Past News & Events
Nest Box Maintenance - March 2009
The bluebird and Wood Duck nest boxes in the park were built and placed by local boy scouts, led by scoutmaster Craig Miller. We've observed Eastern Bluebirds, Black-capped Chickadees, Tree Swallows, and House Wrens nesting the the bluebird boxes. The ponds have hosted fledgling Wood Ducks for at least the past two years,
though we don't know for sure whether they've used the boxes (we have, however, observed a Pileated Woodpecker wintering in one of them). Without a doubt, these boxes have been a success and a very nice addition to the park. We are grateful to the scouts for their efforts.
We would also like to thank Paul Erdmann, who while working for the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District spent time at the ponds caring for the nest boxes. He's no longer with the RWMWD, and lives on the west side of the metro, and so will not be able to get to the ponds as frequently as he'd like to in the future.
Early this March, I checked the existing boxes for damage, and prepared them for the 2009 nesting season. I added approximately four inches of wood shavings to the bottom of the Wood Duck boxes after cleaning them. These boxes seem to be in good shape.
One of the bluebird houses seems to have "exploded" last year. Sadly, it appears to have been vandalized. The five remaining bluebird boxes (a few others have disappeared or have been removed) were in need of some repair. I've replaced the floor of one box, and have removed old nesting materials from others. I scraped and cleaned the insides of all of them.
Steve Bachman
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