Nest Box 31

There are three main cavity nesting species here at the James Reserve:

Violet-green swallow tend to have a clutch size between 4 to 7 eggs. It will take 14 - 15 days for the eggs to hatch once the mother starts incubating the eggs. Some eggs may not hatch because one of the parents is infertile, poor incubation (common with young females with little incubating experience) or the egg shell is week. Once the eggs hatch the young birds will not fledge from the nest for 16 to 22 days. If the food source is in plenty a violet-green swallow pair can produce a 2nd brood in the same nesting season.

 

Western Bluebirds tend to have a clutch size between 4 to 6 eggs. It will take 13 - 14 days for the eggs to hatch once the mother starts incubating the eggs. Some eggs may not hatch because one of the parents is infertile, poor incubation (common with young females with little incubating experience) or the egg shell is week. Once the eggs hatch the young birds will not fledge from the nest for 17 to 22 days. If the food source is in plenty a western bluebird pair can produce a 2nd brood in the same nesting season.

 

Mountain chickadee tend to have a clutch size between 5 to 9 eggs. It will take 14 - 15 days for the eggs to hatch once the mother starts incubating the eggs which begins with the laying of the penultimate, or next to last, egg. Nests are made of moss, bark, fur, plant fibers, and feathers. Once the eggs hatch the young birds will not fledge from the nest for 19 to 21 days.

 

Nestbox31

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2010 Nesting Season
Information:
No activity
2009 Nesting Season
Information:
No activity
2008 Nesting Season
Information:
04/27/08 - Bluebird bringing in nesting material
More Information from Cornell Lab of Ornithology
05/06/08 – Bluebird nest building in earnest
05/07 – 05/10/08 – nest building continues
05/11/08 – First egg laid
05/12/08 – Second egg laid
05/13/08 – Third egg laid
05/14/08 - 4th egg laid, 10 AM, incubation begins
05/27/08 - Eggs hatch
05/31/08 - all 4 feeding
6/11/08 All still well and feeding
   
   
Western Bluebird Nestbox 31 Start Date End Date
Nest Building 15 days 4/27 5/11
Clutch Size 4 eggs 5/11 5/14
Days of Incubation 13 days 5/14 5/27
Number of Eggs Hatched 4 eggs 5/27 5/27
Days to Fledge After Eggs Hatch - days 5/27 -
2007 Nesting Season
Information:
4/27/07 - Western bluebird begins nest building
4/30/07 - Nest appears complete
5/14/07 - 1st egg laid, 8 AM
5/15/07 - 2nd egg laid, 10 AM
5/16/07 - 3rd egg laid. 10 AM
5/17/07 - 4th egg laid, 10 AM
5/18/07 - 5th egg laid, 10 AM, incubation begins
5/19/07 - 6th egg laid
6/1/07 - All eggs hatch
6/12/07 - 1 chick dissapears. Rarely observed more than 5 chicks gaping for food, 6th chick may have been outcompeted.
6/23/07 - 2 chicks fledge
6/24/07 - Remaining 3 chicks leave the nest
Western Bluebird Nestbox 31 Start Date End Date
Nest Building 3 days 4/27 4/30
Clutch Size 6 eggs 5/14 5/19
Days of Incubation 14 days 5/18 6/1
Number of Eggs Hatched 6 eggs 6/1 6/1
Days to Fledge After Eggs Hatch 24 days 6/1 6/24
2006 Nesting Season
Information:
11/29/05-4/25/06 - Nuttall's woodpecker, Picoides nuttallii, has been sleeping in the box at night. (It had moved from Box 27)
More Information from Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Begining in April a western bluebird pair has been roosting in the box off and on.
5/2/06 - Western bluebirds begin active nest building
5/5/06 - Nest building continues
5/10/06 - Shaping the nest
5/18/06 - 1st egg is laid around 9 am
5/22/06 - 5th egg laid
6/5/06 - Eggs hatch (all 5)
6/26/06 - All five chicks fledge
Western Bluebird Nestbox 31 Start Date End Date
Nest Building 17 days 5/2 5/18
Clutch Size 5 eggs 5/18 5/22
Days of Incubation 15 days 5/22 6/5
Number of Eggs Hatched 5 eggs 6/5 6/5
Days to Fledge After Eggs Hatch 22 days 6/5 6/26
2005 Nesting Season
Information:
4/29/05 - Nestbox visited by male bluebird
5/8/05 - Active nest building begins.
5/19/05 - 1st egg is laid.
5/24/05 - Total of 6 eggs laid
6/7/05 - 1st egg hatches. During the next few days 2 other eggs appear to have hatched but neither of these chick survive. Possibly the elder chick is monopolizing the food supply.
7/1/05 - The single bird leaves the nest. The female still seemed to be interested in the remaining 3 eggs but they will be abandoned.
Western Bluebird Nestbox 31 Start Date End Date
Nest Building 12 days 5/08 5/19
Clutch Size 6 eggs 5/19 5/24
Days of Incubation 15 days 5/24 6/7
Number of Eggs Hatched 3 eggs 6/7 -
Days to Fledge After Eggs Hatch 24 days 6/7 7/1
2004 Nesting Season
Information:
5/1/04 - Female western bluebird visited the nest box.
5/3/04 - Active nest building begins.
5/10/04 - 1st egg is laid
5/12/04 - 3rd egg laid and incubation started
5/14/04 - 5th egg laid
5/27/04 - Eggs hatch
6/2/04 - Feeding time. At some point we noticed that the male was not present anymore. This left feeding duties solely to the female.
6/4/04 - The 4th chick is no longer visible. It may be that the single female was not able to keep up with the needs of all 4 chicks.
6/18/04 - One of the chicks fledges. The next day the remaining 2 chicks fledge
Western Bluebird Nestbox 31 Start Date End Date
Nest Building 9 days 5/01 5/10
Clutch Size 5 5/10 5/14
Days of Incubation 15 days 5/12 5/27
Number of Eggs Hatched 4 5/27 5/28
Days to Fledge After Eggs Hatch 23 days 5/27 6/19
2003 Nesting Season
Western Bluebird Nestbox 31 Start Date End Date
Nest Building 25 days 4/26 5/20
Clutch Size 5 5/20 5/25
Days of Incubation 12 days 5/25 6/6
Number of Eggs Hatched 5 6/6 6/8
Days to Fledge After Eggs Hatch 21 days 6/7 6/28
 
Nest Box Information
Box Number 31
UTM Northing 3741021
UTM Easting 520805
GPS waypoint 23
mounting location metal pole
aspect 300°
box age 2001
design (door, material) side cedar
box floor width 6 in.
box floor length 6 in.
Box height 5' 4"
hole direction 300°
hole size 1.5 in.
height of hole above floor 7.5 in.