Home repairs

It's that time of year to check out and clean nesting boxes, if you didn't do it previously! I cleaned out the wren boxes in the fall, as well as the bluebird box, which I took down. I ought to refinish it. Non-mental note!

The design of the blue bird nesting box is amazing, with a plastic piece to keep in debris nesting material on one side for easy viewing! The other side doesn't have the plastic, and you can easily clean it out from that side. The House Wrens took it over last year. It was great!

 

I made a mistake! I should have fixed the wood duck nesting box before we rehung it. I forgot about the falling flap, which is supposed to keep the bedding material (wood shavings) inside the box. This is the old set up.

First I tried bark, then after tromping up and down from the location, I remembered to cut a piece of wood to keep in the nesting materials.

The newer boxes (below, left) have a lip, with a shorter door. The oldest one, this one, was built with no lip and the door closes.

Having cut a piece of wood to snugly insert, it is no longer staying in firmly with a nudge. I'd need a hinge, or eye hooks. You can see the little grooves, whereby the ducklings run up the wall and fling themselves out onto the ground to see Mama.

I gathered my tools. 

Hauling it all down there on the sled, I was hoping I've thought of everything. 

The wetland is thawing nicely.

The box is a wreck, the wood has bowed.

I worked out a couple of strategies, but finally landed on the notion of a hinge. I was going to put in a little hook and eye, but realized that might prevent the wood piece from opening to clean it. When the door closes, it keeps the piece in place. There is a screw that secures the door. I had to put in a longer one, since the warping extended the gap.

After stretching up, and failing, I hauled myself back to the garage to fetch the ladder. Clover watched over my tools (those raccoons will play with anything!), but didn't she help otherwise.

I covered it with the tin, stapled firmly, hoping it will hold up for this year. I'm fairly certain our bears can get at it.   

When I made it back to the house, after going up and down the ladder ~10 times, I could feel it in my legs! That was a marathon.  

Spring nesting season approaches!

I'm pretending it is spring. I thought I heard Phoebe singing this morning, but I could be wrong.

They usually nest in the shed, in May Phoebe nesting 2018. Our nesting season is approaching. 

I went down and cleaned out the wood duck nesting boxes. You can see a shell remained in one pile of shavings. The mice have abandoned it.
I can expect wood ducks to nest at the end of April. Wood duck boxes 2018
JB went searching in town and found me a decent sized bag of wood shavings. He was having lunch in the city with a friend. I got out and puttered.


You can see the flaw in the design of this one. This is my oldest nesting box (#1 bought in 2014). I use pieces of bark to keep the wood shavings in the box. It is easier to clean out. Sadly, I managed to get covered in shavings, as I was both down wind and under the box reaching up to clean it.

The pond is quite frozen. I walked across it to get to the boxes.


This is box #2, put up in 2015. It has a lip, which holds in the shavings.


I thought I should do this now, before the pond melts, as I can reach the box standing on the ice.


Box #3 was duly cleaned out and refilled. Daisy liked this one! She helped me mount it on the tree.
This is the nesting box I had repaired, as it developed a crack in the front. This dates 2018.

Down in the forest, you can see how deep the snow remains. On the warm days, the deer sink up to their knee balls.


Annabelle sits on the bench, on the deck, in the sun.


Our mason bee house is occupied. Soon they will emerge. Most of them are wasps, though!


There is much snow on the shady middle deck. There are little raccoon tracks in the snow.

Later that afternoon, I read my book on Annie's bench in the sunshine. Hooper sat in his warm little house.



Later that night, the raccoon with the bad leg came back with two friends. They were under the bird feeder. We'll cross our fingers for this one.

Busy around home!

Trailcam #1

I know some haven't the bandwidth, or the time to watch my videos, but this is the way I show hubby! The first one shows a raccoons and two black bears going along the trail, between the wetland on the left (east) and the frog pond on the right (west). It's a natural place to track them, as it is far from the house, and their path is limited as the wetland is full.

It was funny that bear #1 was startled by the light, and decided to check it out. Bear #2 just walked by. It could be the same bear, but that meant he was going in circles (perhaps around the frog pond) and didn't come back this way. It's a mystery!

Night traffic from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Trailcam #2
–had Daisy on it. I must move it! You'll have to be quick, it's only a short video. The trailcams aren't designed to puick up small animals, and has a 5-second delay. This gives Daise time to waltz by. She is a wanderer, but since she is out at night, she doesn't catch birds in the daytime.

Daisy at night from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Then, hubby arrived home from dispatching Meals on Wheels and came in the house to tell me there were turkeys and chicks in the front yard!
turkeys from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.


Then, we had a storm fly by last night. I stood on the front porch, and the back porch, and just missed an amazing crack of lightning. I'm too slow to grab a photo, but I'm never looking in the right direction out front or back, to capture the video!
#Onstorm from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

Wood duck Box #3

 Finally, my wood duck nesting box #3 had split on the top, and had nail holes on the front. The nesting material was getting wet! We had some wicked rains in the spring, as well. The box wasn't used this year. Bob offered to replace the 100-year-old barn board for me. He made a video of the process.
This box I'd moved from the frog pond, as I didn't have any takers last year. I'd covered up the holes. It wasn't high enough, either. I'll have to rethink it!

It was a Mother's Day gift in 2016 from the kids.  This spring I cleaned it. The problem with the boxes is that they are really heavy with the barn board. It's tough for someone, alone, to put them up. Plus, I'm not that tall, either!

 

Wood duck nesting progress

May 12th

Box #1 –I moved the red squirrel out. A duck has tested it out. Still ducks on the pond.

Box #2 –Momma is still on the nest. I startled her, when I fell walking onto the dock. She flew off.

On Golden Pond Incubation: 28-37 days.

Box #3 – I've had visitors in the new location, no takers. 

Wood duck box 3 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

May 6th

Nest #1 – This had a red squirrel in it. It delayed them. A duck has checked it out today. The dock is nearly under water!

Nest #2 – Momma is still on the nest. I accidentally flushed her when I went to grab the trailcam SD card.


Nest #3 – I have moved to the other part of the swamp. Still no visitors.

May 2nd

I'm so excited! (Get it?! ) I count 12 eggs.
This is box #2.


The frog pond looks so pretty. Yesterday afternoon (May 3rd) I spent hours moving the wood duck nesting box on the left to another part of the property, on the edge of the wetland. It seems to me to be too close to #2, which is on the right. #2 has the 12 eggs, and momma in it.
Wood duck box #1, in the 2nd photo, hasn't any tenants, yet.

April 13

Wood ducks 2017 from Jennifer Jilks on Vimeo.

April 9th

#3 being cleaned March 30th