Numerous active nests

I checked all 32 boxes today. That is, I went up to the boxes. I did not open all, as some had very active swallows at the box, such as this one on the North side in the prairie.

Inside most of the boxes with swallows are a nest and feather covering. I found numerous eggs as well, and some accurate counts. These are 1-18 on the North side. SW are swallows, BB are bluebirds. The note NE means no eggs. These boxes have BIG clear numbers. You will be able to watch swallows coming in to feed nestlings in Box 4 in a week or two.

DATE-STATUS 5-17-18

SW NE

House sparrow

Grass nest

Box 4 ...SW 5 eggs

SW

SW eggs

SW inside

SW 4eggs

SW inside

SW 5 eggs

House sp NE

12 SW NE

13 BB 1 egg

SW

SW

empty

SW eggs

SW inside

What was odd was the one egg in Box 13. There were there eggs a week ago. House wrens are known to steal or break eggs, but there was no wren evidence. They nest later in the summer.

Boxes 1-14 on the South side had four BB (Bluebird) nests. One had no eggs.

DATE-STATUS 5-17-18

SW

empty

--

BB 3 eggs

empty

Some grass

SW attack

SW attack

BB 4 eggs

SW

BB 4 eggs

SW

SW 2eggs

BB NE

Ten Bluebird eggs

There are now some 10-11 bluebird eggs. On the North side Box 13 has 3.

On the South side one has the full 4 eggs:

About four of five Bluebird nests found

I only checked the the 14 boxes on the South side today. At the far end near Coyote point, a pair of bluebirds was seen at Box 14. It had the beginnings of a nest. I expect they will complete it. In the middle, Boxes 11,  9 and 7 had complete nests. I saw this bird in a nearby tree.

Then at Box 4 I saw a bluebird going in with grass. No eggs in any of those nests.

Swallow nests or the partial nest of swallows were found in Box 10, 8 and 1 (full nest). The sallows are landing on many nests but not on the ones with bluebird nests as much. They do land on neighbor  nest boxes at this time.

One swallow on box one in nearby bush. The one complete (no eggs) swallow nest is in the first box you come to from hanging bridge:

Koodi

15-32-25

First Nest?

The swallows spend a lot of time near the boxes for several weeks. They do not build nests yet, they simply claim the territory from other swallows, so they have to land on both boxes. This pair was quite aggressive and I did not get to open either of these boxes on the South side.

On the North side were two or three house sparrow nests. I know this because they went in and out. But one box, 13, looked like a complete bluebird nest with no eggs:

Spring cleaning: Bird Poop

Cleaned out all the boxes. One box is holding up but barely, as the plastic hinge is worn out. I will have to bring it home to fix as it requires drilling two holes and I have no cordless drill.

On the North side several boxes had a layer of bird poop. Some birds roost in boxes at night, even bluebirds.

I suspect sparrows, as the South side, with several bluebirds overwintering, had no signs of night time roosting. One year I had a dead tree swallow in the spring. It was probably here early, stayed too long and had no food yet. Well, tree swallows do survive on berries but not as well as bluebirds.

Winter Birds

Bluebirds, like robins, survive the winter mostly on berries. I have yet to see the first robin of the year but within January, I will see some. I saw some 5 of my bluebirds yesterday. They do not go far, and there is food enough in the park for the winter. My estimate is that at least 10 bluebirds never leave the area.