kjg@itivax.UUCP (Kenneth J. Gaskell) (09/19/88)
Had a interesting experience happen to me the past weekend, while at
my in-laws cabin in Kalkaska MI. Thier cabin sits in an old orchard
that also happens to be one of the highest spots in Northern Lower
Michigan( we call the place "the hill") . For several years, to my delight,
I have enjoyed watching a variety of birds on "the hill", including the
arrival of the bluebirds every year around the end of April. (Sidenote:
My wife and I are always there for a long weekend at end of April for t
he blooming of the Trilliums, another pretty amazing sight). Anyway,
for the past three years, there have been at least 6 pair of nesting
bluebirds on "the hill" in boxes we've put up.
But this weekend, there had to be at least 100 bluebirds flying around
and gathering in trees at "the hill". Everywhere you looked you saw 10 or
11 bluebirds flying/perched/dancing around in small brush. My guess is that
they were gathering for migration, but I'm a novice weekend bird-watcher.
Can anyone confirm?
Another
Question: "the hill" is a ten acre rolling parcel of land with about
6 acres mowed. How many bluebird boxes could it support?
Ken Gaskell
Industrial Technology Institute