This week I have a look at my nest boxes to see what needs to be cleaned up before winter. Stay tuned until the very end of the show to see what I found! Dr. Bird answers a question about the Topsy-Turvy bird or the Red and White Breasted Nuthatch. I talk about the Christmas bird count and how you can get involved. In the US click here and in Canada click here. Another quiet week in the news, but because it’s the first episode of the month I talk about a few things on Mark Your Calendar. More incredible photography with Birds in Baths this week – have a look at the gallery!
Happy Birding!
Haha, nice ending!
Thanx to David for answering my question. I knew it was an evolutionary characteristic, but still think it takes less energy to sit on a perch and reach in. 🙂
Regarding your martin house, is it new? It took me two years to attract martins, but I have friends in the Manitoba Purple Martin Society who had martins in year 1.
Also in MB after we clean the houses each fall we must block the entrances to prevent house sparrows from moving in. Once the house sparrows establish they harass the martins who won’t nest.
Hi Warren,
My Purple Martin house is brand new indeed. I had to buy it because the other one had fallen apart. I was hoping that Purple Martins would take to it right away, but at the same time I was aware that they might not. We could see them circling around the house, but there was something about it that the Martins didn’t like. No one else used it, either. So all I have to do is wait and see what happens next year.
Most nature centers in our area remove all nesting material in winter and prop the door open until spring to avoid tenants such as the one you discovered at the end of this weeks episode. The reasoning is that mice will take over the birdhouse rendering it unfit for birds to winter in. I think by adding material to the box you are making it quite comfy for the mice!
Thank you for your comment! I agree with you, and I can totally understand why nature centers leave the door open. I have never had mice take over bird houses because I always check on them. This year I was a bit too late, and as you could see I was taken by surprise. Since I emptied the house, I have been going back to see if the mice have moved back in or not. So far so good!