2009 – Week #1: Mississippi Gulf Coast Blue Bird Trail Update

Hello, again, fellow Blue Bird watchers, and welcome to the 2009 Mississippi Gulf Coast Blue Bird Trail Update.

The Blue Birds in Long Beach are busy building nests again, as the 2009 mating season begins.

During the 2008 Blue Bird mating season at the SMRC Long Beach facility, 45 Blue Bird babies and 6 Chickadee babies flew from the 13 nesting boxes on the Trail.

Numerous Blue Birds have been spotted feeding on the grounds of the facility during the winter months, and it is hoped that many of last year’s crop of Blue Bird babies survived the winter to become nesting pairs in
this year’s season.

In this 2008 Blue Bird mating season image, Master Naturalist Buddy John and Emily walked the Blue Bird Trail.

Here are the survey results on the Blue Bird Trail, from Wednesday, March 4, 2009, taken by Master Naturalist Buddy John and your author, with the Survey companionship by Emily, the Tree-Climbing Wonder Dog.

Nest #1 – No activity. – Last Year Wk#1: 4 Blue Bird eggs.

Nest #2 – Some straw, nest under construction. – Last Year Wk#1: Nest under construction.

Nest #3 – No activity. – Last Year Wk#1: Nest under construction.

Nest #4 – Nest built. – Last Year Wk#1: Nest built.

Nest #5 – **Nest built. – Last Year Wk#1: No activity. **There was no nest building activity in this nest during the entire 2008 mating season.

Nest #6 – Nest built. – Last Year Wk#1: No activity.

Nest #7 – Nest under construction. – Last Year Wk#1: Nest under construction.

Nest #8 – No activity. – Last Year Wk#1: No activity.

Nest #9 – No activity. – Last Year Wk#1: No activity.

Nest #10 – No activity. – Last Year Wk#1: Nest under construction.

Nest #11 – No activity. – Last Year Wk#1: No activity.

Nest #12 – No activity. – Last Year Wk#1: No activity.

Nest #13 – No activity. – Last Year Wk#1: No activity.

Although there are no eggs yet in the nesting boxes yet, five nests have either been built or are under construction this week, and we hope to see some eggs by next Friday’s Trail Survey.

Have a good week!

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2008 – WEEK #21 – MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST BLUE BIRD TRAIL UPDATE

Hello again, fellow Blue Bird watchers!

It’s Week #21 (and perhaps the final week) of the Blue Bird mating season at the Blue Bird Trail on the Campus of the South Mississippi Regional Center, in Long Beach, Mississippi.

Master Naturalist Buddy John reports from his Friday, July 25 survey of the SMRC Blue Bird Trail, that the five, large Blue Bird babies in nesting box #12 last week, flew from the nest. And with their departure, that now leaves all 13 nesting boxes empty.

Master Naturalist Buddy john and Emily walking the Blue Bird Trail.

John said last week that he is very enthused with the results from the first mating season of the Long Beach Blue Bird Trail, with a total of 45 Blue Bird babies and 6 Chickadee babies born on the Trail, entering into the local bird populations of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

John added that he learned a lot during this season about Blue Birds, and is anxiously awaiting the next season to see how many of the 13 nesting boxes will be used by Blue Bird pairs to raise young birds.

We want to Thank all of you Blue Bird enthusiasts for stopping by during this first season of the Trail to check on how the Blue Bird mating activity has been going, and we welcome you to check back in with us next January or so, as the next season begins.

Or, stop by anytime to check out the varied posts!

In the meantime, Happy Birding!

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2008 – WEEK #20 – MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST BLUE BIRD TRAIL UPDATE

Ok, Blue Bird fans, we’re near the end of the Blue Bird mating season here, and it’s Week #20 update time for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Blue Bird Program in the city of Long Beach, on the 45-acre campus of the South Mississippi Regional Center!

Here is what ‘Master Naturalist’ buddy John and I found today, July 18, 2008, walking around campus during a Friday morning, taking the Blue Bird Trail nesting survey.

Here are this week’s Survey results:

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Master Naturalist Buddy John checks one of the SMRC Blue Bird Trail nesting boxes Friday morning during the weekly survey.

Box #1- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Empty nesting box, no activity.

Box #2- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: 3 Blue Bird babies flew from the nest.

