Crooked River National Grassland Nest Box Trail
Mountain bluebird nest made of juniper bark | Trish Nevan
In a cooperative agreement with United States Forest Service (USFS), Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area installed three American kestrel (Falco sparverius) and six mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides) nest boxes on Crooked River National Grassland near Crooked River Ranch in early 2018. All but one of these nest boxes are located on "The Peninsula."
2018 Nesting Season
To our delight, the Nest Box Trail's first nesting season saw two of the three American kestrel nest boxes successfully fledge kestrels. Ken Hashagen, with East Cascade Audubon Society, banded five kestrel nestlings, allowing researchers to look at kestrel movement patterns. He took a feather sample from two nestlings (one feather sample from each of the two occupied boxes) to analyze genetic relationships. His data was shared with American Kestrel Partnership (kestrel.peregrinefund.org), a project of The Peregrine Fund.
We found three of the six mountain bluebird nest boxes were used for nesting. Two of the nest boxes were used by mountain bluebirds and one box was used by ash-throated flycatchers (Myiarchus cinerascens).
2019 Nesting Season
In 2019, we led two guided hikes on the Nest Box Trail in May and June respectively. We did not find any kestrel eggs this year, and we did not see many kestrels on the Peninsula this season. In one of the kestrel boxes, we were surprised to find a large ash-throated flycatcher nest with four eggs.
Two of the mountain bluebird nest boxes were used by mountain bluebirds. Both nest boxes successfully fledged chicks, with one of the nest boxes hosting two successful nests this season. Two nest boxes were used by ash-throated flycatchers, with one of the nest boxes successfully fledging young.
If you would like to help with National Grassland nest box monitoring in the upcoming nesting season, please contact Diane Randgaard at fansofdeschutes@gmail.com. Whether you are new to birding or a seasoned expert, it would be great to have your help with monitoring the National Grassland Nest Box Trail!
2018 Nesting Season
To our delight, the Nest Box Trail's first nesting season saw two of the three American kestrel nest boxes successfully fledge kestrels. Ken Hashagen, with East Cascade Audubon Society, banded five kestrel nestlings, allowing researchers to look at kestrel movement patterns. He took a feather sample from two nestlings (one feather sample from each of the two occupied boxes) to analyze genetic relationships. His data was shared with American Kestrel Partnership (kestrel.peregrinefund.org), a project of The Peregrine Fund.
We found three of the six mountain bluebird nest boxes were used for nesting. Two of the nest boxes were used by mountain bluebirds and one box was used by ash-throated flycatchers (Myiarchus cinerascens).
2019 Nesting Season
In 2019, we led two guided hikes on the Nest Box Trail in May and June respectively. We did not find any kestrel eggs this year, and we did not see many kestrels on the Peninsula this season. In one of the kestrel boxes, we were surprised to find a large ash-throated flycatcher nest with four eggs.
Two of the mountain bluebird nest boxes were used by mountain bluebirds. Both nest boxes successfully fledged chicks, with one of the nest boxes hosting two successful nests this season. Two nest boxes were used by ash-throated flycatchers, with one of the nest boxes successfully fledging young.
If you would like to help with National Grassland nest box monitoring in the upcoming nesting season, please contact Diane Randgaard at fansofdeschutes@gmail.com. Whether you are new to birding or a seasoned expert, it would be great to have your help with monitoring the National Grassland Nest Box Trail!
FANs volunteer, Alice, installs American kestrel nest box on a juniper tree in January 2018. | Diane Randgaard
Female mountain bluebird keeps a close eye on humans counting her eggs in a nest box. | Trish Nevan
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Diane counts mountain bluebird eggs in nest box in May 2019. | Trish Nevan
Mountain bluebird eggs and day old hatchling discovered in nest box. | Marilynne Keyser
Hikers check nest boxes on the Crooked River National Grassland Nest Box Trail in May 2019. | Trish Nevan
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American kestrel eggs found in nest box 2018 nesting season | Diane Randgaard
Ken Hashagen shows young kestrel to group that observed banding in 2018 | Diane Randgaard
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