[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Bluebirds & Flying Squirrels
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu (CAROLINA BIRDS)
- Subject: Bluebirds & Flying Squirrels
- From: "BILL HILTON JR. (Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History)"<hilton@hiltonpond.org>
- Date: Tue, 7 Mar 2000 12:16:27 -0500
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
HI . .
In a final pre-season check of my bluebird nestboxes at Hilton Pond,
I found that four of 17 boxes were occupied by Southern Flying
Squirrels (Glaucomys volans). At least two contained females with
hairless young; I didn't probe deeply in the other two nests except
to see that there were adults in them.
Hard-core bluebird lovers often remove flying squirrel nests from
their nestboxes; some even evict other songbirds such as wrens,
titmice, chickadees, swallows, and nuthatches. Let's all keep in mind
that if flying squirrels and non-bluebird avian species are also
occupying nestboxes, it must mean that cavities are scarce in a
particular habitat.
By all means, DON'T evict other native species to the benefit of
bluebirds, even though flying squirrels have been known to eat bird
eggs and nestlings. All these cavity nesters are in potential trouble
because of habitat loss, and all have a role to play in the scheme of
things.
Let's do what we can to help all of them by planting more trees,
protecting neighborhood habitats from destruction, and putting up
more nestboxes.
Best wishes,
BILL
**********
BILL HILTON JR., "The Piedmont Naturalist"
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road
York, South Carolina 29745
USA
e-mail: <hilton@hiltonpond.org>
Voice: (803) 684-5852
eFax: (503) 218-0845
Hilton Pond Website: <http://www.hiltonpond.org>
Operation RubyThroat Website: <http://www.rubythroat.org>
"Never trust a person too lazy to get up for sunrise or too busy to
watch the sunset."
BHjr.
**********