Nesting box #12 has 5 fast-growing “bauble-heads,” as Master Naturalist Buddy John calls the Blue Bird babies. These guys will be flying the nest before the survey next Friday.

Box #3- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Empty nesting box, no activity.

Box #4- 1 Blue Bird baby flew the nest. – Last week: 1 Blue Bird baby, 3 sterile Blue Bird eggs.

Box #5- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Empty nesting box, no activity.

Box #6- 1 Blue Bird egg missing, 3 sterile Blue Bird eggs. – Last week: 4 Blue Bird eggs.

The juvenile Killdeers are still growing and almost the size of the adult parents.

Box #7- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Empty nesting box, no activity.

Box #8- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Empty nesting box, no activity.

Box #9- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Empty nesting box, no activity.

The second juvenile Killdeer.

Box #10- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Empty nesting box, no activity.

Box #11- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Few old straw, no new activity.

An adult Mockingbird alertly guards her nest in one of the trees on the SMRC Campus.

Box #12- 5 large Blue Bird babies. – Last week: 5 new Blue Bird babies.

Box #13- Empty Nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Empty nesting box, no activity.

Totals This Week: 5 Blue Bird babies, 1 Blue Bird baby flew the nest, 1 Blue Bird egg missing (predator), 6 sterile Blue Bird eggs, 10 empty nesting boxes.

Totals Last Week: 4 Blue Bird eggs, 6 Blue Bird babies, 9 Empty nesting boxes, 3 Blue Birds flew from the nest, 2 Killdeer babies (one baby and one parent have disappeared, perhaps to a nearby area).

Master Naturalist buddy John continues to be very enthused about the activity, and reports that during the last 19 weeks of the program, 40 Blue Bird babies and 6 Chickadee babies have flown from their nests, and we also have 2 of the original 3 Killdeer babies left who have left their ground nest in one of the grassy areas on campus, and have joined their parents in feeding on the ground, during this first season of the new Blue Bird Trail.

The weather today was partly cloudy, light wind, humid and about 93 degrees.

Another update will be along next weekend. Have a great Weekend!

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Here are the results from the Wild Flower identification contest in last week’s survey results:

Wild Flower #1 – below: Common Name: Orange Milkwort, Orange Candy Root.

Here’s a closer view of Wild Flower #1 – below: Orange Milkwort, Orange Candy Root.

Wild Flower #2 – below: *Note: This flower starts out as a purple color and fades to the white it is here. Common Name: Meadow Beauty.

Wild Flower #3: Common Name: Spiderwort.

Wild Flower #4 – below: Common Name: Rose Purslane.

Here is a closer view of Wild Flower #4 – below: Common Name: Rose Purslane.

Here is Wild Flower #5 – below: Name: Threadleaf Coreopsis.

Congratulations to Carissa at Good and Crazy for having the most correct wild flower names!

Thanks to those of you who ventured guesses on the names!

Another Survey next week!

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2008 – WEEK #18 – MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST BLUE BIRD UPDATE

Ok, Blue Bird fans, it’s Week #18 update time for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Blue Bird Program in the city of Long Beach, on the 45-acre campus of the South Mississippi Regional Center!

So, here is what ‘Master Naturalist’ buddy John and I found today, July 3, 2008, walking around campus during a Thursday morning, taking the Blue Bird Trail nesting survey.

Here are this week’s Survey results:

Master Naturalist Buddy John and Emily, the Tree-Climbing Wonder Dog, traversing the north acreage of the campus Blue Bird Trail this morning.

Box #1- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Empty nesting box, no activity.

Box #2- 3 Blue Bird babies. – Last week: 3 Blue Bird babies.

Three Blue Bird babies are about ready to fly from the nest this week.

Box #3- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Empty nesting box, no activity.

Box #4- 1 Blue Bird baby, 3 Blue Bird eggs. – Last week: 4 Blue Bird eggs.

Box #5- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Empty nesting box, no activity.

Box #6- 3 Blue Bird eggs. – Last week: 3 Blue Bird eggs.

New Blue Bird baby in nesting box #4.

Box #7- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Empty nesting box, no activity.

Box #8- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Empty nesting box, no activity.

Box #9- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: 4 Blue Bird babies flew the nest.

The Killdeer babies continue to grow, and it won’t be long and they will be as large as their parents.

Box #10- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Empty nesting box, no activity.

Box #11- Empty nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Few old straw, no new activity.

