The Nestbox
Issue 36
Spring-Summer 2013
The Newsletter of the Southern Interior Bluebird Trail Society
"Creating nesting habitat for native cavity-nesting birds"
Photo by
Mark Van Wyk
Southern Interior Bluebird Trail Society
Box 494, Oliver, BC V0H 1T0
www.bcbluebirds.org
[email protected]
2012-2013 Board of Directors
PRESIDENT
Bob Bogula, Logan Lake
[email protected] 250-523-9696
SECRETARY -TREASURER
Lee McFadyen, Cawston
[email protected]
250-499-5404
VICE PRESIDENT
Ray Town, Logan Lake
[email protected]
250-523-9474
DIRECTORS
Lee Chic, Osoyoos
[email protected] 250-495-6617
Charlie Lumgair, Logan Lake
[email protected]
250-523-2346
Sandy Proulx, Williams Lake
[email protected]
250-392-4412
Harold Sellers, Vernon
[email protected]
250-503-2388
PAST PRESIDENT
Sherry Linn, Osoyoos
[email protected]
250-495-7891
by Jayne Owen Parker, Ph.D.
Director of Conservation Education, North
Carolina Zoo Society
USED WITH PERMISSION
T
he world has many blue birds, but none of
them have blue feathers. Promise. Your
brain thinks that those feathers are blue, but
only because the birds’ feathers are shaped to
trick your eyes.
Seeing Red
Most feathers create their colors the
same way that paints and crayons do—with
pigments. Pigments make colors by breaking
sunlight (and other white light) apart. A pigment
will absorb some of the wavelengths that ride
in on a sunbeam but will reflect other ones.
When some of these reflected wavelengths land
inside our eyes, we see them as colors. Take
the pigment chlorophyll. Plants manufacture it
and store it in their leaves. Let the Sun shine
on a leaf, and its chlorophyll will capture almost
all of the visible light waves riding in with the
beam. But, chlorophyll rejects a few of the light
waves, too, including the ones that we see as
green. When they bound into our eyes, the leaf
looks verdant (green). Other pigments work the
same way. We see red in the light reflecting off
red pigments and yellow in the light that bounces
off the yellow ones.
Feathers of Many Colors
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The Nestbox...
is published twice each year, in SpringSummer and Fall-Winter editions.
Editor:
Harold Sellers, Vernon
[email protected] 250-503-2388
Page 2
Blue Birds Aren't Really Blue
Birds that dress in reds, yellows, browns, blacks
and oranges build these hues by packing
pigments inside their feathers. Grab a powerful
magnifying glass to peer inside an orange
feather, and orange pigments will peer right back.
The inside of the feather will look as orange as
the outside. But, pick up a blue feather and that
all changes. No bird, no matter how blue, has
continued on page 3
The Nestbox
Spring-Summer 2013
Aren't Really Blue continued from page 2
feathers with blue pigments stuffed inside.
Magnify a blue feather and the only pigments
you see will be a very dark brown.
Getting the Blues
Many feathers get their blues the same way
that the sky does, by scattering light waves
without the help of pigments. In feathers, tiny,
transparent cells, and the transparent bubbles
inside some of them, break apart light waves as
they pass through. Blue-producing wavelengths
get scattered hither and yon, so many reflect
back toward our eyes. The other wavelengths
pass straight through and are captured by the
dark pigments lurking below. In the air, tiny
specks of dust and water vapor act very much
like the transparent cells in these feathers. They
scatter some of the light waves, especially the
ones that our eyes perceive as blue, and let
the other wavelengths pass through. When the
scattered wavelengths reflect into our eyes, we
see nothing but blue skies. ❖
Global Great Backyard Bird
Count Shatters Records
F
rom Antarctica to Afghanistan, bird watchers
from 103 countries made history in the first
global Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC),
February 15–18, 2013. In the largest worldwide
bird count ever, bird watchers set new records,
counting more than 25.5 million birds on
120,000+ checklists in four days—and recording
3,144 species, nearly one-third of the world’s
total bird species.
Building on the success of the GBBC in the United
States and Canada for the past 15 years, the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, and Bird
Studies Canada opened the count to the rest of
the world for the first time this year, powered by
eBird, a system that enables people to report
Spring-Summer 2013
birds globally in real-time and explore the results
online. Bird watchers are invited to keep counting
every day of the year at www.eBird.org.
