tree swallows find nest box

The pond is home to Tree Swallows Tachycineta bicolor who hunt insects 'on the wing'.  They catch flying insects while flying low over water or over grasses that the insects forage among. 

We have boxes that Tree Swallows use to nest in.  This bird was checking the box for suitability. 

The box has a 'Sparrow Spooker' (nylon line attached securely with hook-eyes on top and around the entrance) that protects eggs and babies of Tree Swallows from House Sparrows who cannot negotiate the lines.  House Sparrows destroy eggs and baby birds in other species' nests.

nest box peek

Peeking into the nest box . . . 

Tree Swallows lay eggs and 
disguise them by sticking feathers 
barb-down so the fluffy vanes curl over the contents of the nest.

In this photo, we can see a few white eggs among the soft grasses in the bottom of the nest box.
 

black wasp

 

I was surprised and apprehensive to see this big black wasp on a milkweed flower near the pond.  It was alarming because of its size (over one inch) but is not a pest to harm people. This Great Black Wasp Sphex pennsylvanicus, looks iridescent violet-black with smoky transparent wings that have a violet sheen. They visit flowers to feed on nectar and pollen; no harm to the plants. 

The female Black Wasp digs a burrow in the ground to reproduce her kind. She hunts katydids, paralyzes them, and places several in the burrow. She then lays eggs in the burrow.  They hatch into larvae. They have a ready meal, quietly growing into adult Black Wasps. 

Monarch butterfly caterpillars

The  rose flowers of Swamp Milkweed Asclepias incarnata plants are blooming in several places along the shore around the pond.  Actually, the flowers can vary in color from soft mauve to dusty pink to soft crimson violet.  This milkweed attracts a profusion of butterflies and other pollinators who lap up its nectar.  The Monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus uses the milkweed as its host plant. A host plant is where the butterfly will lays its eggs exclusively, because the larvae that hatch will have a ready supply of the only plant they will eat.  This Swamp Milkweed had two different size caterpillars feasting on leaves.  (In these photos, golden aphids share the sweetness of the plant.)

12 spotted skimmer

The pond area is home to several 

kinds of  dragonflies. 

The females lay their eggs on a plant in the water,

or just drop them into the water.

The eggs hatch after about a week,

when the creatures are called 'nymphs'.

Dragonfly nymphs live in the water while they grow. The length of this portion of the 

dragonfly life cycle is variable.

If the nymphs are not grown enough at 

beginning of winter they will remain

 in the water until spring, often beneath ice.

They feed actively and grow all winter 

to emerge as adults in spring. 

This is a dragonfly called 12-Spotted Skimmer, perched on a reed top in early August.

The Tree Swallow pair return to the branch over the pond every day.  When she is in the nestbox, he sits on the branch to keep watch on her and their eggs.  Sometimes she joins him there. They can survey their territory, chase away intruders, and spy food items flying by.  Or, just sit close together.  On occasion, he sings to her.  She has been incubating eggs for 11 days.  They will hatch any day.

raided nest

Many Painted Turtles Chrysemys picta live in our pond. They mate once a year; in Minnesota, it is usually late May or June. Usually, Painted Turtles lay between 4 and 15 eggs. This year, the females looked for nest sites with soft sandy soil, even if they have to cross lawns and rocky shores.


One found a good spot on the sunny slope above the pond. Because she knows her hatchlings will instinctively head straight for the water, from here their short trip will be downhill.  She dug a shallow hole with her hind feet, and deposited her eggs.  She covered the hole carefully and returned to the water, her job done for this season.

The eggs usually hatch about 72 days later, in late August or early September.  Unfortunately, turtle nests are often discovered by birds, raccoons or skunks, who make a meal of the eggs.  It's not unusual for many of painted turtle eggs to be lost to predators.  We found a few raided turtle egg nests like this one . . .  the eggs eaten and the shells strewn around the hole.

eggs

Each day, Tree Swallows fly above the pond looking like they are doing aerial acrobats for our amazement.  In reality, they are eating -- feeding on flying insects.  So adept in the air, they eat and drink while flying, and rarely spend any time on the ground.  Unlike other swallows, they nest in old woodpecker cavities or human-built boxes. A pair settled in the bluebird box near the pond and started their clutch of eggs.  Each is less than an inch long, white, and oval.  The female places shed feathers from herself and other birds in the nest grass to hide the eggs until she is is ready to incubate them all.

red-winged blackbirds hatched

The female Red-winged Blackbird has been constantly hunting and making frequent trips back to her nest.  This signaled to me that her eggs have hatched.  This species usually lays 2 to 4 eggs per brood.  Sure, enough, there are three chicks in the nest.  They look out-of-focus because, while the other material in the frame is still, the new babies are fuzzy and wriggling.  Their beaks are pointed to lower left in this photo.

With help of tall boots and a pole for my camera, I was able to peer into the reeds and see the beauty of her architecture skills.  Blackbirds wind stringy plant material around several upright stems, then weave in a platform of coarse, wet vegetation. She adds more wet material to shape a cup, plastering the inside with mud. To protect her babies, she lines the cup with fine, dry grasses.

