The Bird Word 2021 Season

Volunteer and long-time birder, Stan Wakefield, shares regular updates and pictures on bird nesting activity at BRLT’s bird boxes monitored at Oak Point Farm, Singing Meadows, Lobster Cove Meadow and Penny Lake. Data is also reported to NestWatch, a citizen-science monitoring program developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and used nationwide to track the status and trends in the reproductive biology of birds. We encourage readers to check back frequently from April-August to keep up on all of the changes throughout the season.

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August 28:

The bird breeding season, which began in April and was monitored on BRLT preserves, has come to a close.  Our last active nest box (at Singing Meadows) fledged three young bluebirds on Tuesday, August 24th.  This season proved to be very successful for five different bird species.

We monitored fifteen individual nest boxes on four BRLT preserves plus three other nests that were built on structures or in shrubs.  The nest boxes were located at Lobster Cove Meadow (2), Penny Lake (3), Oak Point Farm (5), and Singing Meadows (5).  The other three nests were located at Oak Point (2) & Singing Meadows (1).

The bird species that bred (or attempted to breed) on our preserves include eastern bluebirds, tree swallows, house wrens, white-breasted nuthatches, eastern phoebes, and a yellow warbler.  The yellow warbler is the only species that failed to fledge any young due to nest predation loss.

Once again eastern bluebirds were the most successful species raising & fledging 43 young birds from eight different nest boxes on all four preserves.   House wrens were next with 20 fledglings from three nest boxes (all at Penny Lake).  Tree swallows were right behind with 19 youngsters fledged on three preserves.  A white-breasted nuthatch raised and fledged a single brood of 9 young for the second consecutive year at Oak Point.  Eastern phoebes raised and fledged at least 4 young each at Oak Point and Singing Meadows with the probability of 3-4 more in a second brood at Oak Point.

In all, the Boothbay peninsula had over 95 new birds of five species from 18 nest sites on BRLT preserves flying around and enriching our world.  We hope to increase breeding opportunities next year with a couple of nest boxes at Zak preserve with a goal of fostering 100 or more new birds to the community.

I want to thank Michael Warren and Carolyn Lanigan for their invaluable assistance in monitoring nest boxes this year. We’re always looking for more volunteers to help as we expand our efforts to increase and improve breeding opportunities for our avian friends.

*BRLT would also like to thanks Stan Wakefield whose incredible effort has made our bird nest monitoring program so successful. Thank you Stan for your second year of endless efforts in monitoring and sharing the journey with readers.

August 19: Nesting Season at Penny Lake Wraps up

We are down to just one active nest box on the four BRLT preserves that we monitor for bird breeding activity. As expected, six (vice five) young house wrens fledged at Penny Lake last Saturday.  We could see only five youngsters in the nest each time we inspected, which led us to believe two of the seven eggs hadn’t hatched.  As it turned out, there was only one unhatched egg in the nest after fledging.  My thanks to Carolyn Lanigan who helped monitor the five nest boxes at Penny Lake this season.

Three young bluebirds continue growing quickly in their nest at Singing Meadows and are expected to fledge on Tuesday, August 24th.

An interesting sighting at Singing Meadows after inspecting the active nest box was a male bluebird “sharing” an apple tree with a cedar waxwing. Next week we will provide a full report on nesting activity over the season.

August 15: Final Growing Chicks of the Season

Bird breeding activity in the nest boxes at Penny Lake is almost finished for the season.  Three young bluebirds fledged on August 12th and five little house wrens are expected to fledge today.

Singing Meadows has the distinction of having the last active monitored nest box among the four BRLT preserves with nest boxes.  Three out four bluebird eggs hatched on August 7th.  After the typical brooding period of 17 days we expect to see the three youngsters fledge on or about August 24th.  The one unhatched egg was likely infertile, which is not particularly unusual.

August 6: Final bird eggs and chicks mature as other birds begin their winter migration

The bird breeding season, at least for those bird species that use our nest boxes, has entered its final two weeks (give or take a few days). The two nest boxes at Penny Lake, containing bluebirds in one and house wrens in the other, should be empty fairly soon. Three young bluebirds are growing quickly and are expected to fledge by the middle of next week. The house wren eggs hatched on July 30th so if all goes well their fledge date should occur on or about August 15th.