Key Preliminary Findings
Top 5 Most Reported Species (reported on
highest number of checklists): Northern Cardinal;
Dark-eyed Junco; Mourning Dove; Downy
Woodpecker; House Finch
Top 5 Most Common Birds (most individuals
reported): Snow Goose; Canada Goose; Redwinged Blackbird; European Starling; American
Coot
Finch Invasion
A massive number of northern finch species
moved into the U.S. including the Common
Redpoll, reported in a record 36 states. Scientists
believe these periodic movements are related
to natural fluctuations in crops of conifer cones
and other seeds in Canada.
Hurricane Sandy
The weather system that caused Sandy's
landfall also blew some European birds to North
America and evidence of this is still showing up
in GBBC results. The colorful, crested Northern
Lapwing was reported in Georgia, New Jersey,
and Massachusetts during the GBBC.
GBBC First
A Red-flanked Bluetail has wintered at Queens
Park, Vancouver, and was also reported for the
GBBC’s first record ever. This British Columbia
bird has been drawing bird watchers from all
over the U.S. and Canada hoping to see this
rarity. This little thrush is one of the only birds
in the world with a striking blue tail and is native
to Asia; the other GBBC report of this species
this year was from Japan.
For more information, visit www.birdcount.org.
The Nestbox
Page 3
SIBTS Nestbox Trail Data &
Reports for 2012
by Sherry Linn
F
irst let me thank everyone who submitted
data for the 2012 nesting season. Some
of you were very late in getting it in, but then
I compounded it by also being behind in
getting the full submission to Harold for this
newsletter.
If at all possible, please send your data for
this year as soon after your nesting is done for
the season. That way we can get everything
compiled and a Spring 2014 newsletter out
in a more timely manner. For those who use
computers, you may want to try the Cornell
NestWatch method of tracking your trail data.
It can then be rolled into a much wider reporting
system that covers all of North America. Your
data will always be available to you for years
to come. There is more information asked for
initially, but most of you will have that in your
notebooks anyways! And then simply extract
the data SIBTS uses and send it to us.
I knew early in the nesting season it was going
to be a very different year for our Western
Bluebirds (WEBL) in the Okanagan Valley.
Cold weather, rain, and generally a lack of
insects, meant that there was higher than
Total Nestboxes
Available: 2433
Total Nestboxes
Used: 1592
normal abandonment of eggs and/or nestlings.
Catherine Dale and her field assistants would
arrive at my doorstep with literally bags of dead
young collected off the vineyard nestbox trails
and we were all sad and concerned for the
birds.
Once the weather warmed, it did not take long
to get things moving once again. Many birds
nested again quite quickly and the average
number of eggs per box actually exceeded
2011. However, of all the WEBL eggs laid in
2011 a full 61% went on to fledge a bird while
last year only 56% had the same result. The
results were similar for Mountain Bluebirds
(MOBL) but the results were not as skewed
for the northern areas of the province. Of the
3029 eggs laid, 2042 chicks went on to fledge.
This was approximately 67.4% compared to
70.4% in 2011.
Overall, Tree Swallows (TRES) fared quite a
bit better than their bluebird counterparts. After
more than a decade of declines it seemed to be
their year. Egg production was up very slightly,
but the percentage of chicks fledged from
those eggs rose from 62.9% in 2011 to 71.1%
in 2012. There was less than 1% difference
in the hatch rate in 2012 vs 2011 so the main
improvement was in chick survival. Although
spring arrival dates for TRES has been getting
continued on page 5
65.4% of the Monitored Nestboxes were Occupied
Species
Boxes Used
Eggs
Hatched
Fledged
2nd Nestings
Western Bluebird
237
1310
1013
732
56
Mountain Bluebird
640
3029
2512
2042
79
Tree Swallow
636
3244
2684
2307
38
Page 4
The Nestbox
Spring-Summer 2013
Reports for 2012 continued from page 4
later for many years, in 2012 they arrived even
later than usual (based on my calendar in
the South Okanagan). This may have helped
them be more successful as they did not lose
the time with losses in earlier nesting like the
bluebirds did.
There was an overall drop in the percentage of
available nestboxes being occupied. In 2011
we had 72.4% of the monitored nestboxes
occupied versus 64.5% in 2012.
