Nesting at Osborn

HURON TWP. — Baby birds are taking flight at Erie MetroParks. There are 16 nest boxes throughout the meadows at the Osborn Park property that are monitored. Natural resource manager Tara Kauffman led a program last week to educate people about nest boxes and the birds that tend to use them. Before heading out to check the boxes, Kauffman explained the birds the group might see: bluebirds, tree swallows, house wrens and house sparrows. Three of those species are welcomed to use the box, however, the house sparrow is not wanted. "It's a species we sometimes find in the boxes that we don't want there. It's invasive and not occurring from this area," Kauffman said. "They're very aggressive. They'll kill bluebird adults, babies and harm eggs of our native species." Kauffman described how they can identify a bird's nest by how it's built. Bluebirds make a neat cup and use fine materials like pine needles and grasses. Tree swallows typically include feathers in its nest while a house wren stuffs the box with sticks to make a deep cavity. A house sparrow is messy and will use whatever it can find, including trash, to build its nest. If they find evidence of a house sparrow nest, the materials are removed from the box to prevent it from nesting there. "We don't let the house sparrows thrive because they really do a damage on our native population," Kauffman said. During the program, the group saw one box with baby bluebirds with an adult bluebird flying nearby. There were also several boxes containing tree swallow babies and some eggs. At each nesting box, Kauffman noted what she observed on a data sheet. The information would be submitted to NestWatch to help track trends of the birds. Nesting season usually begins in mid-April and continues through August. The boxes are checked twice a week. About 12 to 13 days after hatching, the boxes are typically left alone to prevent the birds from fledging prematurely. Once the birds have left, someone will clear the nest to allow the same bird or another one to make another nest. The birds do not reuse the nest because it becomes too gross. Bluebirds typically lay eggs two-to-three times a year. Huron resident Pamela Lally and her 10-year-old son Theo attended the program. Theo said it was his first time seeing a bluebird, and he especially enjoyed seeing the baby birds. It also proved to be an educational experience. "I didn't know that the house sparrow and cowbird are invasive species," Theo said. They also learned how to identify the birds by the nest, Pamela said. "I really liked having a hands-on experience by helping open some of the boxes," Theo added.