Battling for Housing at BB 7, 23 May, 2015

On a brilliant spring morning, a day-long battle for a precious  Bluebird box was unfolding at the top of the prairie. John Kutzbach and I watched for about an hour. Last year, in 2014, Bluebirds occupied the box, protected by the gnarly young Bur Oak, for most of the summer. Tree Swallows took over in August 2014. According to the monitoring report of May 19, in 2015, Tree Swallows were again nesting here, having 4 eggs in their nest. But this Saturday morning a pair of Bluebirds had set up house inside the box, with the Swallows circling in the area, launching occasional attacks. It's a hard life, on the prairie. A pair of Baltimore Orioles nesting in the nearby Black Cherry tree were witnesses to the battle. Click on the photo gallery (and the arrows on the right of the photos)  to follow this battle for housing. (all photos Gisela Kutzbach)