Date: 4/22/25 7:24 am From: jerry Kruth <00000005ead0dac6-dmarc-request...> Subject: Moraine St park nestboxes
Linda and I motored up I-79 yesterday, to Moraine St. Park,to do our sorta-annual nestbox review.
From all the dozens and dozens of boxes once erected aroundthe area, old age and lethargy have reduced my efforts, now limited to thetrove of boxes centered around Porter’s Cove, in the extreme SW corner of thepark.
We had a strange mixed-bag outcome.
First there were the half-dozen “tele-poles” we erected someyears back, with the wonderful help of a power company who “planted” thoseguys, and I installed each with six boxes. Sadly, on the four down the bridal trail (horses, not marriages) onlyone box appeared to have a Chickadee nest, with light moss surrounding a bed ofleaves. Other than that, we had whatmight be a flying squirrel’s hangout, and then several with those wasps thatbuild those mud nests? Extremely disappointingfor all that effort.
Back up at ‘The Cove,” are the two other poles. Around those boxes was already a delightfulswarm of those dazzling iridescent green-and-white long-range migrants! So now, I’m up on a ladder, hoping not tokill myself, or worse -- end up some cripple, and peering in, hoping not to getstung, bitten, or whatever. I find abox packed with materials similar to the ubiquitous field mice, so I take astick and gently began to remove the moss and debris.
Out pop one, two, four tiny (flying?) squirrels, They all fall into the leaves below. Fortunately not one hit the water (did I mentionI again foolishly forgot boots, so now my sneakers are freezing cold with theApril water (sigh!). I race down theladder, scoop them all up in my hat, so as not to touch them -- with theireyes still closed, and now whimpering tiny squeaks of protest, and I then gentlyclimb and put them back!
How these squirrels get into those boxes (and mice) amazes,as they have thirty inches of aluminum wrap to traverse, but I also suspect overhangingbranches can help them arrive by parachute!.
The rest of those dozen boxes contained several for-sure oldnests, which I removed, and scraped out the boxes. Then there were several more nests, which ifnot new construction, at least contain materials that can be reused, so I left them.
There was also at least one box containing a completeold nest built over a previous one, feathers and all, so it begs the question – Ifan old nest seems okay, why do they go the work to do an entirely new one?
I replaced a broken box (perhaps from one of the Park’s miscreantvisitor’s efforts?); repaired the roof of another, and retreated so the vexedswarm of arrivals could continue their own efforts.
By this time, the Park boat had arrived, skippered bynone-the-less than the Park Manager, himself, Dustin Drew! This guy is one of a long-line of great MS ParkManagers who have been just great in giving Bartramian Audubon every kind ofgreat assistance over the years. Thank you Dustin, et al. Heskippered me out to the Last Man Standing snag, where, upon arrival I found Ihad foolishly left my cordless drill atop one of the poles I had just finished(sigh!). Dustin cheerfully hauled us backto the landing (another sigh!). By nowthe rains had started AGAIN. Dustin wasnot deterred, and we went back out, where I found another swarm of TS alreadyworking on their own efforts!
I lamented to Dustin, “It’s a real pity we never had someoneinterested in banding these guys.” I believe those small “swarms,” must be those offspring bornhere over the years, but no way to prove that, I guess.
Tragically, one box contained SIX of last year’s tinynestlings, long-desiccated. Perhaps the resultof a freeze, or maybe the parents succumbed? Nature is beautiful, but also heart-rending; you see much of both if you’reat this long enough
I replaced a roof or two, did a few other fixes, and thenremoved several obviously old nests, and left the swarming bunch to their owndevices. I reflected on how, when therewere the original SIX snags, the annual pre-nesting huge swarm of TS was an absolutedelight to encounter. Time and lake icehave finally consumed the other five, so Last Man Standing hangs on anotheryear.
When does our own time come, one might muse? No one gets out alive!
From that vantage point, I could see the previouslymentioned four poles on land, just a couple of hundred yards away that areignored!?
Go figure?
Dustin dropped us back at the wharf? We gave a profuse thanks, and waved him a warm goodbye as he motored off!
In closing, Linda and I left, tired, but exultant! Not every effort at nestboxes is successful;some have unhappy endings, but all the efforts are worthwhile!
So – in case you are equivocating -- If you want your own experienceon how YOU can make a positive impact, just do it. It’s still not too late to get a few boxes upsomewhere, in the right habitat! If youneed any encouragement or help, write me.
Thanks for reading, and best wishes for good birding experiences!
