This was another late nest, with the first egg being laid around the 10th of June; normally, most nests would have been finished by this time, but this one just started. Could this be a second nest?
The Clutch
12 July, one chick, four eggs | |
23 July, five chicks in a pile | |
27 July, three chicks. This was the last day that we found the mother incubating the chicks. |
14 August, last nestling, ready to leave. |
Prey
19 July, Pygmy Shrew (likely)12 July, Red-backed Vole, Canada Warbler
Cleaning out the box
At the end of the season the box must be cleaned out. I save the nest material to look for prey remains (of which there are typically loads). Why the protective gear? If you have to ask, you've never disturbed nest material before! Whew! Four weeks worth of guano and prey remains is not an aroma that perfume manufacturers will be seeking!
My new ladder
Since many of my sites are well off the
road, bringing in a ladder can be very awkward. Building a ladder on site is a
second-best option, is time consuming and the ladders will eventually rot. So I
searched the web for portable ladders, and found this one made mostly for
tactical operations. For more info on this ladder, see the
QuickStep website. It's a joy to
use, fits on a frame backpack, and sets up in seconds. It is a bit on the heavy
side, about 15 kg, but I'm not Hercules (not quite, anyway!), and I find it ok
to carry on my back for quite some time.
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Department of
Biology
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