Calling All Citizen Scientists!

Citizen scientists are needed to report on their observations of birds with "jewelry," or color bands in the park. Color bands help researchers to keep track of individual birds without having to recapture the birds. This is where your observations come in. If you observe a Tree Swallow or Eastern Bluebird with color bands in either Boyce-Mayview or Peterswood Parks, please report your observations on this blog. 

Here is how it works:

Take note of the specific color combination. At Boyce-Mayview Park this year, the important thing to note is the color combination with two color bands, which will in most cases be on the bird's right leg. For the photo above, you would report it as: Yellow over Orange. If you notice the red over aluminum band, you can report that as well, but again at Boyce-Mayview this year, that piece of information is not required. Take note of the location and behavior of the bird. Here is an example:

I saw a Tree Swallow with yellow over orange bands perched on Box 11 in Bird Meadow. It sat there for the whole time I watched it, about 10 minutes.

It's that easy! If you don't know your location by a name, just describe it, such as "the big field on the right when you walk into the park from the wetlands entrance near Ardolino's." Easy!

The nest boxes are marked with numbers, both on the box itself and on the baffle, or metal piece on the post which is used to deter snakes and other nest predators. Again, if you don't see a number, just refer to the box in relation to its position to something else, as in "the first box on the left when you come to Bird Meadow from the road leading into the park."

At Peterswood Park this year, it is also important to take note of the color of the band on the leg with the aluminum band. The aluminum band may not be as easy to see, so you're really looking for the two colors on one leg, and the single color on the other leg. The reason this is important is that the single color represents what year the bird was originally banded. This project is in its third year in Peterswood Park.

Now the why. Why bother with the bling? We are studying several things about these two secondary cavity nesters. We are looking at nest site fidelity, or do these birds use the same areas, or even same nest sites each breeding season? How many broods do they have? When do individuals return to the area? What is the timing of their return? Do some of these birds overwinter here?

At Peterswood Park, we have documented the same individual bird returning to the same area to breed three years in a row.

Please note that this banding does not adversely affect the birds. The safety of the birds always comes first. 

So, please be a part of our science and report your observations. Nesting season is well underway and will continue through July for these species. Your observations are important and very much appreciated. If you have questions, please feel free to post them here. I may not answer immediately, as I will have many nestlings to keep track of, but I will answer your questions as soon as possible.

Please note that this banding does not adversely affect the birds. The safety of the birds always comes first. Please do not try to open nest boxes as this could cause an adult to abandon a nest site, or for nestlings to prematurely fledge, when they are not ready to be out of the nest. I carefully keep track of  nestlings and their ages so that I know when to stop checking on the boxes in order to prevent premature fledging. 

Thank you for your participation in this project!

What to Do About "Lost" Baby Birds

People often call me and say "I found a baby bird on the ground, what can I do to help it?"  More often than not, the "baby" bird is a fledgling, a fully feathered, ready-to-leave-the-nest young bird (see photo below). Fledglings are often found on the ground but this does not mean that they are lost or abandoned. If you find a bird which is fully feathered, but the feathers look "young," as in fluffy and downy, and the bird does not seem to be afraid of you and trying to fly away, gently pick it up and place it on a low branch of nearby shrub or tree. This will offer the young bird with some protection from predators, and will likely be all the help this young bird needs.

A 20 day-old Eastern Bluebird, ready to leave the nest. 

Notice the difference in quality of feathers between this young bird and the adult pictured below.

Photo credit above: sialis.org

If you find an undeveloped, lightly feathered bird out of the nest, (see photo below) look around to see where it may have come from. If you find the nest, set it gently back into the nest. If you can not find a nest, Cornell Lab of Ornithology suggests placing the bird in a berry basket, with some grass lining it, and hang it in a tree near where you found it. It is highly likely that the parent birds have watched what you are doing and will come tend to the bird as soon as you leave. This has been my experience.

11 day-old Tree Swallow nestling

This bird is too young to leave the nest. 

If you happen to find a bird on the ground which appears to have injuries, such as puncture wounds from a cat attack, please call a local rehabilitation center for instructions as soon as possible.

You can find a listing of local rehabbers here:
pawr.com

As tempting as it may be, it is not a good idea to try to take care of a young bird yourself. You should be aware that doing so will likely have a sad ending. Additionally, it is illegal to do, except for certified rehab specialists.

What? Fishing Line Helps Birds?!

Fishing line and birds usually is not a good combination. That is why I usually remove it when I find it hanging in trees where people have been fishing and have lost their bobbers and line in the trees. However, recently, a House Sparrow attacked one of the nesting Tree Swallows in her nest box. Sadly, House Sparrows are vicious when it comes to other birds. House Sparrows are an introduced species in this country; a species which has become invasive. What this means for native birds is that the House Sparrow will attack, and often kill native nesting birds, along with their young. House Sparrows will destroy other species' eggs as well.

House Sparrows are often found where there is human activity, such as around park shelters. When people feed them, they become more aggressive and more loyal to the area. They will harass and attack the native birds, in an attempt to out-compete for territory.

There are several ways of deterring House Sparrows, one of which is pictured above. Fishing line, again, usually a no-no around birds, is attached to the nest box and weighted down, hence the washers hanging from the sides of the nest box pictured above. No one is certain why this deters House Sparrows, but it seems to "spook" them, keeping them out of the box long enough for the birds using the box to fledge their young.

Pictured above is another way of deterring House Sparrows. It is known as a "sparrow spooker." The strips of mylar are blowing in the breeze; this seems to spook the sparrows, again keeping them out of the box long enough for native birds to fledge their young. In this case, monofilament is also hung from the sides of the box, offering more spookiness. Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows usually readily accept these protective measures. It may be that their vision is better as they are mainly insectivores, rather than seed eaters as are the House Sparrows. Once these deterrents are installed, I watch to make certain that the native birds using the box will go into the box, letting me know that they will continue to use the box.

Time will tell how successful these measures will be. If you are in the park and see House Sparrows, please do not feed them. See the photos below to learn what House Sparrows look like:

 Male House Sparrow 

Female House Sparrow

Photo credit: Sialis.org 

Chickadee-dee-dee

Chickadees make use of mosses for their nests. This is an active Carolina Chickadee nest in one of the nest boxes at Boyce-Mayview. These eggs will likely hatch within the next week, which means there will be a lot of activity at the nest as the parents work to feed the young. At this time, it's best to observe from a distance, using binoculars so as not to disturb the process. A couple of weeks after hatching, the nestlings will fledge, or leave the nest. If you are lucky, you may see the young leaving the box.

Check back here for updates. Later this week I'll post information on what to do if you find a baby bird.

Nesting Season Underway in Boyce-Mayview

Apparently, the bluebirds are enjoying the nest box renovations. Pictured below is the view inside of one of the rehabbed boxes. This is an active Eastern Bluebird nest. These eggs will likely hatch within the next week. The parents will be busy bringing insects to their young after that time, so you may see a lot of activity around the box then.

It's best to keep your distance at this time, observing activity with your binoculars so as not to disturb the nesting process. After about 16 days after hatching, the nestlings will become fledglings and leave the nest. They will stick close with their parents as they learn how to navigate the big world outside of their nest. Eastern Bluebirds are prone to "premature fledging," if disturbed at the wrong time in the nest. For this reason, even though I monitor the boxes and will band the nestlings, I will not open the box after the 14th day past the time the eggs hatch. This is why we ask folks to keep their distance during the nesting process.

Check back here for updates, and for more information on how you can submit your sightings to help with research!