Tyler's Birding Blog: 2013 Nesting Season

Gilbertson box 1

Location: My yard

My first pair of Chickadees ever with their finished nest. I just moved into a new house and this started my 13th season of birding.

I was happy to see eggs finally laid but not happy about the cowbird egg! I removed it and added a 1 1/4" hole restrictor to keep the cowbirds out.

Two eggs came up missing (I think from House Wrens) and only two of the three eggs hatched. The nestlings only survived about 2 days and passed away. No signs of trauma. Maybe first year parents and inexperience.

6/5 Empty Box

6/14 Empty Box

6/21 Dumping House wren sticks

6/24 Dumping House wren sticks

6/28 Empty Box

7/4 Empty Box

7/9 Empty Box

7/13 Empty Box

7/19 Empty Box

7/21 Empty Box

7/24 Empty Box

7/30 Empty Box

8/2 EmptyBox

8/5 Empty Box

8/9 Empty Box

Gilbertson Box 2

This is Gilbertson Box 2 in the middle of my backyard. It is in the most open spot in the yard away from trees.

5/28 Take a look in gilbertson box 2 in my yard! A pair of EABL started their nest today! I will keep posting updates as progress is made. I am nervous about this box as there quite a few house wrens and HOSP around. Going to make a spooker and wren guard very soon.

6/2 Gilbertson 2 box in my yard. First egg was laid today! I checked this morning around 7:30am and no egg. Checked 12 hours later and it was there. I put up the spooker for about an hour and they didn't go in the box so took it back down. I will try again tomorrow.

6/5 Gilbertson Box 2 in my yard. The box has been transformed and hopefully now invisible to wrens and house sparrows with the wren guard and sparrow spooker installed.

6/5 Looking under the wren guard.

6/5 Gilbertson box 2 in my yard showing 4 eggs laid so far.

6/9 Still 4 eggs

6/14 Still 4 eggs

6/18 Still 4 eggs

6/19 the eggs have hatched! The last egg has hatched as well.

6/22 Four days old

6/26 Eight days old

6/28 One baby came up missing. My baffle is ineffective against raccoons apparently. I made a new stovepipe baffle.

7/1 Chicks are 12 days old

7/4 Chicks are 15 days old

7/7 chicks are 18 days old

7/8 3 chicks fledged

7/9 Empty box

7/13 Empty box

7/17 Empty box

7/21 Empty box

7/24 Empty box

7/30 Empty Box

8/2 EmptyBox

8/5 Empty Box

8/9 Empty Box

Gilbertson Box 1

Location: Parents house

5/30 Gilbertson box 1 at my parents house. The female TRES didn't come off the nest on my first check. I checked again later and found 3 hatchlings and 1 unhatched egg.

6/2 Gilbertson Box 1 TRES nest at parents house.

6/9 Three TRES babies

6/14 Three TRES babies fledged

6/21 Empty Box

6/24 Empty Box

6/28 Empty Box

7/4 Empty Box

7/9 Empty Box

7/13 Empty Box

7/19 Empty Box

7/21 Empty Box

7/24 Empty Box

7/30 Empty Box

8/2 EmptyBox

8/5 Empty Box

8/9 Empty Box

Gilbertson Box 2

Location: Parents house

5/30 Gilbertson Box 2 at my parents house. Stopped there today for a photo op and there are two EABL chicks coming along well.

6/2 Gilbertson box 2 at parents. The 2 EABL have grown so much in just 3 days they are full feathered!

6/8 The two babies successfully fledged!

6/15 2 eggs started in the second brood.

6/17 4 eggs in the second brood

6/24 Four eggs

6/28 Four eggs

7/1 2 hatchlings

7/7 2 hatchlings

7/9 2 hatchlings

7/13 2 babies

7/17 2 babies

7/21 2 EABL fledged

7/24 empty box

7/30 Empty Box

8/2 EmptyBox

8/5 Empty Box

8/9 Empty Box

Slot box 1:

Location Trail

This is Slot box 1 in a nearby cemetery that I monitor for someone. It is a front opening slot box. Nesting attempt 1 had 4 eggs and my next nest check the eggs were gone and it was filled with house wren sticks. My next check the front of the box had fallen open for a few days and the box was empty. The screw holding the door wasn't holding anymore. I made a new screwhole. My next check showed the picture below, a full new nest of nearly all pine needles.

On 5/21 we see that Box 4 has one egg laid.

5/27 There are 4 eggs and she is incubating.

6/9 Box 4 blues have hatched!

