Over 40,000 Songbirds Were Fledged in the 2011
Season: Annual Report II
by Kent Hall
A total of 40,113 songbirds (Table 1) were fledged from the 9569 nest boxes reported to me for the 2011 season (down from 47,403 fledged in 2010 = -15.2%). This drop of 7,290 fledged songbirds was due mainly to the loss of bluebirds fledged (7,365) but Tree Swallows also dropped by 334 fledglings and chickadees dropped by 213 fledglings. House Wrens had a strong production season as they increased by 622 fledglings from 2010.
These results led to a drop in production per box from 4.9 in 2010 to 4.2 (-14.3%). It seems most likely that this production drop was twofold: 1) the loss of about two weeks of nesting in the spring due to cold weather and 2) the black fly problem experienced in the western part of the state.
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B.R.A.W. Info Packet - Version 3:
Attracting Eastern Bluebirds & Other Cavity Nesters
The Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin has come a long way since its inception in 1986 in its understanding about how to effectively manage Eastern Bluebirds. This booklet pulls together the collective experiences of people who work especially in the interest of bluebirds, particularly those persons who record and summarize their nest box data and whom we term monitors. Printable Info Pack (PDF)
Controlled Burn in a Bluebird Habitat
by Fred Craig
What do we do with nest boxes in this case?
1) Burn an area several feet in diameter around the base of the post first. After that fire is extinguished, continue with the controlled burn.
2) If the house is on a steel post with a PVC predator guard, you may be able to take the house loose, slide the guard off, then mount the house back on temporarily.
3) Leave the post in the ground and remove the predator guard and the house until after the burn is completed.
If the house is occupied with eggs or young, you should make a responsible decision on what to do.
BRAW is a NABS Affiliate Organization.