Our feathered residents are very much in search nesting options now that we’ve had a couple of warm weeks. Nesting season starts a little later here in the Southern Tablelands near Canberra.
Two duck nest boxes are now occupied, another has eggs being laid, and a couple of parrot boxes have had the wood shavings inside shredded – an indication that egg laying isn’t far off. Our resident Kookaburra family are very seriously scouting the options also, I wonder if they will return to the nest box they’ve used for the past two years?
Clearly the word is out that we have nest boxes for all.
Kooka missed out on this box. It looks as if Wood Ducks trump Kookaburras, once egg laying begins.This box now has a sitting Wood Duck, with a rather large clutch of eggs with two contributing egg layers.A rather large clutch of 15 + eggs for the couple above. Two Wood Ducks contributed, one in the morning and one at midday each day.
These are nest boxes made by Hollow Log Homes in QLD, the Boobook Owl, Wood Duck, and Rosella designs.
Dibs! This hopeful Wood Duck was ambushed by a pair of Crimson Rosellas, who clearly have called dibs on this nest box.Hmmmm does it fit? Is it comfy?Checking out the furnishings.A young Crimson Rosella nest box shopping also.This Wood Duck is also sitting on a clutch of eggs now. They look to be all hers – only one was added per day or few for the egg laying period.A tidy clutch of 10 Wood Duck eggs. All laid by the one female for this nest.Kooka checking out a Wood Duck nest box design. This one is already claimed also, there are now three Wood Duck eggs inside. This nest box is showing signs of interest from a few different species. The droppings are from Wood Ducks, and the chewed paintwork is from Eastern or Crimson Rosellas.Our for-Sugar Glider nest boxes are still vacant, they use natural tree hollows over the colder months.Evidence of a Rosella making the nest box ready for some eggs – partially shredded wood shavings.
