A Challenging Year

[malachy cleary]

The protracted cool , wet weather has delayed egg laying
Here in Cold Spring, NY. The Starling and House Sparrow
Pressure has been relentless. Fifteen Starlings trapped individually in T-14 compartments as well as three House Sparrow nests destroyed in nearby nest boxes. An attempted
HOSP nest blocked in a gourd , as well as two males trapped / shot.
Before destroying HOSP nests I trapped the adults in
Universal Nest box trap screwed to the outside of the entrance . Worked like a charm. I found the red metal trap door was binding on the roof of the nest box when mounted inside rendering it ineffective.
Also found two dead subadult males , one on the ground with no visible injuries besides being possibly underfed and another at the entrance of a T-14 compartment with a pecking injury to its lower left flank. Starlings were persistently attempting to nest at that compartment and the one above . So, suspects with both invasive species .
In addition five eggs found on the ground , three of them
Broken and two intact . One was accepted back in a nest and the other rejected from a separate nest.
It’s looking like less nests than last year. Two banded
Adult males trapped inadvertently from colony near Kent, CT.

[Thomas Maddox]

Sorry to hear. It seems as though it's been rough in many areas throughout the US. Hear all 8 of my first arrivals died during a cold spell in February here in SWLA. Now im having early jumpers due to mites. Keep fighting, as I will, as they are worth fighting for. I admire you for what you are doing.