Past News & Events
Breeding Birds - September 1, 2009
This was a very good year for breeding birds in the park. We were able to verify that at
least two, and probably three, of the Wood Duck nest boxes were used. Later in the season
(in early-to-mid July), we observed at least 33 Wood Duck chicks on the ponds at one time.
Two photos on this page were taken on the same day and show two different adult females,
each with ten chicks.
The survival rate of the chicks seemed to be quite high, depite numerous sightings of hawks in
the area.
The songbird boxes were used as well, and we believe that Black-capped Chickadees and Tree
Swallows did hatch successfully. (See photo of a Tree Swallow below.)
Unfortunately, a clutch of three desiccated Eastern Bluebird eggs were found abandoned in one
of the boxes late in the season (see photo below).
Outside of the nest boxes, and other than the species already noted, we observed juvenile birds
and/or nesting behavior in several of our regular species. These included Downy
Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatches, Northern Cardinals, American Robins, Mallards and
others. Though not hatched on-site, young Great Blue and Green Herons were seen feeding
at the ponds in the late summer.
The first-ever Minnesota statewide breeding bird survery will be of interest to the bird
watchers who visit this site. This is a three-year project to gather observational
information on the breeding habits of birds in every county of the state. Results
will be published on-line and in a printed atlas. See the website of the Minnesota
Breeding Bird Atlas Project at www.mnbba.org for more
information and/or to get involved.
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