The only active nest box at Singing Meadows has four bluebird eggs in it today and they should be hatching this weekend. Following a typical 17-day brooding period, they would be expected to fledge on or about August 24th.

To be sure there is still bird breeding activity in progress on the Boothbay peninsula. One species in particular, American goldfinches, are late-season breeding birds and many of them are only just now starting to establish breeding territories. Male goldfinches are now at their most colorful in brilliant yellow with a black cap and black & white wings. Bobolinks at Singing Meadows (and elsewhere) appear to still be engaged in breeding activity as well.

Many of the birds that nested on Land Trust preserves this season have already started moving south toward their winter ranges.  Tree swallows, which were quite numerous just a few weeks ago, are now seldom seen.  It’s likely that some of the bluebirds that raised youngsters here this spring and summer have also departed our area, but it’s also possible that some of them will spend the winter right here. For those bluebirds that remain in Maine, the nest boxes they used this season to raise their young may also serve as shelters for them on cold winter days and nights. Keep an eye out for them.

July 31: As Nesting Winds Down, 2 Preserves Remain Active

Singing Meadows saw one nest box fledge four young bluebirds this week leaving us with two active nest boxes. One of those boxes possibly fledged another five young bluebirds on/about July 30th.  When they were seen on the 29th, all the youngsters were fully feathered and appeared ready to go. The second active box now has four bluebird eggs in it, two more than reported last week. These eggs should hatch by next weekend.

One interesting bird sighting this week occurred at Oak Point when two juvenile snowy egrets were seen on tide-exposed rocks.  Snowy egrets reach their northern breeding limit in Maine and are relatively common in southern and mid-coast Maine.  These two youngsters are likely preparing to migrate south for the winter.

July 23: Surprise nest extends season at Singing Meadows

Just when it looked like the bird breeding season on the Boothbay peninsula was winding down, a pair of bluebirds at Singing Meadows have started a new nest. During yesterday’s nest box inspection Michael Warren noted a new nest with a single bluebird egg in it.  A few more eggs are expected over the next several days.  This is a bit later in the season than usual for bluebirds to start a nest, but there is still plenty of warm weather for them to incubate the egg(s) and raise the young to fledge. The other two bluebird nests at Singing Meadows are doing well with 4 and 5 youngsters, respectively. Both nests should fledge in a little over one week from now.

The two active nests at Penny Lake are progressing well.  The house wren nest with seven eggs should hatch out in just over one week, while the 3-egg bluebird nest is expected to hatch out within the next few days.

We will end today’s report with some sad news. The one remaining active nest at Oak Point Farm containing four bluebird eggs has apparently been abandoned.  We are not certain why this occurred. The eggs were expected to hatch several days ago. Failure to hatch can be caused by a number of factors, but we’ll never know the exact reason. The female had not been seen for several days during the latter stages of incubation and the male bluebird, which was seen near the nest box recently, does not incubate eggs. This pair of bluebirds had successfully raised a clutch of four youngsters at this same location back in June.

July 15: Breeding slows as nesting season winds down

The only active nest box at Lobster Cove Meadow with young bluebirds will very likely be empty by this weekend. Of the five eggs deposited in this nest box in mid-June only three hatched and those three youngsters are ready to stretch their wings. At this point in the breeding season we don’t expect any further activity in either of the two nest boxes at Lobster Cove this year.

Two Penny Lake nest boxes remain active with bluebirds and house wrens. There are now five eggs in the house wren nest box while the bluebirds have three eggs. Incubation has just gotten started so it will be about two weeks before we see new hatchlings.

Breeding activity at Oak Point Farm has tapered off as would be expected at this time of year. One of the two bluebird nest boxes is now empty after four young “blues” fledged early this week. The four eggs in the other bluebird nest are expected to hatch by this weekend.

Finally, two bluebird nest boxes at Singing Meadows now have nine recently-hatched young in them (four in one box and five in the other). It will be about two and a half weeks before these youngsters are ready to fly. At least one pair (and possibly two pair) of bobolinks are nesting at Singing Meadows as well. They are being seen regularly in the same specific area of the preserve, but their nests are too well-hidden for us to find & monitor them.

