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Eastern Bluebird Nest Box Monitoring at Country Park, 2008
by Amy Hanson
I moved to Greensboro in March of 2007 after having lived
in the hustle and bustle of our nation’s most populated city, New York, for 8
years, and prior to that in Chicago, for 12 years. I was very excited to be in
a place where nature was much closer and local birds more numerous and diverse.
An old friend inspired me with how she had volunteered with her two children to
monitor bluebird nest boxes in the Illinois countryside. Lo and behold, at my
first meeting with the PBC, I met Cal Weimer, who told me about the Eastern
Bluebird nest box monitoring project at Country Park. I signed up immediately.
On March 26, my first day of orientation and training, Cal generously took
me, my mother Barbara, and my 4 year old son, Jefrey, on a two hour journey
around Country Park. He showed us all the bird boxes and activity going on
inside them and described the history of the program, which began in 2001 as an
activity of the PBC Conservation Committee. Having lived in apartments most of
my adult life, I had never had the privilege of watching out for nesting birds
in my back yard or putting up a bird box. So the first time Cal opened up a
bird box, a Chickadee flew out, and I saw 4 amazingly tiny eggs (white with
brown spots), I was enthralled.
The breeding season was filled with beauty and wonder. I couldn’t believe
there could be a blue as beautiful as that of an Eastern Bluebird egg. Every
time I saw one I was stunned. I even got to witness a bluebird baby just
beginning to peck its way out of one of those beautiful blue eggs. The season
was also filled with excitement, drama and even a touch of mystery. Each week I
would arrive at the first nest box, wondering what was going on inside - it was
like a novel that’s hard to put down. Which of the species checking out nest
box #9 will end up nesting there – the Chickadees, the House Wren, or the
Brown-headed Nuthatch? (The House Wren won.) Who will have more eggs? Have
they hatched yet? Is anyone going to be sitting on that egg that was turning
cold last week in box #22? What is going on in box #4, which has pine needles
on the bottom (bluebird activity), moss in the middle (chickadee activity) and
leaves on the top (??) – ah, it’s a Tufted Titmouse! Will the bluebirds of box
#14 dive bomb us AGAIN this week, even thought their nest is empty? (An emphatic
YES!) Whose egg is that Brown-headed Nuthatch sitting on – it is hers or does
it belong to the Chickadee that was in the box last week? (It’s still a mystery,
the egg was abandoned.) How could such a tiny bird, the House Wren, build such
a large nest of twigs in such a short period of time?!
The most dramatic saga occurred with the bluebirds of box # 12, more
pejoratively known as the black ant box. When I reported to Cal that the box,
active with four bluebird eggs and attentive parents, had a severe black ant
infestation, we were concerned, thinking the parents might abandon the nest. We
quickly came up with a plan: get rid of the ants and replace the nest. A
bluebird nest had recently been abandoned in another box, a perfect substitute.
We took the ant-infested nest out of the box, transferred the eggs gently into
the clean nest, removed the ants from the box, put some Vaseline around the base
of the pole to which the box was attached to prevent ants from coming back, and
put the clean nest, complete with eggs, back in the box. Would it work????
Would the parents be upset with the change and abandon the nest? The suspense
was palpable. The following week when we went to check the box...we
discovered...it worked! There were 3 baby bluebirds being fed by their parents,
and no ants. This animal rescue mission was definitely a highlight for my son,
who explained the whole story to several of his friends and grandparents. After
the three babies had grown up and fledged, the bluebirds decided to try nesting
again in the black ant box. So did the black ants. The next time around Cal
did not have a clean bluebird nest to utilize, so he managed to shake all the
ants out of the nest and sweep them out of the box, at the expense of being
covered with black ants himself for a while. But that plan worked as well, and
the bluebirds had a second successful clutch of 4 fledglings.
It was a very successful season for the birds. As of the writing of this
article, 13 of the 17 bluebird boxes at Country Park were utilized this breeding
season: eight by Eastern Bluebirds, two by Carolina Chickadees, one by
Brown-headed Nuthatches, one by House Wrens, and 1 by both House Wrens and
chickadees. Successful fledglings so far include 46 bluebirds, 21 chickadees, 4
Brown-headed Nuthatches, and 3 House Wrens. Cal is still waiting for 1 bluebird
and 2 House Wren nests to finish up – and for me as well.
It was also a very successful season for me and my son. In addition to
enjoying close observation of nesting birds, we learned a great deal about the
intricacies of the nesting and fledging stages of bird reproduction. It also
provided me with an excuse to spend several hours a week in Country Park and
bird while I checked the boxes, the highlight of which was a Green Heron that
was calling loudly as it glided down and landed near Cal and myself on the lake.
Although my son, Jefrey, didn’t have the patience to go the full 2 hours every
week, he enjoyed seeing the nests, eggs, and baby birds. It will probably come
as no surprise to many that for this 4 year old, using the tools to open the
boxes was at least as exciting as seeing the birds – what could be cooler than a
flashlight, a screwdriver, and a mirror at the end of an extendable pole! If
nothing else, the excitement of using the tools to see the birds will remain
lodged in Jefrey’s mind until one day, hopefully, the excitement of seeing the
birds themselves will take over; and if that day never comes, well, he will
certainly be able to build good boxes for more birds to nest in. I am grateful
to Cal and the Piedmont Bird Club for the opportunity to participate in this
wonderful project.
