Bluebird and Small Cavity Nester Conservation

Sialis - Bluebirds and other small cavity nesters

No-Trap Experimental
Hill Trailette Log 2010

See description of Hill Trail and aerial photo, and photos from 2007 | 2008 log | 2009 log.
Also see other trail logs. This is an experimental trail in a HOSP infested area where I am not trapping.
In 2009, two new single holed pole mounted boxes were added at Roseland Cottage.

SUMMARY OF ANNUAL RESULTS - Number of Nests
YEAR	# boxes	EABL	WBNU	TRES	BCCH	HOSP	TUTI	HOWR	FS
2006 (one-hole only)	7	0		? possibly 1 or 2	0	6 or 7+?	0	0	0
2007 (two-hole hanging only)	4	1 nest - 2 fledged		0	0	multiple nests- 0 fledged	2 nests - 2 eggs - 0 fledged	0	0
2008 (two-hole hanging only)	4		1 nest - 7 nestlings				1 nest - 6 eggs, F		2 rmvd 1 using
2008 (one hole pole mount)	8	3 nests: 14 fledged			2 nests, 7 nestlings F			1 nesting with eggs F
2009:

KEY
BCCH = Black-capped Chickadee
EABL = Eastern Bluebird
FS = Flying Squirrel
HOSP = House Sparrow
NABS = NABs style nestbox
PETE = Peterson style nestbox
PW=paper wasp
SLOT = Slot style entrance on nestbox
TRES = Tree Swallow

2010 Trail Log
ID	Type	2008 Attempt #, Species, Fate	2009	2010	Notes
H-9	Two-hole mansion Moved on 5/19. Maple Tree	Flying Squirrel	Flying Squirrel		3/26 - older looking flying squirrel nest, removed (no animal inside). 04/08, 04/12, /15, 24, 5/2, 5/20: empty
H-10	Two-hole mansion	TUTI F HOWR F	MISSING		In winter of 2008, moved to another location 1/2 mile down the road. with partial Plexiglas back under roof.
H-11	Two-hole mansion Maple Tree Partial Plexiglas roof on this box	Flying Squirrel - nest removed by someone. 4/20: WBNU, 7 eggs on 5/3, fledge by 6/12.	WBNU		3/26: empty. Not checked 04/08. 04/12: a few pieces of bark. Paperwasps building on nut on roof, vaselined. 04/23: no real change - just some bark on floor/ Abandoned?
H-13	Two-hole mansion, large overhanging roof, POLE mounted	New for 2009	See below	See below	See below
H-12	Two-hole mansion Maple Tree Stained gray		HOWR dummy, nuts from flying squirrel?	TUTI - 8 eggs, first egg 4/13? 5/10: 5 TUTI, medium size 5/20: 1 left 5/29: 5 fledged HOWR F	3/19: vacant. NOTE: This box was moved to Palmer Hall in the late fall of 2009. 04/08: Large TUTI nest, no nest cup yet 04/15: 3 TUTI eggs, 2 very light, not much fur in cup. 04/23: EIGHT eggs! Titmouse was incubating. Added small wren guard, accepted in 2 minutes (fluttered initially, perched, then flew under.) 5/2: incubating 5/20: 1 baby left 5/29, fledged, emptied box (some sticks)

NOTES:

Lots of HOSP coming out of boxes by Inn. I tried no trapping - just removal of nests and eggs, in the first 3 years as an experiment. I'd say it was a failure - this was the least productive trail I have anywhere. In 2010, I'm trapping.

NOTE: THE LOG BELOW and drawing SHOW USE OF THE TRAIL BEFORE AND AFTER TWO-HOLE HANGING MANSIONS WERE INSTALLED

ID	Type	2008 (Opened by unknown party)	2009	2010	2010 Notes
1	NABS - replaced with Two hole Mansion, pole mounted in 2009, roof int.painted gray	HOSP F HOWR F	Mouse	HOWR	04/08, 12: vacant. 04/15: 1 small stick. 5/2: vacant. No PW. 5/10: HOWR, removed. 5/20: HOWR nest, 2erln
2	SLOT	EABL S - 4 fledglings	HOSP	HOSP? TRES?	3/26: start of HOSP nest, 04/08, not much more, left 04/12: TRES perched 04/15, 5/1: no change, TRES? 5/20: no activity, removed nest
3	NABS with fishing line	HOSP, 18 eggs	HOSP F TRES - 5 eggs		04/08: looks like HOSP nest start, left, 04/15, no change 04/23: TRES? flying around, perching. Added mono. 5/1: TRES, no feathers. 5/3: feathers. Eggs probably coming soon! 5/20: TRES - 5 eggs
4	NABS. Replaced with X-box 03/26/2010 with Chuck Musser monofilament contraption	BCCH F HOSP, 4 eggs EABL S	EABL start? HOSP	BCCH F HOSP F - trapped 1M BCCH - eggs - first one 04/30. - 5 to 6 hatched, 1 egg didn't	04/08: vacant 04/12: BCCH start 04/15: saw male HOSP exit. Tried to trap, NG. Put up Chuck's mono contraption. 04/23: HOSP building despite Chuck's contraption, male in box. Trapped with Vanert, nest removed. Removed nesting material.Put up Musser's contraption. 5/1: BCCH is back! 2 eggs! 5/3: 5 eggs. 5/20: 5-6 babies, 1 egg unhatched, brooding
5	NABS	BCCH 7 eggs, 7 nestlings - F HOSP F - 2 eggs so far	HOSP HOWR	HOSP F - trapped 1 F, remv 1 egg.	04/08: looks like HOSP nest start, left 04/15: HOSP, tried to trap, NG 04/23: HOSP in box, flew out. Trapped male. removed nest. 5/1: HOSP back. Set up trap - got 1F. (1 egg) 5/10-20: empty
6	NABS - Mono on either side of entrance hole.	HOSP	EABL F - 5 eggs, unknw hatched, all dead, apparently from HOSP attack	HOSP F TRES	04/12, 23: HOSP start, left 5/1: unable to trap it. 5/10: old HOSP nest removed. 5/20: TRES on eggs
7	NABS	EABL: 6 eggs, 6 fledglings	Mouse? EABL start? 1 unhatched egg.	EABL - First egg 04/10 5 eggs, 4 eggs - 2 unhatched, 2 fledged	04/08: EABL nest, no eggs, paperwasps (used vaseline) 04/12: 3 eggs, tight sitter is back, added spooker. 04/15, 4/23: 5 eggs, incubating 5/1: 4 hatched, 1 egg, female chattering 5/3: Uhoh, my notes may be wrong. 2 eggs unhatched, 2 babies. 5/10: 2 babies 5/20: gone, rmd nest wet ick
7X	NABS	EABL S - 4 fledglings			Upside down, not monitored (not my box) in 2009 or 2010
8	Troyer - Roseland Cottage - SE	see Roseland Log
9	NABS w PETE hole - Roseland Cottage - E	see Roseland Log

Notes:

03/19: checked pole mounted boxes. All vacant on hill. No HOSP starts yet, but heard HOSP to east.
04/23: trapped 2 males in 4 and 5. Saw Tree Swallows around.
Trapping as of 5/1: 2M earlier, 1F today (from #5), 1 egg.

When we try to pick out anything by itself in nature we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.
- John Muir

May all your blues be birds!

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Last updated May 3, 2012. Design by Chimalis.

No-Trap Experimental Hill Trailette Log 2010

No-Trap Experimental
Hill Trailette Log 2010