Bluebird nestboxes 13 and 14. (the last 2)           Next: Home >>

Bat, Bird, & Flying Squirrel in Box #13 at different times

BELOW: Left side: 14th Bluebird nest box. Right side: 13th Bluebird nest box.

A bat used box #13 in 2001...and a Flying Squirrel put nesting material in it before 6/25/2003. The Flying Squirrel was also seen in it on 7/31, 8/2, and 8/13-17/2003. This box is on a rural street corner.

2003

Tree Swallow Nesting attempt #1 in box #13
Box mounted	Birds on box	Nest start	Egg start	Hatched	Fledged (left nest)
8/2001	-	5/4/2003, started	-	6 before 6/25	-
Overall notes: 5/4/2003: Looks like the start of a Tree Swallow nest is in there but it this point it could also be a Bluebird nest. No birds seen near box. 5/24: Tree Swallow looked out of box as I got ready to check it so I stopped. 6/25: Found 6 dried up fledglings. They were only days old. Much cold rainy weather in May. Also found what appeared to be Flying Squirrel nesting material. This nesting was about the volume of a chicken egg. The above Flying Squirrel photo was taken on 8/2/2003.

House Wren nesting attempt #1 in box #14
Box mounted	Birds on box	Nest start	Egg start	Hatched	Fledged (left nest)
8/2001	-	5/4/2003, started	-	-	-
Overall notes: Dummy nest on 5/4/2003. Many new brush piles in area as well as more House Wrens than in past years. 5/22: More House Wren twigs were removed and a few Bat droppings were in the box. 6/24: No new Wren twigs but some bat droppings were in there.

2002

Tree Swallow nesting attempt #1 in box #13
Box mounted	Birds on box	Nest start	Egg start	Hatched	Fledged (left nest)
8/2001	4/26	4/26, nest done except no feather lining yet	5/16 - 2 slightly warm eggs	1[?] on 6/2, 3 on 6/19	6/22
Overall notes: 2 Tree Swallow eggs on 5/16. The nest was very small. On 6/2 the nest was much larger and there might be 2 eggs in it and maybe one baby...it was too windy to look and I didn't want the wind to cool the eggs. On 6/19 there were 3 babies and one tried to fledge. 3 Adult Tree Swallows were guarding the nest box. On 7/2-3 various large feathers were hanging from the entrance. On 7/3 I cleaned out the box and found no parasites. I did find bits of goose egg shells on some of the feathers and a 1/4" clam shell was on one of the egg bits.

House Wren nesting attempt #1 in box #14
Box mounted	Birds on box	Nest start	Egg start	Hatched	Fledged (left nest)
8/2001	4/26/2002	6/19	-	-	-
Overall notes: On a roadside fence line in Dickerson, MD. LEFT: Dummy nest of a House Wren nest on 6/19/02. House Wrens puncture all eggs of any other bird specieis it can find on it's territory. They also make several 'dummy' nests and stuff the cavities so full of twigs so that other birds cannot use it.

2001

Placed too late in season.

Last updated 8/17/2003

###