July 9: Double-clutching

Many bird species that nest here on the peninsula (and elsewhere) lay eggs only once in a breeding season while others will lay eggs twice. This year we are seeing evidence of “double-clutching” with two species in particular: eastern bluebirds and house wrens. We’re monitoring six nest boxes used by bluebirds and two used by house wrens and in each case both species have (or currently are) raising two clutches of eggs. Bluebirds typically have 4 or 5 eggs per nesting attempt while wren nests have between 6 and 9 eggs.

Lobster Cove Meadow, Penny Lake, Oak Point Farm, and Singing Meadows each has one or two bluebird nests while Penny Lake has wrens with two nests. So far this season we’ve documented 25 new bluebirds and 17 house wrens added to the local bird population. Similar numbers are anticipated when the eggs or young in eight different nests successfully fledge. We don’t like to count our chickens (or bluebirds & wrens) before they hatch, but we could see up to 50 new bluebirds and 30-35 new wrens added to the local population this season, and that’s just from the nest boxes that we monitor on four BRLT preserves. This is in addition to the nine young white-breasted nuthatches and 20 tree swallows that fledged from BRLT nest boxes this year.

There are many more nest boxes for these species (and others) on private property in the Boothbay/Edgecomb area that are successfully raising & fledging young birds. Just try to imagine how many young birds are being added to the avian population this season.

This weeks nest box activity includes five young bluebirds at Lobster Cove, three new nests (one bluebird & two wren) at Penny Lake, five young bluebirds in one nest and four bluebird eggs in another at Oak Point Farm, and nine bluebird eggs in two nest boxes at Singing Meadows. We also have an eastern phoebe nesting for a second time (but not in a nest box) this year at Oak Point. It’s a busy bird breeding season indeed!

July 1: Heat and Humidity present new Nesting Challenges

Baby birds are hatching, growing and fledging at all four of BRLT’s monitored preserves. Unfortunately, recent higher-than-normal air temperatures and humidity may have had some impact on the viability of a few young birds.

At Singing Meadows our two new bluebird nests have more eggs since last weeks report. There are now four eggs in one nest and five in the other. The young tree swallows in the third active nest at Singing Meadows all fledged early this week. Two other nest boxes remain unoccupied. The bobolink pair have still been seen and are believed to have started nesting. No scolding red-winged blackbirds were seen this week, which suggests the young they were raising have fledged. Many pairs of song sparrows remain active throughout the meadows.

The five bluebird eggs seen at Lobster Cove Meadow last week hatched successfully this week. These five hungry nestlings will be keeping their parents very busy feeding them for the next two weeks.

June 24: Nesting activity moves full speed ahead

Bird breeding activity is “full speed ahead” at the four BRLT preserves we monitor and elsewhere on the peninsula as well. Three bluebird pairs are now incubating their second clutch of eggs or feeding their second brood of youngsters. A fourth bluebird pair just built their second nest of the season. Young house wrens and tree swallows are growing fast and some of the latter are already fledging. A phoebe nest at Singing Meadows that had several youngsters in it just a few days ago was empty today indicating they fledged over the past 48 hours. And things are looking good for the bobolink pair at Singing Meadows.

At Oak Point Farm three out of five nest boxes are active with growing youngsters. Three bluebirds hatched this week with two more to follow soon. This is the second brood for this pair. The other two nest boxes have seven fast-growing young tree swallows in each box.

The five new bluebird eggs discovered at Lobster Cove Meadow last week continue to be incubated. This is the second clutch of eggs for this pair. Hatching should occur within the next week or so.

Penny Lake’s two house wren nests remain active with 9 fast-growing youngsters in one box and 6 recently-hatched youngsters in the other while six young tree swallows are expected to fledge this weekend.

Singing Meadows has two new bluebird nests. One already has two eggs in it, and we anticipate seeing eggs in the other, possibly as early as this weekend. This will be the second nesting attempt for both of these bluebird pairs. The third active nest at Singing Meadows had two young tree swallows fledge this week and the remaining three should have fledged by the time this report is published. The good news about the bobolinks at Singing Meadows is that both were seen together again this week in excellent breeding habitat. We’re confident they will be raising a family here soon.