RWBB nest

The Red-winged Blackbird nest is hidden in vegetation at the far end of the pond.  The female was in the nest when I approached.  The male adult protested my presence there, flying over my head while squawking loudly. He brushed against my hat several times to make sure I knew he was serious.

Hidden in marsh vegetation, the female had built a sturdy cup of grass a few feet out from the shore.  Suspended above the water and lashed to stiff standing reeds from last season, the nest is purposely hard to reach.  She had built it of grass, reeds, leaves, rootlets, and lined it with fine grass.  While I watched, she only squashed down further in the nest to hide her eggs.

Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus typically have 3 or 4 eggs in a clutch, and they may have a second clutch each season.

nestwatch update

Peek inside some of the nestboxes in the wild wild woods . . .

This box (above) holds a Tree Swallow nest -- a cozy cup formed of grasses with feathers for additional warmth. As she laid the eggs, one each day, she hid them under the feathers until she was ready to incubate them. 
Now they are clustered together; she sits with her body pressed close to them until they hatch.
The nylon lines suspended on this nestbox deter other species from claiming all the boxes; Tree Swallows and Bluebirds are aerial feeders and can maneuver between the lines to access this box.

Five Eastern Bluebird eggs are cozy in their nest cup of woven grasses.  This nestbox was lined with a deep soft cushion of moss by Chickadees before the Bluebirds took possession.









That pair of Black-capped Chickadees moved to another nestbox where they laid a clutch of 7 eggs.  Six babies hatched and five survived a wet cold week of weather.  They all gape hungrily when a parent brings food. The little one on the left is closing his beak after gulping an insect.  The others are still calling for a meal as the adult departs to hunt another.


In another nestbox, House Wrens have woven a grass shelter within a twig structure (below).  Two eggs so far; they usually lay 5 or 6, sometimes as many as 10.

Tree Swallow nest

One nest box in the wild wild woods is being used by Tree Swallows Tachycineta bicolor this year.  Yesterday there were two eggs clearly visible, today maybe three.  Tree Swallows poke feathers into the grass structure of their nest to hide the eggs, so it is hard to tell for sure.  Usually they lay 4 to 7 eggs per clutch.  Today while I was monitoring the cam, the adult perched at the opening and kept poking her head in to check on her nest.

first egg Eastern Bluebirds 2017

new hatchlings

 

Seven little Black-capped Chickadee eggs hatched in the last few days.  The nestbox cam caught a snapshot when they were all gaping for food.

NestWatch

NestWatch, the citizen science project! 
We look for cavity-nesting birds in trees as well as in nest boxes.  A pair of Downy Woodpeckers has been excavating this hole overlooking the feeder gardens.  Both will work at the nesting hole for up to three weeks.  Their intent is to make a cozy cavity up to a foot deep in which to lay their eggs.  They will line the bottom with woods chips.  "Downies" usually lay 3 to 8 eggs; the eggs are white so the parents can see them in their dark cavity.

NestWatch: 7 Wren eggs

One of the nestboxes we watch is used this Spring by House Wrens Troglodytes aedon.  She has been incubating these seven eggs for nearly two weeks. The male sits in the tree nearby to guard the nest.

first hatched

The post on 4/23/2014 was about a nest containing two eggs.  If you guessed it was a Northern Cardinal nest, you were correct.  Today the first egg hatched, after at least 14 days of incubation.  (Usually the eggs hatch after being kept warm and turned frequently by the female for 12 or 13 days, but we've had cool wet weather this Spring.)

In the photo at left, we see the hatchling's back side with sparse tufts of grayish down where more feathers will grow.  Other than these tufts, the baby bird is naked.

In the photo below, we see the front belly-side of this same baby bird. It already has the distinctive thick bill typical of Northern Cardinals. Note the amazing detail of its feet and claws!  Belly is transparent enough to show internal organs.  Eyes are not yet open, and it will be very clumsy for a few days but will flail around trying to reach food as a parent approaches.

nest watching begins

Nestwatch season has begun in Minnesota and the wild wild woods.
http://nestwatch.org/

Discovered today in an evergreen tree at the edge of the woods, a nest hidden among the needles protects two lovely eggs.  We'll watch for a few days to verify what species this is.  Can you guess?

Gray Catbird nest

The Gray Catbirds Dumetella carolinensis were in the wild woods last summer, sounding like cats mewing in the understory.  This year, we found their nest, hidden among dense shrubs.  For several weeks we've seen the adults as they ventured out cautiously to feed on suet and fruit.  Today, their eggs are hatching!

birds nesting in the wild woods

The nestboxes and snag tubes are full of nests.  A walk through the wild woods helped locate a few more nests.  And, today we noticed a fledgling House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus in a tree, begging for the morsel his Dad was dangling as a flying lesson incentive.   
Top to bottom:  Gray Catbird eggs in nest, probable House Finch nest, Tree Swallows claiming a nestbox for their own, House Wren hiding among her twigs in a snag tube.