Eastern Bluebirds-Mississauga

[Irene]

Taken in the Arsenal Lands this morning.

Male Bluebird sitting on top of a Tree Swallow box:



Female Bluebird

[thouc]

Very nice! Where is the Arsenal Lands?

[Irene]

Very nice! Where is the Arsenal Lands?

The Arsenal Lands are just west of Marie Curtis Park, there is a fenced area that separates Marie Curtis and Arsenal lands (its on the Mississauga Side) not sure why they just don't open it all up and name it one name but there's politics involved there and borders etc...

From Lakeshore it looks like an abandoned field, there used to be a flight school for army pilots and a munitions factory, then later there was also a Police school, I love going there because I find it peaceful and it makes me feel that I'm away from the city.

[Rob'in'To]

Is this where it looks like an artillery field, the paved bicycle path follows through it from Marie Curtis and back up to Lakeshore?  Or are you going through the fence area and further west?

Curious, as we keep in contact with Bill Reed and the Ontario Eastern Bluebird Society, and would be great to tell him of more nest boxes and might get a little bit of monitoring happening since Eastern Bluebirds are a struggling species.  We were watching pairs in Cayuga trying to defend their boxes from Tree Swallows last weekend.  It's hard to watch.  

Feel free to PM me Irene if you have more info.

[thouc]

Looking at Google Maps there are some fields at the end of Hydro Rd, are those the ones?

[Reuven_M]

Curious, as we keep in contact with Bill Reed and the Ontario Eastern Bluebird Society, and would be great to tell him of more nest boxes and might get a little bit of monitoring happening since Eastern Bluebirds are a struggling species.  We were watching pairs in Cayuga trying to defend their boxes from Tree Swallows last weekend.  It's hard to watch.  

Where have you heard that bluebirds are struggling? As far as I know they are increasing, and are no longer classified as a species at risk. On the other hand, Tree Swallows are in steep decline along for no clear reason.

[Rob'in'To]

The OEBA annual meeting.  Yes, their numbers have improved in recent years and are off that list, but the battles still rage on with Tree Swallows, House Wrens, House Sparrows, Raccoons.  Just going by the info given to us.  Maybe mine are Ontario numbers over North American?

Any Bluebird area we've been to, the Swallows still far out number the Bluebirds.  I will pay closer attention this season as we go out on some Bluebird tours and walks west of us.

I'm in agreement its good if monitoring continues on the Bluebirds.

[Pat Hodgson]

Do these places use the idea of not spacing out the boxes singly, but in pairs?  What I heard is that with widely spaced boxes the tree swallows will beat out the bluebirds every time, but with boxes in pairs the tree swallows will be extremely territorial vs. other tree swallows, not letting them into the second box, but will let the bluebirds use it.  But maybe that theory is bunk.

[Rob'in'To]

We have been told similar by those monitoring Bluebird trails.