Exciting New Project

Now that the nesting season is over, migration is underway. The Northern Saw-whet Owl is our smallest owl and migrates at night. Its migration is not well-studied but efforts are underway to change that. Project Owlnet is a continent-wide project undertaken to study the migration ecology of this owl and I am pleased to announce that it will be coming to Washington County. Efforts are currently underway to establish a Project Owlnet site in Washington County, (possibly in our township) and hopefully within the next two weeks, we will be attempting to catch and band owls.
Stay tuned!

A Family Emerges

These are photos of the female (top) and male (bottom two) Eastern Bluebirds as they guard the nestbox which housed their young. The young fledged later this day, encouraged by the adults to emerge. The adults proved to be very wary and I never had the chance to band them. They continue to hunt in the area, along with their young. If you happen to be in the park, look for them near the small pond. 

Eastern Kingbird

This is another bird which you may notice in the area surrounding the nestboxes. This is an Eastern Kingbird. They eat mainly insects and berries, and are visual hunters. They will fly from a perch to grab insects, or sometimes small frogs. They are migratory birds and spend their winters in South America. This is the first year that I have noticed them consistently in the park, and they likely have raised young here. They will soon leave for South America. The birds in the park can often be found sitting on the cattails in the small pond, as they hunt insects, or perched on the small trees or fence near the pond.

Fledge Day Coming Up

In only a few days, these birds will fledge from their box. They have grown a lot and, as you can see, their feathers have emerged from the sheaths from whence they started. The amount of blue in the flight feathers indicates that the two birds in view are males. You may notice the parents hanging around the smaller trees near the box. They keep watch from here and will attempt to dissuade you from approaching the box. Please heed their warning; the nestlings are prone to premature fledging now, and quite likely would not survive. Watch from a distance and you may see the nestlings fledge when they are ready. 

Bluebird Nestlings

This nestling will soon fledge. As you can see in this photo, its flight feathers are still in sheath. Soon, they will more recognizable as the blue feathers you are accustomed to seeing on bluebirds. The nestlings seem to be well-fed and are all close in size, indicating they are all getting enough to eat. The parents are very protective of the nest. The next week is a critical time for this nest, so please keep your distance when observing. Soon, you will be able to see these birds flying around the fields, and if you watch carefully, you are likely to see the parents continuing to feed them after they have left the nest.

Bluebirds Stake a Claim

Just after "advertising" this space for rent, an Eastern Bluebird built a nest here! This is the box which hosted the first Tree Swallow family. It now holds a a delicate, grassy Eastern Bluebird nest (photos to come). Will we see pretty, blue Bluebird eggs in this nest? Only time will tell!
Further down the trail, two more Tree Swallow families have taken up residence. There are young in one box, so again, please observe from a distance.

New Tenants

Seems like a late time to start, but two new families are taking up residence in these boxes. Both boxes have active nests with eggs. They are both Tree Swallow nests. Ironically, an adult male Eastern Bluebird was feeding a fledgling right near these boxes. Maybe the bluebirds will use the boxes next year!