First Morning
Weather - Clear, 52F, WNW winds 17mph, 18 gusts
Sunrise - 6:13am
I set the alarm for 4:15am, but woke up at 3:30am - no use going back to sleep at this point. I have everything ready to go and after a very quick breakfast I’m off to CBEC. Of course it is still dark - deja vu from last year. I am monitoring a different nest box from the one I did last year. It sits on a small pond. Jim has set up the blind across the pond from the box.
I arrive at 5:35am and get set up in the blind by 5:45am. It’s still dark as I make the camera adjustments. I have to run time exposure tests to find out if I have the nest box in frame, then I wait for the sun to rise. I hear wood ducks, but I can’t see them and don’t know if they are just flying by or are in the pond. As the darkness gives way to some light I do not see any wood ducks on the pond, but then right before 6:00am two males fly to the pond, followed by two more a few seconds later. They don’t stay long.
It’s a cold morning, the “feels like” temp is 44F and the high wind is blowing clouds of pollen across the pond. I can see it collecting on my camera. This setup is a bit different than last year. I am not nearly as close to the box, so I’m not as concerned about moving around a little. This is good and bad - I have the option to stand up (normally I sit on a short stool) if I want to, but this means I’m also more inclined to take my eyes off the target, the nest box. Things can happen quickly, and it did - At 6:44 the hen flew INTO the nest box. I was watching and got the picture.
I then waited. This box is scheduled for the weekly check today (I’m on a different team covering different boxes). I decided to wait until they came by to do their check. Aside from the 21 bird species I heard or saw, it was quiet. I did not see or hear more wood ducks. The team arrived about 9:30am and actually checked the box with a stethoscope to hear for movement inside, by doing this they did not disturb her and she remained in the nest box.
Day Summary -
She returned to the box at 6:44am.
I stayed approximately 4 hours.
