Fresh Pond Reservation
2014 Nesting Box Report

Nest Box Map

This year the nesting boxes were put up by Vince Falcione and Elizabeth Wylde on March 31, a cold, rainy, sleety day - but with the promise of warmer weather (and the return of tree swallows) in the near future. The boxes had been washed out when they were taken down last August. Earlier in March, volunteer Squizzle Plekavich applied a weather-protective coat of linseed oil to the outside of each box, and Ranger Jean Rogers attached new, easy-to-read numbers. Boxes are located in the same locations as last year except Box #2, which was relocated from the lawn on the top of Kingsley Park to the cattail swamp at the north end of Little Fresh Pond. Upcoming restoration work at Kingsley Park will make the original site unsuitable this year.

Chickadee Box "C" was put up in the woods between Black's Nook and the Perimeter Road. The box had been taken down from that location for repairs in late winter, after the threaded tip of the support pipe rusted away.

The 15 tree swallow boxes were taken down by Vince and Elizabeth on October 27. All except one contained tree swallow nests, and the one exception contained only a small amount of debris. Nine of the other 14 boxes contained nests that appeared to have been used to raise young, that is to say, they contained droppings from young birds. Unlike most birds, tree swallows do not carry away the feces of their babies. At least four of the boxes were very dirty, suggesting that more youngsters were fledged from them: perhaps as many as 4 to 6.

This success rate is about average for the Reservation: We usually find a few unsuccessful nests and an occasional dead bird.

Elizabeth Wylde
October 30, 2014

Tree Swallow Boxes

Box #	Location	Date	Species	Conclusions
1	Water Dept., Ranger Station	10-27-14	Tree Swallow	Used nest, appeared SUCCESSFUL
2	Little Fresh Pond Wetland	10-27-14	Tree Swallow	Used nest, appeared SUCCESSFUL
3	Kingsley Bioswale	10-27-14	Tree Swallow	Used nest, appeared SUCCESSFUL
4	Weir Meadow Bioswale	10-27-14	Tree Swallow	Used nest, appeared SUCCESSFUL
5	Woods South of Little Fresh Pond	10-27-14	Tree Swallow	Used nest, appeared SUCCESSFUL
6	Water Dept. Parking Lot Island	10-27-14	Tree Swallow	Complete nest, appeared unused. Dead adult inside
7	Pond Shore opposite L.F. Pond	10-27-14	Tree Swallow	Used nest with many droppings, SUCCESSFUL
8	Black's Nook Willow Tree	10-27-14	Tree Swallow	Used nest, appeared SUCCESSFUL
9	Fresh Pond, Post 1292	10-27-14	Tree Swallow	Used nest, appeared SUCCESSFUL
10	Neville Community Garden Area	10-27-14	Tree Swallow	Used nest, appeared SUCCESSFUL
11	Neville Back Hillside	10-27-14	Tree Swallow	No nest - Box empty
12	Butterfly Garden	10-27-14	Tree Swallow	Complete nest, appeared unused.
13	Lusitania Meadow, West End	10-27-14	Tree Swallow	Complete nest, Difficult to evaluate. Occupied by mice
14	Lusitania Meadow, East End	10-27-14	Tree Swallow	Complete nest, appeared unused.Occupied by mice
15	Nest to Road North of Water Dept.	10-27-14	Tree Swallow	Complete nest, appeared unused.
	Total Successful Nests			9

 

Elizabeth Wylde
for Friends of Fresh Pond Reservation
October 30, 2014