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Bird House Work
FAR Monitoring Plan
Information provided by Stew Sanders, February 25, 2006

volunteers sought
Call Stew: 617 489-3120
Email Stew: ssandbird@yahoo.com

February 25, 2006 message from Stew

Hi bird house people,

Please find attached a new chart for Alewife bird houses and more. I have added some nests found on last Sat. field trip and hi-lighted March activities for volunteers. Can you work any of these times: Wed. afternoon Mar. 8 at 2:30, Sat March 11 at 10 or afternoon, Sunday afternoon Mar. 12 2-4?

Stew

February 3, 2006 message from Stew

Hi folks

For those with zone maps, please note there is a box in 25 and a double box in 20. For clarity fill in the circle for "animal hideouts" in 3, the right side of 32, and the key.

You may be able to see the red phase Screech Owl using the large box at the edge of the uplands, 6. From my experience elsewhere, at dusk, a screech owl appears in the entrance hole for about 20 minutes before flying.

In the table below, there are additions as follows: based on my records from other locations, times to listen for screech owls to determine if they are courting; some maintenance dates have been changed from Feb. to March; there is a kestrel/screech owl box I had not previously noticed in the Wyeth parcel.

There is activity near and probably into the rabbit hide. What is the larger track, a fisher, which was reported in the area, or a cat? Does the hide offer shelter to a rabbit? Visit a day or 2 after fresh snow. Bring an animal tracks book.

Stew


proposed monitor activity

imposters

predators

maintenance

structure/repair/location zone #

species

cleaned

found; record number 1

nr. 2

weekly Apr - June

 

 

 

trunk of dead birch 10' up, zone 1

chickadee probabl

 

Feb., '06 fresh digging

 

weekly May-June

 

blackants

Mar. clean(bd)

ok--------orchard 32 south

carolnawren/chcdee

Feb.,04

moss nest, lined, 3 eggs whole, 1 shell,'03

start of nest, pine needles and dirt;

some chewing around entrance

weekly May-June

 

wasps

Mar. clean(ck)

ok--------orchard 32 north

chickadee

Feb.,04

3 tubes of pipe organ wasps, mud dauber

 

twice a month, April-May

 

 

are there plenty of worms

32

Robin

 

435 winter roost '06 Aud.Christmas census

 

twice a month, May-June

 

 

sufficient mud worms

Blair Pond area 34

Killdeer

 

 

 

weekly April -June

squirrels

 

Mar.clean(2dgk)ad prch

beginning of Little River 29

flicker

Mar.'04

squirrel nest and squirrel

 

weekly June

 

 

 

2005 nest 2/06 in 10 north probabl

Song Sparrow

 

 

 

occasional, June, listen

 

 

 

Blair Pond area 34

American Toad

 

 

 

weekly April - May

 

 

 

zone 6

screech owl

Mar'04 Jan'06

animal, bird remains

lowered house in Dec. and Jan.;

occupied both times by red phase s.owl

weekly April - May

squirrel

 

Mar. clean(2bhidefkl)

15, add nail to roof

kestrel

Mar.'04

slight hollow in shavings, spiders

 

June

 

 

October

cut upper face of slope 32

kingfisher

 

 

 

warm weather

 

 

 

hole in ground 10

woodchuck

Feb., '06

no sign of activity

 

March and April,twilight

 

 

maintain open area

 

Woodcock

 

 

 

early summer

 

 

sandy area

 

Snapping Turtle

 

 

 

winter; tracks in snow

 

 

add brush on top

orchard, near Wellington Bk 32

cottontail

 

2/1 tracks: rabbit adjacent plus unidentified

 

visit area in June weekly

 

 

divert trails away

2005 nest - zone C

unidentified

Feb.,04

 

 

weekly June

 

 

 

2005 nest- zone 11 west

Baltimore Oriole

Feb. '06

woven nest remnant high, probable oriole

 

every 2 wks mid Feb.-May *

 

 

Mar.clean(bcdl)

Jul clean-Perch Pond 28

screech owl

Mar.'04

leaves like squirrel's work

 

 

 

 

 

March select site and put up

double Tree Swallw

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March select site and put up

double Tree Swallw

 

 

 

 

mouse

 

Mar. clean (acijm)

add metal tube on post- zone C

mouse

 

fall: remove metal for winter use by mouse

 

weekly June

 

 

12/15 cleaned, Mar. "

zone C sw house of double

Bluebird

Dec., '05

12/5 dead skeletal remains, nest material

 

weekly June

house sp

 

Mar. clean (2bcdhij)

modified Blair P. 34

Tree Swallw

Feb.,04

House Sparrow nest; reduced hole size

 

weekly June

 

 

Mar. clean (acijm)

add metal tube on post - zone 20

mouse

 

fall: remove metal for winter use by mouse

 

weekly June

 

 

Mar. clean "

zone 20

Tree Swallow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

gourds hanging, Wyeth - zone G

Tree Swallows

 

 

 

check in May*

 

 

ask Wyeth Co.

zone 25 on 15' metal pole in woods

screech owl

 

 

 

twice in May

squirrels

 

Mar.open (bkl)

entrance shield,trim branches 28

wood duck

Mar.,'04

3 squirrels, one bob-tailed in nest

 

visit area in June weekly

 

 

divert trails away

2005 nest - 3

probably Catbird

Feb.'05

nest in briars above, behind otter house

 

summer, 2007

 

 

 

zone 3

river otter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

preparation/equipment

2-2 people

a

putty knife, brush, mask,

gloves, collection bag

h

rubber boots

* times for listening for Screech Owls:

 

 

 

b

stepladder

 

i

sickle

Feb. mid. 5:30-6 p.m end 5:45-6:15

 

 

 

c

brush cutters

 

j

hammer,nails

Mar. mid 6-6:30 p.m end 7-8 a.m.

 

 

 

d

electric screwdriver

 

k

wood shavings

Apr. mid 7-7:30 p.m end 6-7 p.m.

 

 

 

e

wrench set

 

l

mirror, light

May mid 8-9:30 p.m.

 

 

 

f

1/4" wrench

 

m

metal for post

20-30 min after sunset; 1 hr before sunrise

 

 

 

g

full length ladder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

resources

 

H

Complete Field Guide to

Nests, Headstrom, Richard, 1970

 

 

*see wildlife cards for incubation & fledging