Nest Box Check - 95 degrees, thunder clouds, no wind

1. Elf owls fledged.
2. 4 partially feathered Ash-throated flycatchers.
3. Dusky flycatchers, 5 fledged.
4. Eastern bluebirds, 6 fledged.
5. Dusky-capped flycatcher, 4 fledged, 1 dead nestling.
6. Dusky-capped flycatcher, 5 fledged.
7. Eastern bluebird, 5 fledged. New nest, 3 inches in depth with one bluebird egg.
8. Ash-throated flycatcher, 2 dead nestlings, 3 fledged.
9. New bluebird nest material, 2 inches in depth.
10. Ash-throated flycatcher, 2 dead nestlings, 3 fledged.
11. No activity.
12. Dusky-capped flycatcher, 5 fledged.
13. 5 partially feathered Eastern bluebirds. Mother noted leaving nest box after feeding youngsters.
14. 2 partially feathered Elf owls. Mother looks up sleepy eyed not bothered.

Stations 15 - 21 no activity noted.

Dust Devils and Dive Bombing Bluebirds

After my close encounter with the avian bluebird kind (see #4), I was headed to my next station. Suddenly, without any warning, I heard a banging sound. The sound a hydraulic lift door makes on a truck when lowered to the ground quickly and not too delicately! Turning, I see a whirling dervish of dust, funnel shaped, moving fast and headed straight towards me. Jumping to one side and moving into the forest, the swirling dust devil cleared a path and hit the nest box I was about to check. Moving it considerably from side to side, the box withstood the shaking and the dust dancer continued on into the forest losing its oomph when it hit a few large oak trees. The box happened to be the empty bluebird nest (see # 9), or else I figure the nestlings may have experienced an ear and eyeful of dust. Never a dull moment on this nest box trail!

The curve-billed thrasher and ladder-backed woodpecker pairs have 2 fledglings, each seen learning foraging and flying techniques from their parents. The thrashers have a particular preoccupation with our Arizona gray squirrel pair. If they see the squirrels anywhere close to their prospective nest locations or seed and mealworm feeder sites ,it provokes a response of chasing and pecking at their hind quarters to shoo them away. Quite a comical sight to behold! The squirrels are never too upset or injured by all these antics, nor do they retaliate. In time they merely move on to a less hectic haven.

Nest-box Check: June 14, 2007

1. Elf owl resting peacefully on eggs.
2. 4 eggs, Ash-throated flycatcher pair noted foraging for insects.
3. 5 fully feathered young of Dusky-capped flycatcher.
4. 6 partially feathered young of Eastern bluebird. Mother flies directly at me in an angle of descent that forces me to duck!
   
5. 5 fully feathered Dusky-capped flycatcher nestlings.
6. 5 fully feathered Dusky-capped flycatcher nestlings.
7. 5 partially feathered nestlings of Eastern bluebird.
8. 5 fully feathered young of Ash-throated flycatcher.
9. Flattened empty nest, all 5 Eastern bluebird nestlings fledged.
10. 5 fully feathered young of Ash-throated flycatcher.
11. Empty flattened nest, no activity.
12. 5 partially feathered young of Dusky-capped flycatcher.
13. 5 Eastern bluebird eggs.
14. Elf owl looks up bleary eyed from bottom of box. Eggs out of view.
15. Cornell nest cam. Acorn woodpecker not in sight or box.
16. No activity.
17. No activity.
18. No activity.
19. No activity.
20. No activity.
21. Bewick's wren nest empty. 3 fledged. To date the Bewick's Wren pair have successfully fledged 6 youngsters.

Western Screech Owl Debut

10:30am, 75 degrees, few small clouds with little wind

1. 2 eggs under a sleepy Elf Owl mother.
2. A new nest attempt by unknown Flycatcher. To be determined if Dusky-capped or Ash-throated.
3. 1 egg, 4 hatching downy young of Dusky-capped Flycatcher. Mother watching in nearby oak.
4. 4 eggs, 2 hatching downy young of the Eastern Bluebird. Mother watching from nearby oak.
5. 2 eggs, 3 downy hatching young of the Dusky-capped Flycatcher.
6. 5 eggs, no parents present of the Dusky-capped Flycatcher.
7. 1 egg, 4 hatching downy young of the finally noted nest activity of the I-stay-on-my-nest-no-matter-what female Eastern Bluebird.
8. 5 downy hatching young of the Ash-throated Flycatcher.
9. 5 partially feathered Eastern Bluebird nestlings sleeping peacefully. Father bluebird singing softly in nearby oak.
10. 1 egg, 4 downy hatching young of the Ash-throated Flycatcher. Mother noted flying after ciccada for the next meal offering.
11. No activity.
12. 5 eggs, mother Dusky-capped Flycatcher flushed from nest.
    
13. 5 eggs, female Eastern Bluebird flushed from nest.
14. 2 eggs showing from underneath wide awake and looking straight at you Elf Owl.
    
15. Cornell Lab nest cam. Acorn woodpecker on nearby food storage pole.
16. No activity of this year's new nest box station.
17. No activity of this year's new nest box station.
18. No activity of this year's new nest box location.
19. No activity of this year's new nest box location.
20. Removed 2 Eastern Bluebird eggs of failed nest attempt. Note # 13 as this is their new nest site.

As I was preparing to go to town at 1pm (Mountain Standard Time) the Curve-billed Thrasher was making what we know around the ranch as her snake and/or owl present call. Sure enough, I look up into the very large, old Gambel's Oak tree to the west of our back porch and there partially out of his/her cavity entrance is the Western Screech Owl. Every year that we have been monitoring our nest box trail we have enjoyed a family of Western Screech Owls in this tree. Present only for about 20 minutes today, while I loaded my car and not in the least bothered by my comings and goings. Of course, I was being dutifully quiet and respectful. This confirmed the location for the songs and calls I have been hearing for some time.

Mexican Jays were building a nest when last noted, but today a pair was feeding two fledglings. Mexican Jays of the same family group will share feeding and looking after the young. They are quite cooperative in fact, in so far as they will forego mate selection if there are already senior members of the family to mate and not enough territory or food for the other members. They do not want to have to move and find new habitat, so will wait their turn and work together. You will always hear their arrival much like a carful of your noisiest relatives, singing songs and honking the horn as they drive up. Mexican Jay songs sound like very squeaky, loud car brakes being repeatedly stomped on and off. The fledglings songs are the same, but held out on one long pitch with a very earnest quality to it. Always fun to watch and chuckle at their clumsy antics.

Bewick's wren pair has chosen a decorative, but functional (everything has to be around here and this one is fine, but not what I'd choose with all we have to offer) nest box on my front door! Why I haven't noted this in my last two blog posts is beyond me. Guess, I was concentrating on my 'official' nest stations. To catch you all up, there are three partially feathered young resting peacefully with parents heard calling in the fields surrounding the ranch.