Below are the 4 Bluebird Trail Reports from 4 County Parks:
Balm Boyette has its first 2nd nesting with 4 TM eggs and 17 TM fledglings.
Lake Park has 5 second nestings for a total of 10 nests, with 24 BB eggs, 15 chicks (9 BB, 6 CW), and 36 fledglings (24 BB, 12 CC). Joni Hartzler also reports that great crested flycatchers and screech owls are nesting in two owl/wood duck boxes.
Sargeant's Park has its first second nesting (a partial bluebird nest), and 5 BB fledglings.
Flatwoods Park has 2 second nestings, for a total of 22 nests, 40 eggs, 28 chicks (all bluebirds), with a total of 68 fledglings (33 BB, 23 CC, 12 TM). See attached spreadsheet for details.
All the news was good except for 5 missing chicks in box F21 at Flatwoods. There were no clues as to why they were missing. It didn't look like predation from a snake or raccoon, but the chicks either died and the mother removed them, or some other bird or animal ate them.
Our day on the Flatwoods Park Bluebird Trail was hot, but with a lot of exciting sightings. In addition to lots of bluebirds, we saw families of Northern bobwhite quail and wild turkeys, plus 3 solitary sandpipers, 5 wood ducks, 9 whistling ducks, northern parulas, American crows, tri-color and great blue herons, great crested flycatchers, ground doves, Northern cardinals, an osprey, and a blue jay.
Even though it has been a dry spring, we are beginning to see more wildflowers. Attached are pictures of Blueheart (Buchnera americana), Beardtongue (Penstemon multiflorus), and Wild Petunias (Ruellia caroliniensis).
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