Winter is Catch-Up Time

Sometimes it takes awhile to update the blog, but winter is a good time to do it. It was a very successful breeding season in the park this summer with several active nests. Thirteen Eastern Bluebirds and thirteen Tree Swallows hatched and fledged from the nestboxes this summer. Some of the banded young Eastern Bluebirds have been seen in the park this winter. Hopefully, some of them will nest here this spring. 

Here are some photo highlights from the spring and summer: 

Eastern Bluebird eggs in a nestbox.  After about 14 days of incubation, the eggs hatch and after about eight days the hatchlings look like this...

then  this...

 and this ...

 still growing...

The screen on this box helps prevent predators from reaching the birds or the eggs. The cylindrical-shaped metal, known as a "baffle" which you may notice on the poles also prevents predators such as snakes or raccoons from climbing the poles and reaching the birds. Two of the baffles have disappeared this winter. If you have information on how they disappeared, please email me. There is a cost involved to replace them. Please do not remove them. 

This is a female adult Tree Swallow, which nested here last year as well. We know that it is the same bird because last year I banded her with a lightweight aluminum band with a unique 9-digit number on it. After I caught her this year, I was able to look up her band number and see that she also nested here last year. She had another successful breeding season and hopefully will return this spring.