Eastern Bluebirds – North Andover
April 30, 2012 in Nearby Landbirds
Eastern Bluebirds have arrived on territory and are prepared for the breeding season. A small flock appeared in the open woodlands of the Carter Fields Sanctuary last week. The area was alive with Bluebird songs mixed in with Red-winged Blackbird calls. This striking male shows the bright blue upperparts, reddish brown breast, and white belly. This time of year they are known to forage on the ground for insects, earthworms, an spiders!
The Great Blue Herons are busy building their nests at the heron rookery located on the North Andover/West Boxford town line. Currently, there are about 40 nesting pairs of Great Blue Herons with most females already incubating eggs. They continue to fortify their nests with new branches secured nearby and transported back to the nest. Most of the massive stick platform nests are in tall, dead, white pine trees that are surrounded by shallow water below. The herons spend a great deal of time on nest construction or repair from off season damage. Besides feeding each other, a great deal of time is spent on preening and hanging out. Great Blue Herons typically produce clutch sizes of four eggs!