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WALK A MILE IN A
BIRDHOUSE MONITOR’S SHOES
April, 2008
By Cal Weimer,
Conservation Committee Chair
We birders are more than
just watchers; we are keepers of the birds, contributing to the improvement of
the environment. PBC participates in activities for that purpose, one of which
is the Country Park Project. We have two commitments there, one twice a year to
clean up, the other caring for the 17 bird nest boxes. In early March we start
watching them for evidence of nesting. We continue through late July, recording
statistics, fixing problems, and making life better for the birds that nest in
them.
Every birder is encouraged
to try Bluebird house monitoring. You will experience the joy of seeing the
first signs of nest building. You may see a pair of nesters, scolding you for
trespassing, and maybe diving on you to scare you away from their babies.
Eventually it is time for fledging and you hope to see the babies fly out of the
house. You check the nest and find it tidy but empty. You know the babies have
fledged. You have a deep sense of satisfaction as you clean out the box,
readying it for the next brood of birds. So put on a pair of bird house
monitoring shoes and go for a walk with me, checking birdhouses at Country Park.
Country
Park Bird Box Monitoring Spring 2007
We officially started monitoring the bird boxes on March 19, 2007.
In 2006 we were monitoring 11 bird boxes. By April 9th we had
relocated several boxes, repaired others and added 6 new boxes. This year we
will monitor a total of 17 boxes.
The first nest was by Brown Headed Nuthatches on March 19th. By
March 30th the Bluebirds and Carolina Chickadees had started their
nests. The House Wrens started at the end of April and are in two boxes (one
real nest & one dummy).
On May 7th the following nests are active:
6 Eastern Bluebird –
total of six eggs and twenty young birds
2 Carolina Chickadees
1 House Wren
The Brown Headed Nuthatch
successfully had seven fledging and the Carolina Chickadee had five. Within the
next two weeks many of the young bluebirds will be fledged.
Country Park is also full of different types of birds at this time of year. My
most recent trips have provided the following sightings: Eastern Kingbird,
Eastern Phoebe, Red Eyed Vireo, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow,
Baltimore Oriole, Cedar Waxwing, Gray Catbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black and
White Warbler, Pine Warbler, Coopers Hawk. These are in addition to the year
round residents at the Park.
On May 7th I was lucky enough to be within 15 yards of a
Red-shouldered Hawk who was sitting on top of a box #6 containing five young
bluebirds. When he moved, prompted by two crows, the bluebird parents
immediately returned and fed their young. It was quite a sight. Try birding at
Country Park - you might be surprised by what you see.
-- Paul Morien
March, 2006
by Paul Morien
We started checking
the birdhouses on March 13th and the Bluebirds had already started two nests.
Our recent check brought us some surprises. To say the least, the BIRDS have
been busy. We have eleven boxes that we keep tabs on and all but two have
nests. There are five Bluebird nests, three Carolina Chickadees, and a
surprise. Initially, the surprise house appeared to be a bluebird nest.
However, this week a small bird came flying out of it. I wasn’t 100% sure what
it was but had a good idea and wanted confirmation. Both Cal Weimer and Anne
Kelk confirmed that it was a Brown-headed Nuthatch. The nest has six tiny
eggs. On Anne’s last visit the Nuthatch was very friendly. There are currently
fifteen Bluebird eggs in four nests. Presently, the Carolina Chickadee nests
have no eggs and they need to get busy.
This is my first time doing this and I can tell you it is quite a thrill.
The Bluebirds are magnificent and stay around to protect their nest. The last
couple of visits I decided to keep track of the number of species that I’ve seen
at the Park (23 and 21). I have had long chats with a female Golden-crowned
Kinglet, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Eastern Phoebe. This week I was treated to
five Palm Warblers and a singing Brown Thrasher (who I mistook for a
Mockingbird).
This is wonderful fun and presents great birding up close and personal.
10/22/05
Despite cool, misty and iffy weather, there was a great turnout of eleven
PBC club members for the Country Park cleanup. We gathered quite a lot of trash.
The Moriens and Dan Chambers deserve special kudos for their extra-ordinary
effort at getting nasty stuff on the backside of the biggest lake. We managed
to spot some good birds as well, my favorite being the pair of Golden-crowned
Kinglets I saw in a pine tree. There were lots of Bluebirds (partially due to
our efforts with the Bluebird boxes?!!) Someone heard a Pileated Woodpecker, and
several heard Fish Crows. The total number of species was eighteen, not counting
Muscovy Ducks and hybrid Mallards.
