It sure
has been hot outside. I hope
everyone is staying hydrated. I
know I sure am. In spite of the
heat, however, the birds are keeping busy.
It has
been an amazing season. Since
March over 300 birds have been banded and I expect many more in the next week
or two. I have gotten better at
getting to nests before the chicks strike out on their own. Only 48 birds have fledged before a
band could be placed on them. In
general, the baby birds are big enough to be banded ten days after hatching, and
will fledge (that is, fly away from the nest) within the next week. However, there are a few factors that
can shorten, or lengthen this time scale.
Well-fed babies can fledge several days earlier. On the flip side; if the parents are
having a hard time finding food for them, it can take much longer for their
young to fledge.
Baby Eastern Bluebird
The
Eastern Bluebirds and the House Wrens are neck and neck in their dominance in
the field, with the boxes almost evenly split between the two. The Eastern Bluebirds are now on their
third clutch while the House Wrens have just started their second clutch. That is to say, the
Eastern Bluebirds have started a nest and raised chicks three separate times.
Carolina Chickadees and Eastern Tufted Titmice finished up the season after
just one clutch.
Sadly,
all things must come to an end.
The 2013 summer season is starting to slow down. Soon the birds will begin preparing for
the winter and the nesting season will end. There are many more nests out there now, but this may very
well be the last clutch of the year.
The
Eastern bluebirds and House Wrens are both migratory species. Bluebirds will finish up their last
clutches, then head into the woods and begin fattening up for the winter. Most will migrate south; a few will
tough it out here. In contrast all
the House Wrens will move to warmer climates at the first hint of frost. You aren’t likely to see them messing
around in the cold.
Carolina
Chickadees and Eastern Tufted Titmice will hang around throughout the
winter. Both are clever foragers
and know what it takes to survive the winter. Now is the time to be cleaning up the
feeders and getting them ready for the really heavy winter bird feeding months.
It has
been an excellent year for the Ameren Mo nest box study. I have been able to collect a lot of
valuable data. The success rate is
excellent and with this good weather and plenty of bugs to eat the birds
couldn’t be happier. As you all
know the purpose of this study is to keep an eye on the environment in the
Ameren Mo right-of-ways, and it looks like the environment is in good shape
this year. We are very thankful to
Ameren Mo for their support and
concern for our feathered friends.
Submitted
by Neal Cowan, World Bird Sanctuary Field Studies Supervisor
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