Boyce-Mayview Update

Rehabilitation of nest boxes in Boyce-Mayview Park continues. Some of the boxes will likely be removed as the surrounding habitat is not conducive to Eastern Bluebird nesting. It may be that these boxes were placed years ago and the vegetation has grown up around them. We are working to put baffles around the poles upon which the boxes are mounted. Baffles keep predators such as snakes, raccoons and other mammals out of the boxes. Baffles also help to eliminate the problem of mice taking over the nesting sites. Two of the first three boxes to which we attached baffles had nesting mice in them. We evicted the mice and after installing the baffles, no mice have been found in the boxes.

An Eastern Bluebird pair began nesting in one of the boxes in the Gardens area, and four eggs hatched. Sadly, after some particularly unseasonable cold and wet weather, the hatchlings were found dead in their nest. There were blowfly larvae found in the nest. Some research suggests that blowfly larvae do not significantly increase hatchling mortality. However, the same research suggests that the combination of blowfly larvae and cold, rainy weather may play a factor.

Hopefully, there will be other successful nestings in the park this year. Stay tuned. 

Tree Swallow Happenings

There are currently two Tree Swallow nests with eggs soon to hatch. These impressive acrobatic flyers may buzz you as you pass near their nesting sites.  So far, they have never hit me, even as I check their nests and watch them fly straight toward me. They often will call in reinforcements and I am then surrounded by fast, furious flyers with snapping bills and chattering alarm calls.

Their softer side is revealed in the exquisite nests which they construct, using feathers plucked from wherever they happen to find them. Take a peek inside.

Tree Swallows use dried grasses to construct a nest, sometimes a very shallow nest, which they then line with soft feathers. Some people will throw feathers from a pillow into the air near nest-building Tree Swallows and watch as the birds pluck the feathers out of the air. It is rumored to be quite the spectacle. The feathers in this box have come from the Tree Swallow's environment; I prefer to see what they find rather than provide them with feathers.

Two Tree Swallows which I banded last year have returned to nest in the park. One chose the very same box in which she nested last year. The other one arrived after the bluebirds had already claimed the box she had used last year. This year the bluebirds got an earlier start on nesting than did the Tree Swallows.

Blues on the Way

These bluebird nestlings will soon fledge from their nest. The parents have been vigilant in caring for them, and they dive-bomb each time I check the nest. I am always glad when they do that as I approach the nest; it lets me know that they still have something to guard and care for.

Sadly, this was not the case with one of the other nestboxes. I found it odd that the male and female did not seem to spend a lot of time around the box. Despite this, five eggs did hatch in that box. However, one day, after some very hot and humid weather, I found all five nestlings dead. There were no signs of predation or insect infestation. It is possible only to guess at what happened. Did something happen to the mother? Did the excessive heat play a role in their demise? Were the parents too inexperienced to raise this brood? I can only record my observations and guess at what may have occurred. What do you think?