- Louise Brown
PBC CONSERVATION COMMITTEE
2006-2007
Cal Weimer, chair
05/20/2007
2008 will be the 70th anniversary of the Piedmont Bird Club. In the history
section of the club web site, Etta Shiftman wrote this about the 50th
anniversary: ". . . but when that great day comes, may its members still be
able to look back on a club that has never faltered in striving to achieve a
conservation oriented community that appreciates the value and importance of our
birds, animals, plants, soil, and all our other natural resources."
Now, twenty years later, let's share that same sentiment. I need you to
join me in working at our bird club's Country Park conservation project.
The Country Park manager and his crew never have enough money or time to get
the work done. They need volunteers, and they have asked for our help. The
Piedmont Bird Club has taken on that challenge by officially adopting this
park. Thanks to Dan, the Adopt-a-Park signs are up. The club has voted "Yes"
on this. Now we are following through. Please call me or email me if
you would like to contribute a little time toward making Country Park a great
conservation project for the Piedmont Bird Club.
06-07 has been a good year at Country Park. We have 17 bird
boxes to monitor, and an excellent crew doing the monitoring. As you can see by
Paul Morien's two reports of monitoring bird houses this spring, we have a
variety of birds in them. Bluebirds are our favorite, though, and we do our best
to help them thrive at Country Park.
-- Cal Weimer Phone No 288-2160 email
cweimer@triad.rr.com
Here are a few of my ideas for the future of this Committee:
Continue the Fall and Spring park cleanup projects
Continue Fall nest box cleaning, and the Spring nest check and report.
Continue to monitor nest box conditions in the Fall and Winter for improvement
of situations such as:
--
No evidence of use by any birds for past two seasons.
--
Nest box damaged or otherwise in need of repair or replacement.
--
Nest box accessibility, (plant growth around the nest box may expand
over the years.
-- Improved predator protection.
-- Cal Weimer
The following
are excerpts from Dan Chambers’ 2005 reports on nesting activity in the Bluebird
boxes at Country Park:
4/6 It
is a beautiful day and the wildflowers are blooming all over the place.
Of the 24 birdhouses at Country Park, most are still empty. We have one partial
and two complete nests, both of Carolina Chickadees. One currently has two eggs
in it.
4/18
Today we have thirty-seven eggs. Eighteen eggs are Bluebird and nineteen are
Chickadee. We have ten complete nests; six Bluebird and four Chickadee. There
are nests on the Trail of Peace.
I installed screws on four of the boxes to make them a little more secure. We
still have fourteen boxes without birds, so there are plenty of "rooms to rent."
Please see the new Adopt-a-Park signs that have been installed, thanks to Bill
Adams.
5/2 The
breeding season seems to be going well. This week we have 14 Carolina Chickadee
nestlings and 11 of their eggs.
We have 9 Eastern Bluebird nestlings and 20 blue eggs. We have 11 active
birdhouses and 12 still "ready to rent."
We did have one birdhouse with three flying squirrels resting in it.
5/31 It
looks like the first round is over. Since the last report we have had 19 Eastern
Bluebirds and 9 Carolina Chickadees fledge. Add the previous 7 Chickadee
fledglings for a total of 16. No new nests at this time. Not a bad start to the
nesting season. We have a wren's nest with 5 eggs. I'm not sure which wren it
is, but I'll try to see one of the adults next time.
6/13
Only three boxes with activity on this survey. We had two boxes with Eastern
Bluebird eggs with a total of eight eggs.
We had one box with six House Wren nestlings.
6/30
The second wave is going well.
Six House Wrens have fledged. There are fifteen Eastern Bluebird eggs and three
hatchlings.
7/11 We
had three Eastern Bluebirds fledge and 13 nestlings. We have six House Wren
eggs.
The fledgling totals as of August 15th for the 2005 nesting season
were: Eastern Bluebirds: 35, Carolina Chickadees: 16, House Wrens: 12 Birds and other wild creatures observed at Country Park
5/20/07
Slow down, take your time stop to smell the Honeysuckle
More to see than birds
Millipedes crossing the path,
squirrels eating birds eggs,
Beautifully formed spider webs sparkling with Dew.
A Grackle and a snake in combat: the Grackle won.
On the lakes there are frogs, turtles, and snakes.
Birds... more that haven't been seen than have been.
Some of those seen are:
Mallards Canada Geese Muscovy Duck Swan Goose Domestic White ducks Wading birds
Green Heron
Great Blue Heron Kingfisher Swallows Bluebirds Eastern Kingbird Red-bellied
Woodpecker Downy
Woodpecker Pileated Woodpecker Indigo Bunting Warblers Vireos Song & Chipping
Sparrows Cat Bird
Wood Thrush Chickadees Titmouse Nuthatch Brown thrasher Fish Crow
There are about twenty- five birdnest boxes scattered about the park. Some are
occupied by Bluebirds, (nests are made
of pine needles), some have chickadees in them, (their nests are made of moss).
For several years Piedmont Bird Club has cleaned trash around the lakes, and
cleaned out bird nest boxes in the Fall
and Checked them in the Spring to see what was using them. Last year there were
around 50 baby Bluebirds counted.
We have enjoyed our Spring picnics at shelter no. 1 in Country Park for the past
few years. -Cal
Weimer
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