Other nestboxes were occupied by Violet-green
Swallows (2), Black-capped Chickadees (3),
Mountain Chickadees (3), and House Wrens
(121). Forty-three miscellaneous nests were
reported with occupants ranging from mice,
squirrels and a pack rat, to House Sparrows
and several chickadee starts that saw no eggs
laid. ❖
Tales from the Trails
by our nestbox monitors
compiled by Sherry Linn
MOBL – Mountain Bluebirds
WEBL – Western Bluebirds
TRES – Tree Swallows
nest was lined with white feathers so she was
very surprised to find a female MOBL incubating
5 eggs followed by 5 thriving chicks on the next
visit. 7 Days later the nest was empty. The
next week Ruth arrived to move the nestbox
and to her amazement found 3 warm bluebird
eggs in the nest! After a brief vacation, Ruth
returned to check the boxes and was greeted
by 3 fully grown chicks hunkered down in the
box ready to fledge. She says that sadly her
trail saw high mortality in 2012. Besides the 5
missing chicks, 10 chicks in 2 nestboxes were
found dead. It had been cold and even a light
snow so it was thought exposure and/or lack of
food caused their demise.
Ruth & Don McLarty – back 9 of the Fairview
Golf Course in Oliver
2012 was similar to 2011 in many ways …
1st eggs the first week of May only to see
the WEBL chicks perish from cold and lack of
food. It was not until late May and early June
that more nests were under construction and
late hatching occurred into August. They also
found 3 dead adults in nestboxes – a pair
in 1 and a male in another. After cleaning,
both nestboxes produced young. Mountain
Chickadees occupied their same nestbox as
they have done for several years now.
Trish Reid – Princeton
A disappointing year with dead MOBL and
TRES young found in nestboxes. Young were
Lynne Owens of Summerland
Lynne and Hettie monitor 6 boxes above the mainly unfeathered or just starting to feather
golf course. One of the boxes had 6 WEBL out. 6 nestboxes had lovely moss and grass
chicks doing well on one check only to be found nest starts (chickadees?) but never had eggs.
dead the next. This was heartbreaking and the
lack of insects/food is most likely the cause. John Franken – Bulkley Valley
Lynne says the area is lightly populated with The MOBL were about the same as previous
bluebirds but well endowed with cactus so they years. Unfortunately a big tree came down in
the wind and a nestbox was lost to the event.
trip through carefully armed with pliers!
Some MOBL and TRES were victims of cool
June weather. TRES nesting was down about
Ruth Kurjata – Bald Range (Summerland/
40% but the rate of success was greatly
Princeton road).
Late April saw the arrival of MOBL and nest improved over previous years. The only bear
continued on page 6
building started almost immediately. The first
Spring-Summer 2013
The Nestbox
Page 5
Tales continued from page 5
problem was with garbage cans – not
nestboxes!
Paula Pick – Knutsford
2012 was not a great year. Only 1 of 12
nestboxes was used and at least it was by a
MOBL. The long cold, wet, windy spring lasted
right into July! Lots of bluebirds came in but
never stayed to nest and very few swallows or
wrens showed up.
Christine Galliazzo – Diamond S, OK and
Big Bar Guest Ranches in the Cariboo
This year there was a marked reduction in
fledging, compared to the past 5 years. And
many fewer TRES returned to nest than in the
past. Unoccupied nestboxes are being used by
squirrels to hoard mushrooms for winter. The
wet spring and delayed summer likely delayed
the grasshopper hatch so many birds were
undernourished at the critical time of laying
eggs or feeding nestlings. Many thanks go
to Anne Heath of the Lillooet Naturalists who
sponsors the bluebird trail monitoring every
year.
Verena Shaw – Castlegar
Looking back at the 2012 data, it was a dismal
year for the birds. Verena’s report showed
27 dead bluebirds (MOBL & WEBL); 4 dead
TRES; plus 3 active nestboxes pulled from
their mountings - likely a bear.
North Okanagan Naturalists – Vernon
WEBL seemed to suffer quite a bit compared
to the previous 2 years at least. Margaret who
submitted the report says the MOBL must be
tougher as they increased in numbers from past
years. One member has problems with cows
and bears on his trail so he now carries a 3 foot
ladder and has mounted the nestboxes higher
to avoid problems – it seems to be working!
Thank you Mike Nichols for being so persistent
and “outsmarting” the bears!
Page 6
Beverly Butcher – Williams Lake
The birds were late in arriving, then June was
very wet and cold. Road construction along
Dog Creek Road disturbed the nesting and
then blowfly infestation reduced some counts.
MOBL fledged only 88 young compared to 124
in 2011. And as in other areas, TRES did okay
– Bev had 264 fledge in 2012 compared to 164
in 2011! Mountain Chickadees were down to 1
nest from 2 so it made for a very disappointing
year.