There has been strong circumstantial evidence that several other bird species are breeding in the four BRLT preserves we monitor. Birds that are seen on a regular basis engaged in possible breeding activity include eastern kingbirds, Baltimore orioles, common yellowthroats, song sparrows, and red-eyed vireos. The nests of these birds can be difficult, if not impossible, to locate so we won’t be able to monitor them the way we do the birds that use nest boxes. Nonetheless, this illustrates how our BRLT preserves promote & support our avian friends.

June 17: Bird calls diminish as couples settle into Nesting

Bird breeding activity continues in high gear on BRLT preserves and all over the Boothbay peninsula while the spring migration is, for all practical purposes, over for this year. One indication of just how busy birds are raising new families is how much quieter it has become on the preserves. Three weeks ago there were so many birds calling and singing it could be a challenge to single them out. Now with most breeding birds paired up and raising their first (or second) brood, the woodlands and meadows have become almost silent. To be sure there are still some birds singing since they breed later in the season than others. Even some breeding birds get noisy if we humans inadvertently get too close to their nests. Scolding calls from red-wing blackbirds, song sparrows, tree swallows, and nuthatches are meant to distract or discourage us from getting too close to their nests containing eggs or young.

This week’s report starts on a sad note: the nest at Oak Point containing a baby yellow warbler and a baby brown-headed cowbird was lost due to an unknown predator. The nest was undamaged so it is thought that the predator may have been another bird. Unfortunate though this is, it’s also part of nature’s life cycle. Hopefully the female yellow warbler will try to raise another brood this year. Other nests at Oak Point are doing well: the tree swallow eggs in two nest boxes have hatched out and the bluebirds continue incubating their 2nd clutch of eggs.

One of the two nest boxes at Lobster Cove Meadow has become active again. Five new pale blue eggs were seen this week in the nest box used by bluebirds earlier this season. This is very likely the same pair of bluebirds that successfully raised & fledged five young “blues” just 2-3 weeks ago.

Nine new baby house wrens hatched early this week at Penny Lake and six more should hatch out as early as this weekend. Six young tree swallows continue growing fast and could fledge around the 4th of July.

The only active nest box at Singing Meadows now has five recently-hatched tree swallows in it and the eastern phoebe nest discovered last week is doing well with four fast-growing youngsters. But the really GOOD news at Singing Meadows is that the lonely male bobolink who has been singing his heart out for the past two weeks has apparently succeeded in attracting a mate! Today a female bobolink was seen right next to the male in what is considered excellent breeding habitat. Since bobolinks nest on the ground in weedy or grassy fields their nest will be all but impossible to locate and monitor. We’ll still try to monitor their presence and hopefully see the results of a successful pairing in a few weeks.

June 11: Bird Baby Boom

Although the spring bird migration is effectively over for this year, there are probably still a few late-arriving birds. Breeding activity is hitting full stride now with lots of new fledglings and some birds already working on their 2nd brood of the season.

Oak Point Farm was quite busy this week with 17 new fledglings: 9 white-breasted nuthatches, 4 bluebirds, and 4 eastern phoebes were unleashed into the world! The yellow warbler nest now has a newly-hatched warbler and a newly-hatched brown-headed cowbird. The noticeably larger cowbird chick will undoubtedly get the lions share of the food brought to the nest by the adult warbler to the detriment of the baby warbler. Hopefully it will get enough to eat so it can fledge later this month.

Tree swallows in two nest boxes continue incubating their eggs and the bluebirds which fledged several youngsters about 3 weeks ago have already deposited five eggs en route to their second brood this season.

At Penny Lake the two nest boxes with house wrens, incubating 15 eggs between them, are expected to hatch out this coming week, while the nest box with tree swallows now has six newly-hatched youngsters.

Five new bluebirds fledged at Singing Meadows this week. That leaves only one currently active nest box at this preserve. Tree swallows are incubating five eggs which should be hatching any day now. Red-wing blackbirds are breeding at Singing Meadows as well, but their nests are too inaccessible to monitor. A well-hidden eastern phoebe nest with four youngsters was a surprise find at Singing Meadows this week.

