Week of August 30, 2020

As the summer winds down, an interesting chore at our Keuka Lakehouse is to take down the BIRD NESTS built the previous spring, to open up space for next year’s nests.  TAProots farm has 6 successful bluebird houses producing multiple broods of bluebirds, tree swallows, and a few English sparrows.  Those boxes will wait to be cleaned in February as several bluebirds sometimes spend the winter huddled inside.  At the Lakehouse,  new bird box was put up this year next to the deck, and was occupied by chickadees.  The most spectacular nest was a double nest built by a house wren in the newspaper slot below our mailbox.  Woven of moss, pine needles, and grasses, it sat on an old advertiser newspaper.  It had two nests, suggesting two broods were raised.  It created some excitement in opening the mailbox, causing mama wren to shoot out.  Later, we were greeted by a row of little wren faces at the mouth of the nest.  Other nests collected including a beautiful nest of soft mosses that a phoebe has occupied for several years.  Other returning nesters are the robins, who built two nests adjoining under the screened porch.  Nonny has collected nests from the trees in the vicinity,  including a small cup with an old eggshell, likely a redstart or chipping sparrow.  She puts her collection in a plastic bin so she can show the grandchildren all the kinds of birds we have at Keuka Lake.