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May 2, 2018
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MONROE OUTDOORS by Terry W. Johnson
Nesting bluebirds are tolerant of humans who want to help
Assistance from those who love bluebirds, like this nesting
box, helps insure they don’t become endangered in spite of
obstacles. (Photo/Terry Johnson)
T hose of us that
have been lucky
enough to have
bluebirds nesting
in boxes we have erected
are faced with deciding
whether or not it is safe to
check on the progress of a
nesting effort.
Since many
birds are very
intolerant of any
human activ
ity around their
nests, the last
thing we want to
do is have blue
bird nestlings or
eggs abandoned
because we
wanted to peek
inside the box.
Fortunately, bluebirds are
very tolerant of humans.
Consequently, none other
than the North American
Bluebird Society recom
mends we should check
bluebird nest boxes weekly
throughout the nesting sea
son. In fact, their research
demonstrates that when a
box is regularly monitored,
the chance young bluebirds
will fledge from the box
actually increases.
There are a number
of reasons why nest box
checks help nesting blue
birds. First, you can keep
paper wasps from build
ing their nests in bluebird
boxes. Bluebirds do not
like to be near wasp nests
any more than we do and
will abandon a box con
taining a healthy wasp nest.
However, if you open a
box and find these annoy
ing insects are just begin
ning to construct a nest,
you can easily remove it
without being stung.
Weekly nest
box checks will
also help thwart
the nesting
attempts of the
house sparrow.
This European
transplant has
contributed
mightily to the
decline of blue
bird populations
in many parts
of the county.
Aggressive house spar
rows compete with eastern
bluebirds for the precious
few suitable nesting sites
available. Whenever house
sparrows compete for a
nest box with a bluebird,
invariably the bluebird is
the one that loses.
Therefore, if you find a
large bulky nest construct
ed of grass, feathers and
pieces of trash, more than
likely you are looking at a
house sparrow nest. The
clincher is if you see three
to seven white to greenish-
white eggs speckled with
gray or brown markings,
the nest probably belongs
to a house sparrow.
Whenever you find such
a nest, remove it. Do not
be surprised if you have to
remove such nests several
times before you finally
deter the house sparrow
from nesting in that loca
tion.
In addition to occupying
a nest box, these aggressive
birds will destroy bluebird
eggs and kill hatchlings
and adults alike.
Since there are a number
of other species of birds
that also nest in bluebird
boxes, never disturb the
nests of any other birds. In
fact, it is illegal to remove
the nests of house finches,
Carolina wrens, Carolina
chickadees, brown-headed
nuthatches and other birds
protected by law.
If you open a box and
find a loosely constructed
nest composed of pine
needles, grass or weed
stalks, it was built by an
eastern bluebird. Typically,
a female bluebird will
lay three to six pale blue,
unmarked eggs.
Once you decide to
monitor your nest boxes,
you are in for a real treat.
I know many folks that
enjoy keeping records on
the number of boxes used
and young fledged in the
boxes on their property.
If you begin nest box
checks while females are
laying eggs, you can deter
mine when the last egg is
laid and incubation begins.
Once a female begins
laying her eggs, she will
lay one per day until her
clutch in completed.
Incubation doesn’t begin
until the last egg is laid.
Incubation typically lasts
12-14 days.
The young grow quickly
and will remain in a nest
box only 17-21 days. Keep
this in mind, as you should
not check on hatchlings in
a box until after the young
are 11 days old. If you do,
the youngsters are likely
to bail out of the nest box
prematurely.
After the young have
fledged, the North
American Bluebird Society
recommends you remove
the nest. Remember blue
birds in the Peach State
will nest up to two more
times in the same year.
Consequently, there is a
chance a box will be used
by bluebirds more than
once in a year.
When you remove a
nest, if you dispose of the
nesting material close to
the nest box, you increase
the chances a nest preda
tor such as a raccoon will
find the nearby nest box.
Therefore, it is always a
good idea to dispose of old
nesting material at least 30
or 40 yards away from a
box.
The best time to moni
tor a bluebird nesting box
is on a day when there is
little or no wind and the
weather is dry. Since you
do not want to disturb
nesting bluebirds any more
than you have to, perform
your checks quickly and
quietly.
I am convinced either the
eastern bluebird would be
extinct or on the endan
gered species list without
the help from people that
go out of their way to assist
them. By the same token,
if we want to continue to
enjoy the sights and sound
of bluebirds in the future,
we need to continue to
do all we can to help the
bird that Henry Thoreau
said, “...wears the sky on its
back.”
Terry Johnson is retired
Program Manager of
the Georgia Nongame-
Endangered Wildlife
Program. He has written
the informative column
Monroe Outdoors’for the
Reporter for many years.
Email him at tjwoodduck@
bellsouth.net.
TERRY W. JOHNSON
MP tennis squads
ousted from playoffs
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
The Mary Persons boys and girls tennis teams saw their respective sea
sons come to an end with second-round losses at Woodward Academy.
The MP boys squad, which finished the season with a 13-5 record (5-2
in Region 2-AAAA), fell to Woodward 0-3 for its second straight Sweet 16
defeat. Two matches were still in progress when the War Eagles clinched,
but they were each halted before they were finished.
