Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2001 20:43:16 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Rob Gibbs Subject: Re: Dead Bluebird - follow-up MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Bob, Your info about the flying squirrel caught my interest. In what type of habitat is the box located? How close to trees, how high, etc? Flying squirrels are much more carnivorous than other squirrels and will eat bird eggs, nestlings and likely adult birds if they can catch them. But you say the bluebird was not eaten. The moss is a surprise, I've monitored lots of flying squirrel boxes in the area and their nests are almost always made exclusively from finely shredded inner bark - light tan in color and very soft and fluffy in texture. The moss sounds more like a white-footed mouse or chickadee. It sounds like several species are trying to use the box. Seems like a good place to locate another box or two to reduce the competition. Aren't mysteries great?? -- Rob Gibbs Damascus, MD robgibbs@starpower.net Bob Mumford wrote: > I opened the nest box today where the dead bluebird was found last week and > there was new moss on the top of the other nesting material, almost filling > the entire box. > > Curious, I poked my finger in and out popped the head of a flying squirrel! > Whether it was the cause of the demise of the bluebird, I cannot say, because > there was no obvious marks on the bird. But it is strange. > > Bob Mumford > Darnestown > > ======================================================================= > To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com > with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey > ======================================================================= ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================