From Ms. Vicki, adult volunteer monitor:
Box 1 has a completed house sparrow in it with 5 eggs. What a messy housekeeper!
Box 2 now has a few sticks in it--maybe another house sparrow or maybe a wren from the Sigma Nu nests.
Box 3 still has an active tree swallow nest with 5 pinkish white eggs. Mom and Dad are really guarding their eggs closely, Mom watching us from the electric wire above and Dad dive bombing us as we looked.
Box 4 has another house sparrow nest being built on top of the original tree swallow nest. We spied the sparrow flying from the box.
Box 5 has a thriving ant colony.
Box 6: Our four beautiful tree swallow eggs are gone, and most of the feathers have disappeared. As science detectives, we observed that there were no egg shells around the nest. What could have gotten the eggs? There is a snake guard, so likely not that (but still possible). There are no overhanging branches and with the Noel guard around the hole, it is unlikely a quarrel, raccoon or cat could have reached into the nest. With house sparrow so abundant around the school and two sparrow nests in other boxes, we think that maybe a house sparrow has kicked the tree swallows out and is preparing to build a nest.. Three nests with house sparrows--not good!
Box 1 has a completed house sparrow in it with 5 eggs. What a messy housekeeper!
Box 2 now has a few sticks in it--maybe another house sparrow or maybe a wren from the Sigma Nu nests.
Box 3 still has an active tree swallow nest with 5 pinkish white eggs. Mom and Dad are really guarding their eggs closely, Mom watching us from the electric wire above and Dad dive bombing us as we looked.
Box 4 has another house sparrow nest being built on top of the original tree swallow nest. We spied the sparrow flying from the box.
Box 5 has a thriving ant colony.
Box 6: Our four beautiful tree swallow eggs are gone, and most of the feathers have disappeared. As science detectives, we observed that there were no egg shells around the nest. What could have gotten the eggs? There is a snake guard, so likely not that (but still possible). There are no overhanging branches and with the Noel guard around the hole, it is unlikely a quarrel, raccoon or cat could have reached into the nest. With house sparrow so abundant around the school and two sparrow nests in other boxes, we think that maybe a house sparrow has kicked the tree swallows out and is preparing to build a nest.. Three nests with house sparrows--not good!