Sunday, September 10, 2017

Boxes now need fall cleanout and repair

One box is gone and needs to be replaced, a few others have slipped down the pole. On the South side about 4 boxes are stuck behind a wall of annual plants that took over after the spring burn:




That one at least has some path to it. Some are in a stand of sumac.

Also on the South side there were two boxes next door with nests. The bluebird box (12) had four eggs, then eventually none. The parents abandoned it in July and the wren next door removed the eggs one by one:




The wren nest, above is made of sticks withe a little cup in a back corner. It may have had some more grass lining and a few feathers. The cup is seen better here:


There were a total of three wren nests in late summer. Earlier posts show the one wren nest with nestlings. That nest on the North side had two broods of wrens. The wrens were noisy in a nearby tree and always make their presence known. But they do not attack you like swallows.

ADDED Sep 20

Three boxes were moved a small distance on the South side. Boxes 1 and 2 are close to where they were, the right one was always in a puddle in rain.


Box 3 and Box 4 are now both there. One was missing all season:

Boxes 9 and 10 were overgrown with sumac. One still is in the sumac (and will only get wrens next time as a result) but I moved the other one closer to the road.




Oct 28
Final three boxes were moved on the South side as they were still buried in colonizing plants after tis year's burn. Some ended up closer to the road such as 13, which has been popular with both swallows and bluebirds.