Click on image above for larger version. In 2008, this trail consists of 8 boxes.
This is my fourth trail. It is located in northeastern CT in a 60 acre public park. The area has a large (96 acre) lake to the east, with mowed lawn, some hardwood/coniferous forest, a nine-hole golf course to the west, and a Little League field to the south. There are two purple martin houses (no purple martins) on the property, along with a caretaker's house and barn.
The six existing boxes were made by a volunteer and installed on metal posts (no baffles), maybe around 2004. When I checked them in the fall of 2007, they either had mouse nests, house wren nests, or bumblebees in them, with the exception of #28 which had an active bluebird nest, and #23 which had what appeared to be a partial bluebird nest with a House Wren nest on top. Wooden boxes usually take quite a beating from the weather. Many were quite wet inside (due to cracked roofs or open seams).
I "adopted" the trail in 2008. My husband repaired (caulked and straightened) existing boxes, added two more, and began a weekly monitoring program. There are just 8 boxes: 3 slots (one of which is a Troyer), and the remainder are NABS boxes with standard 1.5" holes.
