[SBB] Nesting birds at HV, Byrne Preserve, Arastradero

["Garth Harwood" <[[email protected]]>]

Hello All,
I have been checking a lot of nestboxes lately and things are busy out there. Contrary to my forebodings, the lengthy series of late-spring rain events has not taken a noticeable toll on nesting birds. In fact, at this point the season seems to be better than usual, although that can change at any time.

First a few notes from Hidden Villa, mostly unrelated to nestboxes:
All 3 local Vireo species are currently (5/17/2005) on the nest at HV. Hutton's Vireo young are ready to fledge any day now; the others are still incubating eggs.

A solitary Western Tanager called at HV today, the first I've encountered this year on HV property. In recent years there has been at least one WETA nest on the farm by this time. 

Late last week Lazuli Buntings were singing at as many as 5 different points around the farm; on Thursday 5/12 I even saw a pair taking turns bathing in Adobe Creek. But they seem to have cleared out in the past few days; I don't hear any today. Some of these individuals had been acting very territorial, singing from the same spots for at least 3 weeks.

Song Sparrows were feeding fledglings in the lower fields on 5/12.

In the nestboxes here on the farm, a family of Bewick's Wrens (BEWR) fledged on 5/6. Violet-green Swallows (VGSW) carried nest material into a box on 5/12; another VGSW pair brought material to a different box on 5/9. Western Bluebirds are feeding young in another box (breeding code CF on 5/12). All of the above are in Atlas Block 7030.

At Byrne Preserve in Los Altos on 5/13/2005, 2 Vaux's Swifts passed overhead with mixed swallows during my nestbox check about 4:45 PM. Also present were an Olive-sided Flycatcher (odd in this habitat); a Western Wood-pewee, and a male W. Tanager. At one point the latter 3 species were in the same stand-alone valley oak tree along with several more common species.

In the 9 nestboxes at Byrne, all in atlas block 7035, 8 Oak Titmice seen on hatching day on 4/5 had long since fledged. One pair of Western Bluebirds (WEBL) was nestbuilding on the 5/13 visit; another had fledged and were tending their fledglings near their box; still another had 5 half-grown young on the nest. This small preserve has been an excellent spot for WEBL success over the past few years. A pair of VGSW had finished their nest but had no eggs yet (breeding code ON). 

At Arastradero Preserve I visited 19 boxes on the southwest side of Arastradero Rd. on 5/12 in the late afternoon. House Wrens (HOWR) had 7 eggs in a box near the northwest end of the De Anza trail. Two Ash-throated Flycatcher nests nearby held 5 and 4 large purple-streaked whitish eggs. A late Oak Titmouse clutch of 5 young were just half-grown; 3 other OATI clutches totaling 19 young had recently fledged (all had young on the nest during a 4/20 visit.) Tree Swallows were observed copulating next to their nestbox (nest complete, no eggs yet). This would be my first nesting of TRSW south of Arastradero Rd., although they are annual along the northern fenceline. One clutch of 6 Chestnut-backed Chickadees, which hatched on or about 4/20, had recently fledged. And two WEBL nests each held 5 offspring, 5 as eggs in one nest, 5 as half-grown nestlings in the other.

On the Arastradero visit of 5/12 I also observed a pair of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers finishing up a nest in a valley oak near the nestbox set described above; 3 or more Lazuli Buntings werer singing in the area too.

On Monday 5/16 I finished my nestbox rounds by visiting 25 boxes along the northern fenceline of Arastradero Preserve, overlooking Hwy 280. Results were:

WEBL: 8 nests. 4 with young, 2 with eggs, 2 under construction.
TRSW: 3 nests. 1 with young, 2 with eggs.
VGSW: 1 nest under active construction (CN).
ATFL: one nest under construction, no eggs yet.
HOWR: 1 nest with young close to fledging.
BEWR: 4 young had fledged from 6 eggs observed on 4/15.

A single Vaux's Swift winged over with swallows during the 5/16 visit. At least 3 dozen of the swallows were Cliff Swallows, which I had not seen much of up to this point.

A fews days off now, then the rounds begin again! Good thing it's fun...

Best to everyone,
Garth Harwood


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