Betasso Scenes in May and June

Looking toward the tree that holds Box 2 and its very aggressive male Western Bluebird, June 26. One brood of three chicks has fledged, with two soiled eggs left behind. However, the male is still busy defending the box, perhaps from swallows that were showing interest. He has been defending the box since at least mid-April, when both another WEBL pair and a MOBL pair were also around the tree. A MOBL pair made a futile attempt to nest in a pile of rusty debris downhill from the tree.

The three pictures below were taken as I approached the box. All have been cropped to the same fraction of the original.

(Click on the thumbnails for images and captions.
Click again to return, or use arrow keys to move from one to the next.)

WEBL_box2_0.jpg
Thinking he might fly away any second ...
WEBL_box2_2.jpg
Still there ...
WEBL_box2_4.jpg
I didn't try approaching any closer than this.

Pictures of the unsuccessful MOBL nest in a pile of old rusty corrugated iron roofing.

RustPileHillsite.jpg
Site of the roofing nest. Box 2 tree is up the hill.
MOBLeggRustPile.jpg
One MOBL egg in the roofing nest when first discovered, may 29.
MOBL_ScrapNest.jpg
Empty nest June 19, after we had seen no activity for two weeks.

More views at Box 2

BetassoBox2_scene.jpg
Box 2, looking approximately west.
MartiMonitorBox2.jpg
Marti monitoring.
PricklyPoppies6.jpg
Prickly poppies by the box.

Below are more images from monitoring at Betasso, a Violet-green Swallow nest and several flowers.

VGSWnest_5eggs.jpg
Nicely feathered Violet-green Swallow nest
BushSunflower.jpg
Bush Sunflower
Harebell.jpg
Harebell

BullThistle6.jpg
Bull Thistle
Loco88.jpg
Colorado Loco

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