting their survival in jeopardy. This particular box was a bit of a mystery: three Tree Swallows hung around this box quite a bit. One female was confirmed. Initially, six eggs were laid. After a hiatus, two more eggs showed up. Only two eggs hatched, and there are currently two healthy nestlings present. Did one female get chased off by another? Or did something happen to the first female, and is this why only two eggs were hatched? Mysteries to ponder.

If you are in the park, please continue to observe from a distance. If you are lucky, you will get to see the nestlings fledge from their box soon. I will be posting their close-ups soon.