The bluebird season started early for the trail monitors at King Carter Golf Course and Hills Quarter community.  This year we made the first round in February.  The nesting boxes needed to be inspected and adjusted where winter winds had re-aligned them.  The bluebirds like a bare box so they can start from 'scratch' with each nest.  The actual monitoring started on March 23, when we detected the first activity at some of the boxes.  We checked on a weekly basis after that; recording data on nesting activity, eggs laid, date of first hatching, estimated age of the babies, and continued watching until the teenagers leave home (fledge).

This year we had 31 boxes to check each week.  Most of these are on the golf course or public areas in the Hills Quarter neighborhood.  However, a number of boxes are in the back yards of residents.  The owners have allowed us to check the BB production in their boxes and to include the data with the trail information.  We have a backyard house at Donofrio's, McCarthy's, Ableiters, Lawton's, Wiley's, Boundy's, Turpin's, Teeples', and 2 at Wellford's.  That is 10 'private' BB houses that are part of the trail.  Each year we have added a few of these private boxes.

Let's look at the totals, then additional details will be shared.  First, we must apologize for a reporting error in the weekly data that went out.  Somewhere along the way, we dropped a fledged batch, and that error was carried all the way to the end of summer.  Here is the real scoop;  we reported 116 fledged where there were actually  121 babies produced this year.  Here are the #s reported to the state bluebird society:  # of nesting attempts--47;  # of eggs laid--184;  # of babies hatched--125;  # fledged--121!!  The difference between hatched and fledged is due to two nests; one had a dead babe while its siblings fledged; one nest had all three occupants die.  Mystery.  No explanation.  The box was thoroughly cleaned at that point, but it was shunned for the rest of the season.

Some interesting sidelights from the season:  There were several double fledgings from  our boxes, but no triple fledges.  The box at Dr Bens Court fledged a batch of 4 on about May 23, then another batch of 3 about July 10.  Then 3 more eggs were laid, 2 hatched, then the babies disappeared.  This was the closest we came to 3 fledgings.  Why did the babies disappear?  We don't know.  This house has a baffle for snake, squirrel, raccoon, possum protection.  What else could invade?  Another bird?  Maybe.  One of the BB web sites talks about woodpeckers sticking their heads in the entrance and snatching babies.  Some people have warned us that snakes can skirt around the baffles we have.  There has been no sign that this has happened.  Also, we have a pretty good population of hawks at the GC and the fairways are not conducive to hiding snakes.  I saw the resident leucistic red-tailed hawk take a snake from the marsh at the #8 tee.

Several of the boxes had really diligent mothers keeping house this year.  The box at the pro shop was one of these.  On several visits, the mother remained on the nest after we had opened the side of the box to check the nest.  Usually, we just closed the box to check next week.  Sometimes we would feel under the mother to count the eggs by touch.  The stubborn mother act occurred at two or three boxes.

This year we had our first non-BB production.  The box near the Brinn's had a titmouse nest that fledged 7.  But first, the box had a chickadee nest completed.  Then we discovered a dead chickadee in the box.  Probably the titmouse was the culprit.  Its a tough world out there.

A few words about house sparrows--Several of our boxes never got a chance to produce BBs. They were commandeered by sparrows and monopolized for the season.  How many sparrows did they fledge?  Zero, we don't permit it.  However the stubborn males keep the less aggressive BBs from using the boxes.  We have been schooled all our lives to protect wildlife, especially birds.  So do I cringe at destroying sparrow nests and eggs?  Not at all.  I have seen first hand how the sparrows treat the sweet, kindly, beautiful BBs.  This year we had two BBs killed in their nesting box by invading sparrows.  Last year, there was one killed and the bluebird body was incorporated into the sparrow's nest.  So, no more Mr. Nice Guy.  Next year we are going to trap the aggressive male sparrows and relocate them.  Paul Servis of NNAS is building us a nesting box that will allow installation of the trap.  Any box with a trap will have to be checked frequently since it could trap good birds, also.

Many thanks to Brenda and Buddy Brinn for helping with the monitoring.  The Brinns are going to be doing a lot of traveling in 2008, so Earline Walker of NNAS (a Master Naturalist) has agreed to assist in the monitoring.  We are also going to experiment with attracting purple martins to the golf course.  A gourd rack for martins will be installed near the #4 tee beside the pond.  The martins will be monitored and data collected.  If we can discourage the sparrows, 2008 should be a really good year.

Tom Teeples