So far this breeding season over 40 young birds have been added to the Boothbay area from just four BRLT preserves, and there’s still time for as many, if not more, to go.

June 3: Fledging and more

At Oak Point Farm, the yellow warbler nest with 2 eggs found last week has been visited by a brown-headed cowbird.  The cowbird is known as a “parasitic nester” because it deposits its own egg in the nest of a different species and leaves the egg to be incubated by the nest owner, in this case the yellow warbler.  The cowbird left one of the warbler eggs in the nest but ejected the other.  When the eggs hatch, the young cowbird, being larger than the warbler, ends up getting most of the food brought by its foster mom, which often results in the loss of the young warbler.  Many “foster” moms don’t recognize the cowbird egg as an imposter nor the young cowbird as anything but a mouth to be fed.  Note the size difference between the 2 eggs in the photo.

In other news at Oak Point, a new bluebird nest is under construction in the nest box that fledged several young bluebirds just a couple of weeks ago and nine young white-breasted nuthatches should be ready to leave the nest in about a week.

Interesting sightings this week at Oak Point include a male yellow warbler, a male indigo bunting, a male American redstart, and a large (40+) flock of cedar waxwings.

May 28: Peak Migration passes as Breeding kicks into High Gear

The spring migration here in Maine may have peaked this past week but breeding activity has really kicked into high gear. The migration will continue but will slow down over the next couple of weeks, but breeding activity on BRLT preserves (and all over the peninsula) has really picked up and will be the primary topic of today’s blog.

Oak Point Farm witnessed bluebirds both hatching and fledging, phoebe eggs hatching, more tree swallow eggs, white-breasted nuthatch youngsters growing, and the discovery of a yellow warbler nest (with eggs). Four new bluebirds hatched this week and are being fed and guarded by their parents while five young bluebirds fledged early in the week and are probably hanging out somewhere around Oak Point. Ms. Phoebe’s 4 eggs hatched this week and she’s busy feeding them all day, every day. Tree swallows are incubating eggs in 2 nest boxes. One nest has 6 eggs, but the number of eggs in the other nest is unknown because Ms. Swallow is a protective parent and won’t leave when the nest box is opened for inspection! The 9 young white-breasted nuthatch youngsters continue to grow quickly, but with an average 26-day nestling period, they won’t fledge for another 2 weeks.

The most unexpected find of the week was a yellow warbler nest with 2 eggs in it. This was a lucky break because their nests are so tiny they can be very difficult to find. The female warbler was spotted flying away from a shrub where the nest was ultimately located. A yellow warbler nested in the same area a couple of years ago, but the nest failed due to predation. Hopefully this one will fare better.

Lobster Cove Meadow saw the fledging of 5 young bluebirds this week, 3 of which were seen in nearby trees being fed by Ms. Blue. The other 2 youngsters were probably nearby but out of sight. Other probable breeding activity includes a pair of Baltimore orioles that have been seen together in the same area consistently for the past 2 weeks. Two species of vireos (blue-headed & red-eyed) were heard singing which suggests breeding activity was in progress.

Five bluebird youngsters at Penny Lake fledged last weekend and probably remain in the area. Two nest boxes are now occupied by tree swallows and house wrens and a third nest box has the beginnings of another house wren nest. While these are the first house wren nestings seen on land trust preserves, they are fairly common around our area.

Singing Meadows has 2 nest boxes with 11 growing young blue birds and 1 nest box with at least 4 tree swallow eggs. All of the young bluebirds will probably fledge by late next week. The parents in one of these bluebird nest boxes are particularly aggressive toward the volunteer who monitors the Singing Meadows nests. He reports being “attacked” each day he visits this nest. We hope he will successfully weather the “attacks” of these small birds!😁

Finally, I’ve seen bird breeding activity in my own yard this season. A pair of northern cardinals have already raised and fledged several youngsters, dark-eyed juncos are tending to youngsters, and a chipping sparrow was seen collecting material for a nest she was building nearby. I’ll bet there are many instances of this kind of activity in yards all over the Boothbay area.