The Campus in Long Beach has more than birds and squirrels living within its fences, as this furry critter attests.

Box #12- 5 Blue Bird eggs. – Last week: 5 Blue Bird eggs.

Box #13- Empty Nesting box, no activity. – Last week: Empty nesting box, no activity.

Totals This Week: 11 Blue Bird eggs, 4 Blue Bird babies, 9 Empty nesting boxes.

Totals Last Week: 12 Blue Bird eggs, 3 Blue Bird babies, 4 Blue Bird babies flew the nest, 0 sterile eggs,
7 empty nesting boxes, 3 Killdeer babies.

Master Naturalist buddy John continues to be very enthused about the activity, and reports that during the last 17 weeks of the program, 36 Blue Bird babies and 6 Chickadee babies have flown from their nests, and we also have 3 Killdeer babies who have left their ground nest in one of the grassy areas on campus, and have joined their parents in feeding on the ground, during this first season of the new Blue Bird Trail. We are hoping to have at least 50 Blue Bird babies fly from the nests this season.

The weather today was partly cloudy, light wind and about 87 degrees.

Another update will be along next weekend. Have a great Holiday Weekend!

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2008 – WEEK #10 – MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST BLUE BIRD UPDATE

It’s Week #10 Mississippi Blue Bird Update time, folks! So, here is what Naturalist buddy John and I found today, May 9, 2008, in our Friday morning Blue Bird nesting survey:

Image: Nesting Box #11 – 6 growing Chickadee babies

Box #1- 4 & possibly 5 Blue Bird babies. – Last week: 5 Blue Bird eggs.

Box #2- Blue Bird nest still under construction. – Last week: Second Blue Bird nest under construction.

Box #4- 5 new Blue Bird eggs. – Last week: Blue Bird nest built – 2 Blue Bird eggs.

Box #6- 4 new Blue Bird eggs. – Last week: 5 Blue Bird eggs missing; preditor problem.

Box #8- 4 Blue Bird babies flew from nest; 1 sterile egg. – Last week: 5 Blue Bird babies almost ready to fly.

Box #10- 2 Blue Bird babies flew from nest; 3 sterile eggs. – Last week: 2 Blue Bird babies almost ready to fly.

Box #11- 6 large Chickadee babies. – Last week: 6 new Chickadee babies.

Box #13- 3 new Blue Bird eggs. – Last week: New Blue Bird nest under construction.

Totals This Week (May 9, 2008): 12 Blue Bird eggs, 1 sterile Blue Bird egg, 5 Blue Bird babies, 6 Chickadee babies.

Totals Last Week (May 2, 2008): 7 Blue Bird eggs, 5 missing eggs, 7 Blue Bird babies, 6 Chickadee babies.

Another update will be along next weekend.

Happy Birding!

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2008 – WEEK #9 – MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST BLUE BIRD UPDATE

Well, it’s Friday again, and another Field Survey is in on the SMRC Blue Bird Nesting Project, in Long Beach, Mississippi.

Field Survey Weather: Heavy overcast, windy, temperature about 79 degrees.

Following is this week’s Survey: May 2, 2008

Box #1- 5 Blue Bird eggs. – Last week: 5 Blue Bird eggs.

Box #2- Second Blue Bird nest under construction. – Last week: 3 Blue Bird babies flew the nest; 2 eggs sterile.

Box #4- Blue Bird nest built – 2 Blue Bird eggs. – Last week: a few pieces of straw in nesting box.

Image: Nesting Box #11 – 6 Chickadee babies

Box #6- 5 Blue Bird eggs missing; preditor problem. – Last week: 5 Blue Bird eggs.

Box #8- 5 Blue Bird babies almost ready to fly. – Last week: 5 Blue Bird babies.

Box #10- 2 Blue Bird babies almost ready to fly. – Last week: 2 Blue Bird babies; 3 sterile eggs.

Box #11- 6 Chickadee babies. – Last week: 6 Chickadee eggs.

Box #13- New Blue Bird nest under construction. – Last week: Empty nesting box.

Totals This Week (May 2, 2008): 7 Blue Bird eggs, 5 missing eggs, 7 Blue Bird babies, 6 Chickadee babies.

Totals Last Week (Apr. 24, 2008): 15 Blue Bird eggs – 5 probably sterile, 10 Blue Bird babies, 6 Chickadee eggs.

Another update will be along next weekend.

Happy Birding!

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