Not all those who wander are lost…

This morning, I attended the first volunteer meeting we’ve had here since I arrived.  There is supposed to be a meeting each week, but that just hasn’t happened.  I think these meetings are necessary to let volunteers know what’s happening on the refuge, and what projects have the highest priority.  My work on the bird surveys won’t begin until March, so it has left me in a bit of a quandary as to what the heck I’m supposed to be doing to put in my 32 hours each week. 

 

I had noticed that there were several blue bird houses scattered about the front of the refuge, and I wondered if anyone was monitoring them.  So, during the meeting, I asked about them.  Doug, the volunteer coordinator, agreed that they needed to be cleaned out before the nesting season began, but hadn’t had time to think about them.  The male blue birds are already singing, so I told him I would take care of them.  (at least that gave me something definitive to do!)  Doug said he would get me a map of where they were all located, and the meeting continued.

 

It turned out that he couldn’t find the map, and that I’d have to walk around the savannah to find them.  I was OK with that, and told him that “Not all those who wander are lost…”  :)  I was pretty excited about this assignment.  It put me outside wandering through the savannah, and I could take my exuberant, trusty companion (aka: wild child) with me! 

With a bleach solution spray bottle and gloves in hand, Emma and I headed out into the bush.  You’ll have to use your imagination to picture our trek (minus the path).  I had put on my heavy waterproof hiking boots, and that was a good thing.  This is a wet pine savannah, you know.  There are quite a few hidden downed trees in the area, and grasses that were almost as tall as I am as we I trudged along.  Emma was bounding about on her spring loaded feet, and thoroughly enjoying the experience.  She wrapped herself around some trees occasionally, which gave me a little break as she figured out how to undo herself.  :)

 

The sun was blazing down, and I soon wrapped my sweatshirt around my waist.  We were able to find 14 nest boxes in all, which was the number that Doug had said that were out there.  About 11 of them were used last year, and had old nests in them that I cleared out.  All boxes, but one, were sprayed with the bleach solution, and I had to put one disheveled box back together.  I’m proud to report that I only took a header through the rough terrain once!  My right foot went down into a chuck hole while my left leg became entangled in vines.  An equation for a fall, for sure.  It was a pretty soft fall, and I was glad that no one saw me spread eagled on the ground.  :)

 

The one box that I didn’t spray contained two blue eggs in it.  I carefully put the nest back into the box and closed it up.  I’m really not sure if this was an abandoned nest from last year, or the first nest of this year.  I will check this box again in two days to see if there are any additional eggs.  If not, I will clean it out.  Female bluebirds usually lay one egg per day, and don’t incubate the eggs until there is a full clutch.

 

Both Emma and I should sleep well tonight after the exhausting miles we put on today!  It’s a good tired, however.  :)

 

Thanks for stopping by…. talk to you later,  Judy