Logging Data about a Bluebird Trail

Subj: Logs: What to include?
Date: 1/9/00 8:13:19 AM Central Standard Time
From: bdarnell"at"centurytel.net (Bill Darnell)

Trail logs: I have searched around some, but cannot find exactly what I need. I am wondering what some of you put on your logs. Right now, I can think of date, wx, box #, # eggs, # hatched, # fledged, etc. I plan to keep a master log in Excel so it can be easily shared with anyone.

I am raring to go!
Bill
Savannah, TN--- 40ish, foggy, needing a heavy rain to refill pond whose level has been at 1/2 since Aug!

Subj: Re: Logs: What to include?
Date: 1/9/00 8:56:23 PM Central Standard Time
From: lviolett"at"earthlink.net (Linda Violett)

Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif.

Our season here in So. Calif. is already beginning to take shape. Just completed a trail checkup this weekend and four pairs on my trail are already protecting their boxes. Others have considerable bluebird fecal material, seeds, claim straws, one box with a ribbon and two with tissue paper.

The question was recently asked what other monitors log on their sheets and this is a great question for our pre-season checkups. I take a worksheet on the
trail which is prepared with a spreadsheet program so estimated hatch, closed dates, fledge date are automatically calculated as I update the sheet. On this
sideways legal-size sheet are the following headings:

Location
Status (last comments + new notes)
Nest (observations)
Eggs (number)
Young (number)
Last Egg (estimate)
When the "last egg" date is input, the following pop in automatically:
Est. Hatch
Closed date
Est. Fledge
Adj (I adjust the fledge date by 1day for each chick over/under 5 per clutch)
#fledged
#dead
Last column is for observations: bluebird habits, weather, claim straws, fecal
material, feathers, seeds, peck marks, environment, wildlife seen)

Notes from the trail worksheet are later transferred to standard Nestbox Records kept in a large binder. I choose a quiet time in the evening to log the
information into the binder over a cup of tea. This allows for reflective thought on what is right at some sites and how other sites can be improved. The Calif. Bluebird Recovery Nestbox Record has date/nest present?/#eggs/est.hatch/#young/#young/#fledged/species/comments.

On the back of the Nestbox Record sheet, I have a preseason log with space at the top for nestbox info, condition, experimental features. The remainder of
the preseason side has Sept/Oct (general overview, changes, wind) Nov/Dec (waterproof, drainage, ease of hanging) Jan/Feb (final changes/distribute
sparrow info to nestbox neighbors, dry run).

This preseason information is very important to me since we have bluebirds year round. If claim straws/fecal material, pecks are not present on the box by
Feb/March, it let's me know that changes might need to be made. It allows me know what to expect at that particular site. Last year, my box on Lupine was
nest-building in February and was the first on my trail to fledge last April. This year, I put an experimental 1/2 plex roof at the site. The experimental box is already being protected/defended so I know all is well with the nextbox switch.
...

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Logging Data about a Bluebird Trail

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All material was originally posted on the Bluebird_L or Bluebird mailing list, and has been reposted here with slight modifications to make the posts more readable in an HTML format. In cases in which quoted material has been deleted to save space, this is indicated by an ellipsis (...)

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