Recent Articles from BRMC Newsletters

Results of Nest Boxes in 2006

Last December we visited the Prince William County Juvenile Detention Center to begin a project with the kids living there, building bluebird nest boxes (see Spring Newsletter). In early March, 11 of the boxes were placed in various locations around the Mountain House, headquarters for Bull Run Mountains Conservancy (BRMC) and 2 were placed at the detention center.

I didn't expect nesting bluebirds at the detention center with the nearby habitat disturbance due to widening of Route 234, but rather expected Carolina chickadees or house wrens. I returned to the detention center on April 18th to monitor the nest boxes. The first one I looked into was completely empty of any nest material. After closing the nest box, I proceeded to the second one. Upon opening the box I gazed in on a female bluebird sitting on 5 fresh eggs. I notified Jane Frelin, the volunteer coordinator at the center, who then came out to view the nest with much enthusiasm. Everyone at the center was excited to have nesting bluebirds so close to the facility and near the parking area. According to Jane, 5 bluebirds fledged successfully from this nest.

Back at the Mountain House, we got off to a good start on April 11th, observing boxes holding a bluebird pair with 5 eggs and 6 Carolina chickadee nests. The nest with the highest number of eggs laid contained 7. Some of the Carolina chickadees even had a second brood before the season ended. On May 2nd, 4 tree swallows were flying around one of the bluebird houses in the clearing down the road from the Mountain House. On closer inspection I observed some white chicken feathers inside the box. A pair finally took over the box and by May 13th the completed nest held 3 eggs. By May 15th the nest contained 5 eggs and all 5 hatched on May 30th. After the tree swallows fledged in June, I removed the old nest. When I checked the box on July 10th, I found a female bluebird sitting on 3 fresh eggs. On July 17th the nest contained 4 eggs and all 4 hatched with the young fledging by July 12th.

The fourth species to nest in one of the boxes was Carolina wren with a nest and 5 eggs on May 23rd. All 5 fledged by midJune. This pair or another had a nest with 6 eggs on July 9th.

The only box that did not have breeding birds around the Conservancy had a pair of whitefooted mice. To summarize, the 11 boxes here fledged 49 Carolina chickadees, 9 bluebirds, 5 tree swallows and 11 Carolina wrens. A very productive season resulted from a very worthy project.