Pete McCord can see bluebirds from his back deck. A few days before Pete saw the bluebirds behind his home, nine Medford Leas Birders took a walk on Lumberton Trails and recorded 33 species of birds. Continue reading for Pete’s account of the disappearance and reappearance of bluebirds and Robert Koch’s report on the birding excursion the week before.
From Pete McCord April 21, 2016:
Plaudits to Miriam, Jane, and other Lumberton Campus “Meadow Maidens” for their ongoing efforts and hard work toward the restoration of our Lumberton meadow. From an ornithological standpoint I had set 2017 as the target year for the return of nesting bluebirds which were driven from our meadows 4 years ago by the mugwort infestation. When I first moved here almost 8 years ago, there were a total of 9 nesting pairs of bluebirds in our meadow, which diminished to 1 nesting pair 5 years ago, and then none when mugwort took over our meadow and eliminated the feed source necessary to raise bluebird hatchlings. Well, this year a pair of very persistent bluebirds in a nesting box in our lower meadow has surprised me even as our ongoing meadow restoration moves forward. They and a plethora of chipping sparrows and an occasional indigo bunting speak well for a developing meadow environment. So beware! This year’s surprise box occupancy by a pair of our gentle, yet very picky, avian augurs well for a “full occupancy” basis in 2017.From Robert Koch’s April 18, 2016 post on the Birders’ Blog:
On a day that had an early nip in the air but warmed to bright and sunny very quickly, the ML Birders walked the trails of Lumberton Leas and the central meadow. We saw and heard a total of 33 species in the wetlands and uplands areas. Among the highlights were two Great Horned Owls flushed from their roost, some good looks at a male and female Wood Duck on the canoe outlet stream and Greater Yellowlegs on the mudflats of the Rancocas Creek.Link to Robert Koch’s post with the list of birds seen on the Lumberton Walk.