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My 4th season is in the books and I’ve reported my results to braw.org today. Typically when I don’t have any new EBB nest starts by the end of July I know the season is winding down. I still had eggs and hatchlings in several boxes to monitor. As boxes become empty I remove them for cleaning and storage. I have not had a third brood of EBBs in my four seasons.
30 nest boxes on two trails in my rural town.
11 used by EBB, 44 eggs, 42 fledged
5 used by Tree Swallows, 17 eggs, 6 fledged
5 used by House Wrens (Little Stinkers), 23 eggs, all fledged
2 used by Chickadees, 9 eggs, 6 fledgedIt was reported in the BRAW.ORG Fall 2026 newsletter that Tree Swallows in the northern parts of the state had poor reproduction. Two of my TS broods were at the hatchling stage and days later I found all hatchlings dead and partly decomposed. It was a very hot, dry season so I suspect mom and dad couldn’t find enough to feed themselves much less the hatchlings. It’s been a good season despite the lower numbers.
Thinking about attending the BRAW-Con in Horicon in Sept if I can get away. I attended the Michigan Bluebird Festival in Ann Arbor a couple years ago and learned a lot.
I plan on retiring my wood nest boxes after this season. The TS are just too messy! The inside of their boxes are nearly whitewashed each season. I’m going to go with all PVC boxes as they are easier to clean, easier to monitor and the birds don’t seem to have any problem using them. Another reason is I have to carry a dozen nest boxes over a mile to my most productive EBB area and that’s a lot of trips with heavy wood Gilbertsons.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
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