dracowildlife's Journal

The four Eastern Bluebird hatchlings in Nestbox Delta seemed to have fledged successfully. Indeed, Patrick observed and photographed one on 5/30.

We made a half-day trip to Mason, Texas, about 90 minutes west of Liberty Hill along US29. Took a few photographs and published two to iNaturalist.

Patrick participated in two webinars on June 1: Texas AgriLife presentation on the use of drones in rangeland management (more relevant to large acreages than to Draco) and a USDA presentation on fire and grazing to maintain productive and ecologically resilient grasslands (again, more relevant to large acreages, but there were some points to consider going forward).

There are five Eastern Bluebird eggs in Nestbox Delta. This is the third clutch this season. We cleared out the nestbox about a week ago after it appeared there was a successful fledge of four birds.

We observed a White tail doe and her fawn about 2 p.m. yesterday. Patrick saw the deer jump the fence from our neighbor's property to the north and then the fawn rose up. He had time to get his camera and one or two photos before the two animals moved back toward the north and disappeared in the tall grass. This morning, Patrick found a matted place in the grass where the pair may have stayed.

We drained and replenished the water in the two rain collection barrels connected to our small animal watering pans.

There are still five eggs in Nestbox Delta. These were first observed on June 9, so it would seem the chicks should begin to hatch in a few more days. Much to our glee, another pair of bluebirds have established a nest in Nestbox Charlie, and there are now three eggs.

A House Sparrow pair have three eggs in Nestbox Alpha, but we have been rotating the eggs in an attempt to make them addle but keep the sparrows away from the other nestboxes. A male HOSP frequents Nestbox Bravo but has not attempted to make a nest in recent weeks. Several HOSP have been seen in a brush pile on the property and acting as if they were nesting; whether this is a good thing (keeps them out of the nest boxes, perhaps) or not is a matter of debate.