[Bluebird-babble] 2007 nestbox summary

Wed Aug 15 18:31:43 EDT 2007

2007 nestbox summaryBluebirders,
I have enjoyed reading the reports of you all.  
I started with 10 boxes years ago and have been adding about 10 per year and now have 90.  I set up strings of 4 to 20 boxes about 100 yards apart in good habitat.  They are mostly in Moffat County with a few in Routt and Rio Blanco Counties.  Private landowners, I have found, are happy to give me permission to place the boxes once I explain the program to me, and they often are delighted to see and learn about the bluebirds as I am. 
Also I donated 4 boxes each to 2 families with some acreage to get them started in the bluebird business and have very much enjoyed "spreading the gospel", answering their questions and sharing in the wonder of new enthusiasts in seeing the little blue ones come into the world. 
To me, doing accurate record keeping seems too much like a job.  I respect those of you who are good accountants.  I do open and inspect the boxes on a somewhat regular basis April thru July.  That is vigorous and rewarding exercise with a purpose.
I too have experienced the adult's remarkable affinity for the nest box once eggs or young are in the box.  I have no hesitation in opening the boxes and if the female is on the nest I simply close the box again quickly and gently.  As has been mentioned, the box is best not opened when the chicks are over 2 weeks of age to prevent premature fledging and their probable loss.   
I have about 70% nest utilization with frequent 2nd nesting and once in a while a third, with fledglings as late as early August.  Some of my boxes annually get tree swallows, which is OK with me.  The tree swallows around here nest about a month later than the mountain bluebirds, so the bluebirds get first chance at my subsidized housing. I have had nests occupied by mice, house wrens, hornets and once or twice house sparrows.  If these last species are using the box I just move the box to another location.   
Hurray for us bluebird lovers!
Allan Reishus
Craig CO
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Maryl B. 
  To: Listserv of the Colorado Bluebird Project 
  Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 9:41 PM
  Subject: Re: [Bluebird-babble] 2007 nestbox summary


    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Cheryl 
    To: 'Listserv of the Colorado Bluebird Project' 
    Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 3:27 PM
    Subject: Re: [Bluebird-babble] 2007 nestbox summary


    We have 14 acres between Hartsel and Buena Vista and I purchased two blue bird boxes to put out this year along the entry to our land. That's how I ended up on the mailing list. We had blue bird nests in both boxes and the birds were flying in and out with food so I can only assume there were babies in there but I was afraid to open the box and disturb them. Can someone please give me some basic information as to what the birds will "allow" you to do? I'd love to look in next year and see the eggs, babies, etc. Also, I'd like to put out more boxes but I always thought they should be along the road since that's where we see the blue birds all the time. Is it worthwhile to put boxes in other spots? Thanks for any info.

     
    Cheryl Earnest


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    From: bluebird-babble-bounces at denveraudubon.org [mailto:bluebird-babble-bounces at denveraudubon.org] On Behalf Of Christina.Mitchell at UCHSC.edu
    Sent: Monday, August 13, 2007 5:05 PM
    To: Bluebird-Babble at denveraudubon.org
    Subject: [Bluebird-babble] 2007 nestbox summary

     
    Hi, all--

     
    Sadly, but inevitably, our breeding season has come to an end.  We have 71 nestboxes on 39+ acres in central Colorado--pinyon/juniper/scrub oak habitat at about 7200' in the rain shadow (eastern flank) of the northern Sangres. We've had nestboxes up for 7 years, but this is the first year I've monitored them during the breeding season.  (In the past, we've simply cleaned out the boxes at the end of the season and guessed at what might have used them.)  This summer, we had 7 different species using the nestboxes; 23 boxes were used by birds (and lots by mice and chipmunks) and 2 boxes by 2 different species (Violet-green Swallows moved in right after White-breasted Nuthatches fledged).  The big species surprise was one pair of Western Bluebirds; we've never had them summer in our habitat before.  

     
    Here's the summary.  

     
    Mountain Bluebird:  26 eggs; 14 fledged; 53.8% success. (We had 2 very late nests--total of 10 eggs--that never hatched and probably never had a chance.  If I adjust for those, the rate was 87.5%.  I like that better, although 53.8% is better science.) 

    Western Bluebird:  6 eggs; 6 fledged; 100%  

     
    Non-bluebird species-

    White-breasted Nuthatch:  14 eggs; 14 fledged; 100% 

    Violet-green Swallow:  37 eggs; 29 fledged; 78.4% 

    Mountain Chickadee:  18 eggs; 18 fledged; 100% 

    Juniper Titmouse:  11 eggs; 5 fledged; 45.5% 

    Ash-throated Flycatcher:  9 eggs; 8 fledged; 88.9% 

    Total:  121 eggs; 94 fledged; 77.7%  

     
    The juniper titmice either were the unluckiest or made the worst choices.  Only 1 of 3 nests raised any young at all; eggs were removed early on by some critter (snake? chipmunk?) in the other 2.  The Violet-green Swallows had the highest (and only, actually) mortality among the nestlings--5 dead in 2 boxes, no apparent sign of predators, unknown cause of death.  

     
    It was a very fun undertaking.  We have 30 more nestboxes that were unmonitorable this year (placed too high or built so that the bottom opened--great for cleaning, but not for monitoring). My husband's going to reposition or and/or revamp those over the winter, so I'll have even more next year.  Thanks to Kevin and the CBP for providing the encouragement and support to get me motivated to give it a try!

     
    Tina Mitchell

    Coaldale, CO


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