Checking Nesting Sites

male Western Bluebird

The emphasis of my birding here at Dallas Retirement Village is currently concentrating on keeping track of nesting sites.  All three photos shown here were taken this morning while making my rounds. The first nesting site that I started monitoring was a nesting box I put up in the garden area for Western Bluebirds earlier this year.  The bluebirds were active around the box for some time and then seemed to disappear.  I would spot them or other bluebirds at various locations around the Village.  Then, a few days ago I decided to look into the nesting box.  To my suprise there was a completed nest, even though I had not seen any coming or going with materials.  Today when I came by, both the male and the female where in the garden area.  So, I'll just keep on checking back and hopefully at some point I will see evidence of a some baby chicks.

female Violet-green Swallow

The second nesting site I started watching was this nesting box I put up for swallows at a water collection basin in the south-west corner of the Village.  There as been a lot of activity around it with other swallows plus an unwanted House Sparrow.  In the end it appears that a pair of Violet-green Swallows have won out and have started to make a nest.

male White-crowned Sparrow

The third nesting site I have started paying attention to is a nest being made by a pair of White-crowned Sparrows.  I happened to catch a glimpse of one carring nesting material into a rose bush.  Further checking later in the day I found the nest under construction in the center rose bush of a set of three.  This morning the singing male caught my attention on this post above the nesting area.  I'm a little confused because my assumption is that once a nest is started the male is pretty quiet not to call attention to the nest site.  So, only time will tell as to the outcome of all three of these nests.  In the meantime it gives me a reason to get out of bed every morning.