6/14 The babies are growing.

6/18 The babies are almost full feathered

6/21 They will be fledging very soon!

6/24 four babies fledged.

6/28 Empty box

7/1 Empty box

7/4 Empty box

7/9 Empty Box

7/13 Empty Box

7/17 Empty Box

7/21 Empty Box

7/24 Empty Box

7/30 Empty Box

8/2 EmptyBox

8/5 Empty Box

8/9 Empty Box

Slot Box 2 on the trail

This box had a successful first brood of 5 EABL fledglings. The nest was very high so I took out part of the bottom to get it away from the opening. I thought someone didn't clean out the old nest and that's why it was so high. Below is nest #2 and again she built the nest up very high.

5/27 There are 4 eggs in brood #2!

5/30 There are 5 eggs now for brood 2

6/14 The EABL have hatched! Looked to me like only 4.

6/18 They are growing!

6/21 Four babies still growing. Forgot to take a picture this time...

6/24 Look how much they've grown since the last picture on 6/18. They look like they could fledge soon.

6/28 Four babies fledged. Cleaned nest out.

7/1 This is a first for me, the same pair has started their 3rd nest for the season! Awesome! How do I know? The female built another high nest.

7/4 Three eggs laid so far

7/9 5 eggs

7/13 5 eggs

7/17 5 eggs and this box had no baffle so I put a stovepipe baffle on it

7/21 3 of 5 eggs hatched so far

7/24 3 babies, no sign of other two eggs

7/30 3 babies growing

8/2 3 babies

8/5 babies should be fledging soon

8/9 3 babies fledged

Slot Box 3

Location: Trail

5/27 Tree Swallows have chosen this box.

5/27 Checking the TRES box and the female would not leave her nest. She is incubating 5 white eggs.

5/30 TRES box the female left the nest today and inside are 5 baby TRES.

6/5 5 TRES nestlings growing well.

6/9 TRES should be fledging anytime now!

6/14 5 TRES Fledged!

6/18 Empty Box

6/21 Empty Box

6/24 Empty Box

6/28 Empty Box Bluebird sitting on top

7/1 Empty Box Male Bluebird nearby.

7/4 Empty Box

7/9 Empty Box

7/13 Empty Box

7/17 Empty Box

7/21 Empty Box

7/24 Empty Box

7/30 Empty Box

8/2 EmptyBox

8/5 Empty Box

8/9 Empty Box

Slot box 4 on the trail

5/27 First brood 5 EABL eggs.

6/5 Only two eggs of the 5 remain and they were chilly to the touch. Not sure what happened here.

6/5 This is a picture of the box on the trail. Notice it has a baffle already installed. How those eggs disappeared I don't know. It is shut with a screw.

6/9 The box now has 4 eggs. Some kind of predator must've gotten the 5 eggs just before hatching and she has now relaid 4 eggs.

6/14 The box now has 5 eggs.

6/18 Still 5 eggs

6/21 Still 5 eggs

6/24 the eggs have hatched. Look to be about 2 days old.

6/28 Four babies

7/1 Four babies

7/4 Fourbabies

7/9 Four babies fledged. Cleaned out nest. Found 3 eggs under the nest. One broke and two intact. Also one egg was left in the empty nest.

7/13 Empty Box Male BB hanging around

7/17 Empty Box

7/21 Suprised to find this nest started!

7/24 Two eggs!

7/30 3 eggs

8/2 3 eggs

8/5 3 eggs & 6 blues flying around close to the box. All the babies from the previous nest still alive!

8/9 Babies hatched look about 2 days old

8/12 Babies Growing

8/20 a few days from fledging

8/26 3 babies fledged and found another egg underneath the old nest

PVC Box 1 on the trail

This is a pvc box I made myself. I put the box out in April but so far no takers. May not have gotten up early enough. But it is there for the taking!

7/21 She still sits empty. Maybe someone will find it next season.

7/24 Empty Box.

7/30 Empty Box

8/2 EmptyBox

8/5 Empty Box

8/9 Empty Box

PVC Box 2 on the trail 2013

This is PVC box 2 on the trail. I made this one myself as well. I also put it up in April and so far no takers. This surprises me because I normally get nests all the time in gilbertson pvc boxes. Time will tell if the birds find and adjust to this new design in their area.

7/1 I was suprised to see it, but a full EABL nest has been built in my test box. I am guessing it is the pair from slot box 1 because there is no new nest built in that box yet, but I could be wrong since they technically had two nests in that box this season. The first one failed from wrens and second succeeded.