Cañada de los Osos Ecological Reserve: Youth Education

Cañada de Los Osos Bird Nest Program – 2010

House Wren  Troglodytes aedon

Western Bluebird  Sialia mexicana

Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans

Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor

Violet-green Swallow T.  thallassina

The drought ended, and although erratic swings in temperature and long periods of rain affected had some negative effects, the overall picture was positive with some birds fledging young a month later than last year.

House Wrens.  These birds are small bundles of feathered energy.  They fill their nest box with sticks and even build false nests nearby.  They scour the brush for insects to feed their young and actively defend their nests.  Aggressive competitors, it is not unusual for them to sneak into the nests of neighbors and puncture some of the eggs.  12 young fledged last year.  This year 37! 

Bluebirds, the symbol of happiness.  They’re so family oriented that the first-born young of the year may even help with the feeding of their parent’s second family.  There is a dark side though.  Although they usually get along well with other small birds, they have been known to kill adult swallows to take over a favored nest box.  55 young fledged last year.  This year 47.

Black Phoebes.  These flycatchers have adopted the back of the generator shed as their home and have built their mud/grass nests there every year. The same pair nested twice this year in the same nest.  Like last year, 2 nestings, 8 young fledged.

Tree Swallows.  84 young fledged last year.  This year 112!  More flying insects this year made for a longer nesting season.  More double-nesting, less abandonment.

Violet-green Swallows.  None even showed up the past two years.  A few appeared this year, with a couple if nestings, but only 4 young fledged.
                                                                                               
Wild Turkies had lots of young and many of the CA Valley Quail have  produced two large families this year.

We have several Wood Duck boxes up, but most are in remote locations that are hard to reach early in the year when the birds start to nest.  The young readily hide and can be hard to count.  However, one box is known to have produced 10 young and another.   A Mallard Duck produced 9 young at one of the same ponds.

 

Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopovo

California Quail Callipepla californica

Wood Duck Aix sponsa

Mallard Duck Anas platyrhynchos