Ray & Judy Foucher – Greenwood
Out of 3 nesting pairs of MOBL only one was
able to fledge 3 young. 1 nest was lost to
predators and a female was found dead on
eggs in another. The House Wren built a lovely
nest but never laid an egg in it! A disappointing
year.
Ann Gibson – Winfield
Ann monitors 29 nestboxes north of Kelowna
and says she has no idea why the trail was so
unproductive in 2012 other than the cold and
so much extended periods of rain. During the
cold she lost many nestlings (13 WEBL) and
had lots of eggs that never hatched (13 WEBL
and 9 TRES).
Lou Kratky & Maureen Krohman
Pend Oreille/Waneta near Trail - Some of their
trails are no longer available due to industrial
construction. Bears had also become a major
problem (totally trashing the nestboxes) along
with human predators (leaving doors open).
One nestbox with 8 eggs surprisingly saw all
8 hatch, only to find the babies all dead on the
next monitoring trip. They said they have had
more dead babies in 2012 than in any previous
year. The wet weather was definitely a factor
but chemical spraying in some areas is also
suspected. The MOBL numbers declined
in 2011 and there were none on their trail in
2012.
concluded on page 7
The Nestbox
Spring-Summer 2013
Linda & Loekie – Route #9 Witches Brook
Road - Logan Lake
This is a new route for these folks as the old
one along the Meadow Creek Hwy became
too dangerous to park and do the monitoring.
Of 18 boxes along this route 9 were occupied.
One nestbox had a predator come and steal
and break eggs (shell remains were left in the
nest) so it will be moved to a better location.
In all their new trail fledged 21 MOBL and 17
TRES.
Ray Town – Route #2 – Hwy 97D - Logan
Lake
19 of 26 nestboxes were used on this route
though the weather took its toll: 58 MOBL eggs,
51 hatched but only 31 fledged; 56 TRES eggs,
46 hatched and 39 fledged. Ray found one
banded TRES dead on the nest.
Ray Town – Route #8 – Mamit Lake - Logan
Lake
This route was being used for research so it
got checked every day during the nesting
season and twice on days where Ray made his
monitoring trip. Nests were collected at the end
of the season for analysis; eggs were weighed,
marked and candled by the research team; adults
and young were banded, weighed, measured,
photographed and some supplemental feeding
was done. The research will be conducted for
a 3 year period. Three other nestbox routes
in the Logan Lake area were included in the
research so regular monitors opted to not go
out and further disturb the birds and thus no
results have been collected for inclusion this
year. ❖
Attention: Oliver members
Please send us your new civic street
addresses. Recently community mailboxes
went in so no more Comp, Site and RR!
Spring-Summer 2013
Bluebirds' return to
Cowichan Valley a sign of
success for reintroduction
program
Judith Lavoie / Times Colonist
April 17, 2013
A
homecoming in the Cowichan Valley is
thrilling bird enthusiasts.
Three of the Western bluebirds introduced to
Vancouver Island last year have returned to the
Cowichan Garry Oak Preserve — the first sign
a complex reintroduction program is working.
“Since we are working to restore a selfsustaining population of Western bluebirds on
Vancouver Island, we are very excited about
the return of some of the bluebirds raised at
the Cowichan Garry Oak Preserve in 2012,”
said Gary Slater of the Ecostudies Institute, the
group helping relocate birds from Washington
state to the Island.
Two of the returning birds were brought to
Cowichan as babies with their parents last
year, while the other hatched in Cowichan.
The five-year project, now in its second year,
is being led by the Garry Oak Ecosystems
Recovery Team. Technician Julia Daly was the
first to notice the three bluebirds hunting in a
field last week.
“I saw the three birds again over the weekend
and have been putting mealworms out for
them,” Daly said.
continued on page 8
The Nestbox
Page 7
Cowichan Valley continued from page 7
Western bluebirds were relatively common on
Vancouver Island until the 1950s, but numbers
started to decline as Garry oak habitat shrank
and as the birds faced competition from
invasive birds such as European starlings and
house sparrows.
Until last year, Western bluebirds had not
nested on Vancouver Island since 1995 and
were considered locally extinct.
Four adult pairs and nine juveniles were
captured from the U.S. Army Lewis-McChord
Base in Washington last year and rushed to
the Cowichan Valley, where nestboxes had
been prepared.
