Adapted from my report to park staff and the nest box team:
A fast start to the season!
As of our third trip out, we have nesting activity in six boxes: #7, #13 (main pond), #77, #67, #61, and #68 (lower Barnyard Run). Three boxes are Hooded Merganser, two are Wood Duck, and one has 5 HM eggs and 2 WD eggs.
Alan and I cleaned out the squirrel drey from box #9 (and woke up a cranky squirrel, who promptly exited). We’ve been pulling trash from the run flowing into the main pond, but I think there is more to be found on the west bank. On the 14th, we spotted a Wood Duck pair standing on the boardwalk just beyond the observation tower.
Also on the 14th, Red-Winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) and Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) made their first appearance. On the 21st, we watched an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) fishing over the main pond.
