Como Park Bluebird Trail Update, July 27th



Last brood of the season



Post contributed by Sharon, volunteer Bluebird Trail monitor:

Three bluebirds fledged in the past week, for a total of 27 bluebirds on the trail this year.  Only two boxes are currently occupied, one with three bluebirds near to fledging, the other with the last brood of the season—four week-old bluebirds.

I removed the four empty hanging boxes for the season.

Como Park Bluebird Trail Update, July 19th

Post contributed by Sharon, volunteer Bluebird Trail monitor:

Only three nestboxes are still in use this week.  Seven are now empty.

One more bluebird fledged since last week, bringing the trail’s total up to 24.  Three more are likely to fledge in the next week.  One box has at least three two-week-old bluebirds in it, and another has four bluebird eggs.  I found a dead adult male bluebird underneath one of the boxes.  And one box with an empty nest in it had a plastic fork shoved into it.

Next week I will remove the empty hanging boxes.  By mid-August all the boxes should be empty and nesting season at an end.

Como Park Bluebird Trail Update, July 11th

Post contributed by Sharon, volunteer Como Park Bluebird Trail monitor:

Five bluebirds fledged in the past week, bringing the bluebird total to 23 for the year.

The extreme heat has taken its toll on the trail.  It is possibly the cause of the failure of the tree swallow nest—the four nestlings were dead, and had been for a while, when I opened the box today.  It is also possible that something happened to the parent birds.  Another nest that had one small bluebird in it last week, today was completely empty.

There are six bluebird youngsters in two other boxes, and one bluebird near fledging age in another, which I did not open today.  A sixth box contains four bluebird eggs.

Things are winding down on the trail—there are now a total of six empty boxes.

Como Park Bluebird Trail Update: July 5th

Post contributed by Sharon, volunteer Bluebird Trail monitor:

This morning, the picnic grounds and parking lot were a mess of discarded bottles and the aftermath of fireworks.  I didn’t open the hanging nestbox nearest this area since the five bluebirds inside are close to fledging.  I could hear bluebirds nearby.  I also didn’t open the box with five tree swallows in it for the same reason.

 

Four bluebirds fledged in the past week.  Their parents quickly built another nest on top of the sparse old one and they’ve already laid two eggs, beginning the THIRD round of nesting this season.

 

In one box, two bluebirds had just hatched and two eggs remained. Another box contained only one week-old bluebird and two failed eggs.  A shell from another egg lay outside the box on the grass.  I removed the two failed eggs.  I don’t know if the hatchlings failed to break through or the eggs were damaged by an outside source.  The fifth box with bluebirds had one tiny bluebird inside and no evidence of the other two eggs that had been in there last week. The sixth bluebird box still has five eggs in it.  As I checked the male parent dove at me, his wings clicking ominously.

 

Three boxes are empty—the house sparrows have given up.  As I checked one empty hanging box, I noticed in the grass under the tree a recently fledged robin.  Its parents were nearby scolding me.

 

To date on the trail 18 bluebirds, 16 chickadees, and one cowbird have successfully fledged