The family that produced the returnees was
held in the aviary until the first babies fledged.
After they were released, the parents nested
again. They stayed in the area all summer and
the juveniles were seen teaching their younger
siblings to hunt in the meadows.
The birds were last seen on the slopes of Mount
Tzuhalem in late October, and it is presumed
they migrated south for the winter.
“The return of both translocated bluebirds and
bluebirds that fledged from a successful nest
at the Cowichan Garry Oak Preserve indicates
that they are bonded to the site and that our
reintroduction techniques are working,” Slater
said.
This year, 10 pairs of birds, some with nestlings,
will be reintroduced to the area. ❖
Ellis Bird Farm MOBL Fact Sheet
We have prepared a downloadable Fact
Sheet about Mountain Bluebirds. If you
would like more detailed information, we sell
a book, Mountain Bluebird Trail Monitoring
Guide, available in the Gift Shop.
http://www.ellisbirdfarm.ca/resources/ebffact-sheets/mountain-bluebird/
SOUTHERN INTERIOR BLUEBIRD TRAIL SOCIETY
MEMBERSHIP FORM
NAME: (please print)___________________________________________________________
ADDRESS: Street_____________________________________________________________
City ____________________________ Province ________ Postal Code ________________
Phone __________________________ E-mail: _____________________________________
2013 Membership $10.00 per household $_________
Donation $_________
Please make cheque payable to:
Southern Interior Bluebird Trail Society (or SIBTS), P.O. Box 494, Oliver, BC V0H 1T0
A tax deductible receipt will be issued for donations.
For Office Use Only:
Date Rec’d __________ Date of Deposit __________ Entered on Member List ___
Page 8
The Nestbox
Spring-Summer 2013
Trail Profile
of Judy & Ray Foucher, Greenwood
W
e live just outside the city of Greenwood,
on a rural road at about 3000 feet
elevation. The trail is located on our 18 acres,
with six boxes, 3 groups of 2 boxes each, in
various parts of our pasture area.
My husband, Ray, and I look after it. When
we started it in 1995, our daughter & son (then
aged 13 & 10) helped monitor it with us, until
they grew up and left home.
Last year we had only Mountain Bluebirds
successfully fledged, though some house
wrens built a nest but never laid any eggs. We
had Western Bluebirds and Tree Swallows in
the early years but none lately.
Last year we were disappointed to find a
mother Mountain Bluebird dead on her nest of
5 eggs in one of our boxes. But the other pair
successfully raised 3 babies. Generally we
have seen a decline in numbers of all species.
We enjoy showing the baby birds to any visitors
we may have during the nesting season,
especially children, and are looking
forward to our grandchildren (2 so far)
being old enough to appreciate them.
Lessons learned? To be VERY careful
when opening the boxes when you know
there are almost-ready-to-fledge babies
inside! We pasture some horses, so
have learned to build barriers near the
boxes to prevent them being knocked
off their posts by an itchy back. Also
have learned to be on the lookout for
wasp/hornet nests when cleaning out
the boxes in the fall. ❖
We check them weekly, usually on Saturday
afternoons, from early April until midAugust.
We have had the trail for 18 years. We
moved to Greenwood from Nanaimo in
1993. We started the trail after visiting
a booth at the Rock Creek Fall Fair the
previous September, where we learned
about the Southern Interior Bluebird
Trail Society. We thought that would be
something fun and educational for our
home-schooled kids and helpful for the
birds. Vern Johnson came out himself
and installed the boxes. We have
replaced 3 boxes so far.
Spring-Summer 2013
The Nestbox
Page 9
North American Bluebird Society
36th Annual Conference
“The Art of Bluebirding”
Hosted by the
South Carolina Bluebird Society
Aiken, South Carolina
Wed., Oct. 2nd – Sat., Oct. 5th
W
elcome to Aiken, South Carolina, a
charming town filled with smiling faces
and beautiful places. Aiken is a historic town that
has maintained the good life for over 175 years
thanks to residents, civic leaders, developers
and corporations who take pride in their town.
Walk our lovely downtown streets divided by
lush landscaped parkways with intersections
graced with fountains and flowers. Be amazed
by the beautiful historic churches and Winter
Colony “cottages”. Marvel at the natural
canopy over South Boundary Road formed by
Live Oak trees over 100 years old. Take a walk
in Hitchcock Woods, a 2100 acre urban forest
with 70 miles of trails. To enter the Woods you
must be on foot or horseback – no wheeled
vehicles permitted. Drive the clay/sand roads,
unpaved on purpose, in the equestrian district
to see beautiful horses and equine facilities.