May 20: First Fledglings ready to take Flight

Local bird breeding activity is really picking up speed and the spring migration is nearing its peak for the year. Four BRLT preserves remain very active with 15 total nest boxes, and almost all of them currently occupied. Oak Point Farm has the most active nest boxes with five (plus a nest on a building), followed by Penny Lake and Singing Meadows with three each, and Lobster Cove Meadow with one.

Six nest boxes currently have bluebird eggs and/or youngsters, four nest boxes are occupied by tree swallows, one has a white-breasted nuthatch, and one has a new resident: a house wren. The nest on the building at Oak Point has a phoebe incubating eggs.

The first fledgling bluebirds of the season are expected to leave their nests this weekend at Penny Lake & Oak Point Farm, with more following a few days later at Lobster Cove Meadow.

The nine white-breasted nuthatch eggs just hatched this week while the tree swallow and phoebe eggs should start hatching next week. No house wren eggs have been deposited yet but that could happen next week.

Other possible breeding activity observed this week includes a pair of Baltimore orioles at Lobster Cove and red-wing blackbirds at Lobster Cove & Singing Meadows.

Some of the more interesting migration observations this week include black-throated blue warblers and black-throated green warblers, spotted sandpiper, American kestrel, Cooper’s hawk, and the tiny chimney swift. Hummingbirds also continue to arrive in our area so be sure to put up nectar feeders to help these “flying gems” regain their strength after a long migration.

May 14: Peak Migration Nears

May 6: Chicks are here!

Other land trust bird breeding activity includes a new gaggle of 7 little Canada goose goslings at Oak Point and 2 Canada goose nests at Lobster Cove.

Interesting spring migrant sightings this week include palm & yellow-rump warblers, chipping & white-crowned sparrows, great blue herons, and a ruby-throated hummingbird.  Many more migrant species are expected in the coming days & weeks.

April 30: Nest building and Spring Migration

Migration activity continues to pick up.  The highlight from this week was seeing a beautiful male palm warbler in full breeding plumage at Oak Point.  Barred owls are heard calling day & night, osprey’s are pairing up, and tree swallows are being seen in increasing numbers.  And there are still many more birds to follow!

Oak Point Farm

Oak Point now has 3 nest boxes with nests: 2 bluebirds and 1 white-breasted nuthatch.  One of the bluebird nests has 5 eggs while the other two could have eggs in them by next week, if not sooner.  The 5 bluebird eggs could hatch this weekend.  In addition, an eastern phoebe has re-occupied a nest used last year.  This nest is built on a narrow ledge on a building at Oak Point and is difficult to see and inspect.  More on that next week.

Lobster Cove Meadow

One of 2 nest boxes at Lobster Cove is currently occupied by a bluebird incubating 5 eggs which should hatch in the first week of May.

Penny Lake

The Penny Lake nest with 5 bluebird eggs is expected to hatch next week.  We recently welcomed a new volunteer, Carolyn Lanigan, to monitor the 3 Penny Lake nest boxes.  Welcome aboard, Carolyn!

Singing Meadows

Singing Meadows is currently in the lead (not that this is a competition!) for the number of active nest boxes.  All 5 nest boxes now have nests in them, although one nest is only partially completed.  Three of those nests have eggs in them and one more could have eggs as soon as this weekend.  The nest with 6 bluebird eggs could hatch this weekend.  The other two nests with 4 bluebird eggs in each should hatch from early to mid-May.

April 22: Earth Day Update

In spite of some unseasonably cold & windy weather, bird migration & breeding activity was on full display at three BRLT preserves today.  One of the 5 nest boxes at Singing Meadows provided a big surprise: 6 light blue eggs! This is slightly above the norm for bluebirds who typically deposit 4 or 5 eggs per clutch.  A second bluebird nest at Singing Meadows now has eggs (4) inside and a third bluebird nest may be under construction.

The Lobster Cove Meadow nest box with a single egg in it last week now has five eggs in it. “Dad” was watching closely as I inspected his nest box!

The Oak Point Farm bluebirds have also been busy.  Today there were 5 eggs in the nest to the right of the universal access trail (an increase of 2 since last week) and a new, complete bluebird nest has been built in a nest box near the pond.  The possible white-breasted nuthatch nest in the apple orchard has grown in size and could have eggs in it as soon as next week.

