Things Observed While Monitoring Duck Nest Boxes

The monitoring of duck nest boxes continued at White Memorial on Monday, 1/10. Dave Rosgen and Scott Dayton managed to get to a total of 12 boxes at Pine Island, and Teal, Fawn, and Heron Ponds without getting wet. The ice at all of these locations was good and solid, even though there was open water along the western shoreline of Heron Pond. We found plenty of nest box usage by Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers; the details of which will appear in a future blog post. We also found a used Great Crested Flycatcher nest in a box at Teal Pond. While moving about these places we saw very few birds, but a group of 7 Golden-crowned Kinglets at Teal Pond and a flock of 22 American Robins at Heron Pond were somewhat notable. We saw tracks of Coyotes at Pine Island, a Bobcat at Heron Pond, and White-tailed Deer, Gray and Red Squirrels, and White-footed Mice everywhere. There was quite a bit of evidence of deer pawing for acorns along the Fawn Pond Trail. The photo above showing a double Beaver lodge was taken at Fawn Pond. The lodge on the left was built in 2008 and the one on the right was built in 2009; probably to replace the one on the left. For 2010 & 2011 it appears that they have refurbished the lodge on the left, and added a food cache to one side of it. They have chewed a fair number of small trees around the perimeter of the pond.