MP’s losses came in No. 3 singles, where Preston Wilson dropped
his match 0-6,1-6 to Michael Azadi, No. 1 doubles, where the brother
tandem of Caleb and Micah Wilson fell 2-6,2-6 to Derek Zhou and Finn
Gosch, and in No. 2 doubles, where MPs pair of Jordan Carr and Seth
Smith lost 1-6,0-6 to Myles Ramos and Jason Escobar. MP was a game
away from losing the No. 2 singles match as well with the Dogs’ Tanner
Lee trailing Woodward’s Stuart Gordon 0-6,0-5 when the match was
stopped.
In No. 1 singles, MP senior Chris Swars was locked in an intense battle
with Woodward’s Sanil Sawja, splitting the first two sets 4-6,6-4 before the
match was halted.
The Lady Dogs, which finished the season with a 10-8 record (4-3 in Re
gion 2-AAAA), were defeated 0-4 by the Lady War Eagles to finish their
season in the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year.
MP senior Cadi Seitz mustered up the Lady Dogs’ lone game points
in a 1-6,1-6 loss to Sydney Lopez in No. 1 singles. The Lady Dogs also
dropped the No. 2 singles match with Jackie Gore losing to Ansley Car
penter 0-6,0-6, the No. 1 doubles match with Audrey Parrott and Mad
eline Copeland falling 0-6,0-6 to Sarah Lewis and Caroline Yarbrough,
and the No. 2 doubles match with MPs pair of Reagan Dorrity and Anna
Starr getting double-bageled 0-6,0-6 by Woodward’s Sydney Taylor and
Roshni Shah.
The girls No. 3 singles match had just started when Woodward’s team
clinched with MP’s Emma Cantrell trailing Mia Chan 0-3 when it was
stopped.
Both the Woodward Academy boys and girls squads will next face
North Oconee, which ousted both MP teams from the playoffs in 2017, in
the AAAA state quarterfinals.
Wachtel takes first place
in 3,200 state sectional
MP freshman Justin Wachtel was one of four MP track athletes
to qualify for the state finals. Wachtel took first place in the
3,200 meters at the state sectionals in Columbus on Saturday.
(File photo)
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
Two Mary Persons boys track
athletes qualified for the AAAA
state finals after high finishes at
the AAAA state sectional meet
at Kinnett Stadium in Colum
bus on Saturday.
Lreshman Justin Wachtel
will compete in a pair of races,
the 1,600 meters and the 3,200
meters, at the championship
meet, which will be contested at
Valhalla Stadium at Berry Col
lege in Rome from Thursday,
May 10 through Saturday, May
12. One other MP boys athlete,
senior Condarius Alford, also
made it into state, qualifying in
the boys high jump.
Wachtel took first place on
Saturday in the 3,200 meters
with a time of 10 minutes, 2
seconds. Wachtel’s time was
five seconds faster than the
runner-up time of 10 minutes,
7 seconds recorded by Alex
Salgado of Columbus. Wach
tel also placed second in the
1,600 meters with a time of 4
minutes, 27 seconds to finish
just five-hundredths of a sec
ond behind winner Jonathan
Myrthil of Northside (Colum
bus). Alford placed seventh in
the high jump with a leap of 6
feet. Both Wachtel and Alford
captured the Region 2-AAAA
championship in their respec
tive disciplines last month.
Other MP boys athletes who
competed at sectionals but
failed to qualify for the state
finals included: Alford, who
placed 10th in the 400 meters
with a time of 52.05 seconds,
Myles Johnson, who placed
14th in the 800 meters with a
time of 2 minutes, 18 seconds,
Jamar Pagan, who placed 10th
in the 110-meter hurdles with
a time of 16.81 seconds, Jaques
Watkins, who placed 13th in
the high jump with a leap of 5
feet, 8 inches and placed 11th
in the long jump with a leap of
19 feet, 5 inches, Bralen Harvey,
who placed 12th in the pole
vault with a vault of 9 feet, and
Daniel Lavelle, who finished
tied for 14th in the discus. Also,
MP’s No. 1 4 x 100-meter relay
team, consisting of Ladamian
Sands, Alford, Fagan and Cai-
leb Ussery, placed ninth with a
time of44.56 seconds, missing
out on qualifying for the state
finals by a single hundredth
of a second. Region rival West
Laurens finished in eighth place
with a time of44.55 seconds.
Meanwhile, two MP girls
track athletes will also compete
in the AAAA state finals after
high finishes at the AAAA state
sectional meet in Columbus on
Saturday.
Cheyla Tafolla will compete
in the pole vault while Precious
Gaines will compete in the shot
put.
Tafolla placed third in the
pole vault with a vault of 7 feet,
6 inches while Gaines placed
eighth in the shot put with
a heave of 33 feet, 10 inches.
Gaines captured the Region
2-AAAA championship in the
shot put last month.
Other MP girls athletes who
competed at sectionals but
failed to qualify for the state
finals included: Ava McKallip,
who placed 13 th in the 1,600
meters with a time of 6 min
utes, 10 seconds and placed
9th in the 3,200 meters with a
time of 13 minutes, 16 seconds,
and Destiny Middleton, who
placed 10th in the long jump
with a leap of 15 feet, 7 inches.
Also, MP’s No. 1 4 x 100-meter
relay team, consisting of Jordan
Shannon, Daizha Outlaw,
Judiyah Alford and Middle-
ton, placed 12th with a time of
52.67 seconds.
The MP squads competed at
sectionals against athletes from
Regions 1-AAAA, 2-AAAA,
5-AAAA and 6-AAAA.