Interesting sightings of returning migrants this week included several hermit thrushes and white-throated sparrows at Oak Point & Lobster Cove Meadow. The spring migration should really begin to pick up in another week or so which is when we’ll start seeing many colorful wood warblers from Ocean Point to Edgecomb and beyond.

April 15: Eggs appear across Preserves

Yesterday’s walk through Oak Point, Penny Lake, Singing Meadows, and Lobster Cove Meadow revealed new and exciting activity (and 1 big surprise) in 4 nest boxes. After watching 2 weeks of nest building by bluebirds at Oak Point they have started to deposit eggs! Three light blue eggs were seen in the nest box to the right of the universal access trail. A possible white-breasted nuthatch nest was seen in a nest box in the apple orchard. Further observation will ultimately determine who is using this box.

At Lobster Cove Meadow one of the nest boxes now has 1 light blue egg in it. More eggs will likely be deposited in the coming week.

Penny Lake provided the big surprise of the day, and it didn’t involve either of the 2 new nest boxes recently installed there. After inspecting both of those boxes, I noticed an old nest box I hadn’t seen before, so I decided to take a quick look inside. As I approached the box I saw a female bluebird fly out of it, and when I opened it I saw 5 light blue eggs in the nest! This is going to be a busy pair of adult bluebirds when that clutch of eggs hatch!!

Michael’s inspection of the nest boxes at Singing Meadows revealed a complete nest (but no eggs yet) in 1 box and 4 light blue eggs in another box.

Other observations of local bird activity reveal that male red-wing blackbirds are claiming territories at Lobster Cove & Singing Meadows while song sparrows are doing the same at most BRLT preserves. Ospreys have returned to Maine and will soon begin nesting activity along the coast and some inland sites. Red-breasted mergansers and common loons are appearing in larger numbers in our area in preparation for moving a bit further north to commence nesting & breeding activity. The migration of many smaller, colorful birds has gotten started and will increase in intensity over the next several weeks.

April 5: Early signs of Nesting

It’s still a bit early for the spring migration here in Maine but there are a few signs that breeding activity has gotten started on some BRLT Preserves. Eastern bluebirds started nest building at Singing Meadows and Oak Point Farm last week so eggs in the nests shouldn’t be too far behind, possibly this week. Song sparrows arrived in abundance over the 2 weeks and are already claiming breeding territories in every preserve with the appropriate habitat.

Black-capped chickadees have been seen investigating potential nest sites on all of our preserves, including some nest boxes already claimed by bluebirds. The bluebirds typically react to these unwelcome visits by vigorously chasing the chickadees away!

Male American goldfinches have molted into their bright summer breeding plumage, but they don’t typically start breeding activity until later in the year. A belted kingfisher was seen over the pond at Oak Point last week, turkey vultures are appearing in the sky after their winter vacation down south, and returning red-wing blackbirds have started claiming breeding sites in freshwater marshes.

Many of the sea ducks that spend the winter in our region can still be seen in the harbor and coastal waters but as spring advances they will start to move north toward their traditional breeding areas. Buffleheads, common goldeneyes, red-breasted mergansers, common eiders, hooded mergansers, and surf scoters are still being seen but will gradually disappear over the next month or so.

March 23: Birds are Back

Spring is here and that means that birds are returning to our region and some are beginning to prepare for nesting. At BRLT preserves, our nest boxes have been cleaned out of debris and are ready for bird couples to move in. The historical data I have from last year will give me a good idea of when I should start watching for signs of nesting activity at each of our preserves. Late April is when I recorded the first nesting activity at Oak Point when I found eggs in two nest boxes: the Bluebirds southwest of the farmhouse and the Nuthatches over in the apple orchard. Similar activity was noticed in one nest box at Lobster Cove in April. The bluebirds are definitely getting interested in procreating.  This morning I watched a male vigorously chase an unidentified bird away from a nest box (see the picture taken just after the chase).  This strongly suggests the pair have laid claim to this nest box for the coming breeding season. Throughout the spring activity will pick up. I’ll be documenting the season here on Bird Word so bookmark the page and check back frequently.