Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 22:24:33 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: John & Cathy Messina Subject: Bluebird Box Query; Today's Sightings Comments: To: Voice of the Naturalist MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit A nonbirding co-worker who for many years has maintained a bluebird box on his backyard fence came to me yesterday with a mystery. For the last two years, something has enlarged the holes of the boxes he has put up. He replaced last year's box, only to have the same phenomenon occur this year. Also, this week he checked the box with the enlarged hole and found dead nestlings in what he did not think was a bluebird nest. Any ideas of what has been happening? He lives in Burke, Va., in a development that backs onto a small wooded area. I suggested he check into putting a chicken-wire type channel in front of the box opening, something I have seen on bluebird boxes lately--was this good advice? Any other suggestions? Also, birding at Great Falls (Va. side) resulted in good looks at a Prothonotary Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Northern Parula, Prairie Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Blue-Headed Vireo, Red-Eyed Vireo, and Scarlet Tanager (all but the Blackpoll were singing). Too numerous to count were Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers and Yellow-Rumped Warblers. In addition, heard birds included several Great-Crested Flycatchers, a possible Tennessee Warbler, and Wood Thrushes. Cathy Messina ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================