HAPPY AUTUMN!

I’ve finalized and 3-times checked my statistics for fledging numbers for the permanent records. I’m going to write an essay and a “summary” in near future with more details; in the meantime, here are the final numbers of the Woolwine House Bluebird Trail for Year 2013. 34 monitored nestboxes. Only 1 box was not used. 5 boxes had partial nests and no eggs laid. 1 box I could not monitor due to an unforeseen circumstance. You will note a difference of # of eggs laid to # of birds fledged. Bottom line: The birds had a tough year with issues to deal with–some on their own and some with my help. Some won over the issues; some did not. My last bluebirds fledged late, on August 29, 2013.  NOTE:  A nest attempt means at least one egg is laid.  Questions?  Leave your notes here on this post and I’ll answer!

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2013 RESULTS:

EASTERN BLUEBIRDS: 43 Nest Attempts

Eggs Laid: 192
Eggs Hatched: 146
Young Fledged: 138

CAROLINA CHICKADEES: 5 Nest Attempts

Eggs Laid: 19
Eggs Hatched: 8
Young Fledged: 8

TREE SWALLOWS: 1 Nest Attempt

Eggs Laid: 5
Eggs Hatched: 3
Young Fledged: 3

HOUSE WRENS: 2 Nest Attempts

Eggs Laid: 11
Eggs Hatched: 6
Young Fledged: 6

INVASIVE HOUSE SPARROW: 3 Nest attempts

Eggs Laid: 9
Eggs Hatched: 0 (removed nest/eggs)
Young Fledged: 0

PREDATIONS:

Snake: 3 (all at boxes with no predator guards–I plan on changing this on these private properties for 2014)
Cat: 1 (at a box with no predator guard)
House Wren: 4
One adult death is unknown predator (My studies indicate an attack outside of the nestbox)

PESTS:

Earwigs: 2
Ants: 3
Wasps: 4
Spiders: 3
Unknown Winged Insect: 1
Blowfly Larvae: 10 (some WITH and without hardware cloth risers–more on this in detail soon)

OTHER HAPPENINGS:

` Thorny overgrowth up a pole (fastest growth I’ve seen yet!)
` Hypothermia to nestlings (wet nest–OLD nestbox on private property–nestbox should be replaced)
` Fallen stovepipe baffle (and repaired using galvanized wires–will replace before February 2014)
` Messy bluebird couple not cleaning nest daily (unusual but it can happen)
` White egg clutch (this is always a pleasure!)
` Bear knocking nestbox setup flat to ground (immediately after fledging – phew!}
` Roof needing repair (thankfully, the repair was before birds started nesting)
` Utility pole nearby with fresh creosote application. This is a long story.
` House Wren attacks on eggs and nestlings (worse year ever on this problem)
` Dead nestlings (not due to weather but other issues)
` Broken eggs (by House Wrens)
` Missing Eggs (this is the time I wish I had a live cam in every nestbox)
` 2 Dead Adults, both female (from a cat and one unknown attacker which was NOT House Sparrows)
` Several Carolina Chickadee vs. Eastern Bluebird competition (ongoing for several years)