Here at the lab, we are are lucky to have a close up view of nature. It’s a constant parade, with beetles emerging from their winter homes, ants swarming to start new colonies, winter birds leaving, summer birds arriving, and much more.
Four of five of the eggs in Terry’s nest box have hatched, and the owlets are growing rapidly. Of course, for each meal the owlets enjoy, a mouse, bird, or insect has a very bad day.
Snake in a Box
We have been tempted to add another bluebird box that has a camera so that we can watch the process of growth and fledging. I have been hesitating, largely because some broods do not survive and I am not sure that I want to watch that happen. My attitude was reinforced this week, when the female bluebird did not go into the nest box, and there was a something strange and pink sticking out of the hole.
When I opened the box, there was a large pink coachwhip snake inside. It had made a meal of the brood, even though the nest is on a pole about four feet off the ground.
Looks like it will be necessary to add some flashing around the pole to make it harder for snakes to reach the box.
Lame Coyote
There seems to be a large crop of rabbits this year, which has led to plenty of coyote sightings. I see them at least a few times a week on morning surveys, and they show up regularly on the wildlife cams.
Terry was lucky enough to spot one finishing its rabbit meal, and fast enough to get a video. Another coyote, with an injured front leg, tries to share, but the first coyote is having none of it.
It is a harsh life out there, and a coyote that can’t hunt will not be able to eat. Animals can heal, so it may be back on all four feet and able to hunt again.