School Colony Update: Eggs all over the place.

[Scully]

Well the eggs are in, thirty-one of our forty gourds with eggs, how many eggs exactly I dunno.

We have a total of forty gourds on campus, randomly mixed among five gourd poles. Today's nest check results:

8 crescent Big Bos: 8 gourds with eggs.
8 round-hole Carrols: 7 gourds with eggs, 1 nest start showing no activity since last week.
8 crescent Naturelines: 3 gourds with eggs, 3 nests completed or under construction, 2 nest starts showing no activity since last week.
8 crescent Naturelines w/cling rod: 7 gourds with eggs, 1 nest under construction.
8 WDC mod. exc. Supergourds: 6 gourds with eggs, 1 nest, 1 nest start showing no activity since last week.

I have not included an egg count as we do not aggressively search the nests for hidden egg, but three six-egg clutches have been confirmed plus another ten clutches of at least five eggs.

Although some nest material is present in all our gourds, five gourds are apparently still up for grabs, no new material having been added for some time. Also the status of our plain crescent Naturelines has not changed since last week: only three gourds with eggs, three gourds with nests and two gourds showing no recent activity. Those three nests are suspect, looking much as they did last week.

Three more sparrows were trapped, tail-clipped and released on-site this week, making a total of eight (five males, three females) trapped, clipped, and released this year. None of these tailless sparrows has since pestered the gourds or even been seen on campus. A promising start, I?ll keep folks informed. No starling invasions (knock on wood) yet this year.

Mike Scully

[klcretired]

Mike,
I'll bet your student's are excited about all the egg's.
Sound's like you are going to have a really good year this year, I had 66 egg's in 15 nest last year and hope to do better this year.

[Scully]

KC... SOME kids are excited, a lot are just "ho hum" abut the whole thing.

I am interested in the outcome of just releasing tail-clipped sparrows on site. Seems effective so far, and this could be an easy thing to suggest to new landlords not interested in killing.

Mike Scully

[floridasunshinegoddess]

Mike, how wonderful! What great success you're having. I applaud you! And hopefully, some of these kids will become PM landlords one day.

[Bob Rogers]

Scully,
Don't be surprised that many of the "ho-hum" kids now to the project will develop a lifetime love for PM's and appreciation for life as well. From little acorns ---. Keep up the good work with the PM's and the kids, my hat's off to you!