Slow down when you encounter horses and
riders – they have the right of way. Enjoy a
wide variety of southern and international
cuisine at chef-owned restaurants and cafes.
Our sidewalks aren’t just for walking.
The theme of the conference is “The Art of
Bluebirding”. Not only will you be enlightened
about bluebirds and other cavity nesters, you
will also learn about and be able to interact
with some of the other wildlife species that
dwell in bluebird habitat. An added bonus to
the 36th Annual Conference is the numerous
opportunities you will have to acquire wildlife
art through door prizes, drawings and auction.
Aiken has a very talented group of artists
who are donating paintings, prints, pottery,
ceramics, stained glass, photographs, wood
carvings, quilts and more.
We have an exciting program planned for
you. Eight tours and field trips to select from
on Thursday and ten speakers Friday and
Saturday who will cover a variety of interesting
and fascinating topics. We have two outstanding
after dinner speakers.
For more information go to:
www.southcarolinabluebirds.org
The House Sparrow Project
T
his season, researchers at Hunter College and the Cornell Lab
of Ornithology bring you the HOUSE SPARROW PROJECT.
This project relies on citizen science methods to study parasitism
and egg recognition in House Sparrows, and develop best practices
for management in their non-native range.
There is room for everyone: whether you are a ‘hardcore’ nest
monitor or you’re just getting started, and whether you have a few
nest boxes or a large trail, you have a place with us! So check us
out, go to www.housesparrowproject.com
Page 10
The Nestbox
Spring-Summer 2013
Southern Interior Bluebird Trail Society
20 ___ Nesting Report Form
Total # of Nestboxes Available: ______ Total # of Nestboxes Used: ______
# of
Cavity Nesting Species Boxes
Used
# of
Eggs
Laid
# of Eggs
Hatched
# of 2nd
# of Chicks Nestings
Fledged
in same box
Western Bluebird
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Mountain Bluebird
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Tree Swallow
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Violet-Green Swallow
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
House Wren
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Black-capped Chickadee _____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Mountain Chickadee
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
White-breasted Nuthatch _____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Red-breasted Nuthatch
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Pygmy Nuthatch
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
Other (please specify)
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
NAME: ________________________________________
AREA: ____________________
Address: ______________________________________
Phone: ____________________
_______________________________________
P/Code: ___________________
E-mail: ____________________________________________
Please include a map of your trail(s) on the reverse side or attach a separate page. Add comments of
interest to the membership at large to be included in the Spring newsletter, The Nestbox. Some examples
and clarification for data entry are on the reverse side. These may seem simple, but many forms are
incomplete. If you have any questions about filling in the form, please contact Sherry Linn 250-495-7891
or [email protected]
Spring-Summer 2013
The Nestbox
Page 11
Complete at end of the season and mail to: SIBTS, P.O. Box 494, Oliver, BC V0H 1T0
or bring to the AGM or send via email to Sherry.
Map of your trail. Please include closest highway or main road near your trail location if possible.
1. The “Total # of Nestboxes Available” should not be less than the “Total # of Nestboxes Used”.
2. The “# of Boxes Used” by the individual “Cavity Nesting Species” may not be equal to the “Total # of
Nestboxes Used” at the top of the form. (i.e. I have 3 nestboxes, all are used by bluebirds on the first
nesting, a pair of swallows then nests after one of the bluebirds; my “Total # of Nestboxes Used” is 3
but if I add the “# of Boxes Used” by the individual “Cavity Nesting Species” it will total 4)
3. The “# of Boxes Used” by the individual “Cavity Nesting Species” should not include in the number of
boxes that had a second nestings. (i.e. a nestbox is used by Western Bluebirds, they lay 5 eggs, all
hatch & all fledge; there is a second nesting of Western Bluebirds in that same box ; they lay 4 eggs,
all hatch & fledge; you enter 1 box used, 9 eggs, 9 hatched, 9 fledged,1 second nesting.) Remember
that second nestings in a box by the same species may not be the same pair.
4. Check that your form is complete. Many times the “Total # of Nestboxes Available” is left blank. When
compiling the data your previous year’s form is not used so the # of boxes is unknown. You may also
have lost a nestbox to predators over the winter or revamped your trail and this of course alters your
numbers.
Page 12
The Nestbox
Spring-Summer 2013