Newspaper Page Text
Page B6
February 23, 2022
MONROE OUTDOORS by Terry W. Johnson
Reporter
Make a home for the great crested flycatcher family
"T A 7” lthspring
% /l / looming on
1/ \l the horizon;
▼ V it is time to
think about providing clean,
safe nesting sites for
birds. To most folks,
this means cleaning
or erecting nesting
boxes for wood
ducks, bluebirds
and gourds and
apartment houses
for purple martins.
However, the
truth of the mat
ter is Monroe
County is home
to a number of
other cavity-nesting birds
that need places to nest.
One of these birds is the
great crested flycatcher.
The great crested fly
catcher is Monroe County’s
largest flycatcher and the
only flycatcher living in
eastern North America that
nests in a cavity. Historically,
this large (8.5” - 8.75” long)
flycatcher nests in cavities
found in dead limbs and
tree trunks, as well as nest
ing in unused woodpecker
nesting and roosting sites.
The problem facing the
great crested flycatcher and
a number of other birds that
are unable to chisel out their
own nesting cavities is that
these critical nesting sites
are in short supply.
Fortunately, nesting boxes
help alleviate scarcity of
hollows where these birds
can lay eggs and raise their
young. The lack of nesting
sites is so acute, great crested
flycatchers are known to
TERRY W. JOHNSON
chase off woodpeckers
trying to chisel out nesting
cavities for their own use.
Great crested flycatchers
also resort to nesting in
mail boxes and
rain gutters.
They will even
squeeze them
selves through
the 1.5-inch
entrance hole cut
in the front of a
bluebird box.
If you are
interested
creating a
nesting site for
a pair of great
crested flycatchers on your
property, it is best to offer
a nesting pair a box that is
best suited to meet their
needs and erect it in their
preferred nesting habitat. If
you modify a bluebird box,
simply increase the diam
eter of the entrance hole to
1.75 inches in diameter.
The other option is to
construct a box specifically
designed for great crested
flycatchers. Great crested
flycatchers prefer nesting in
boxes with a slightly larger
entrance hole and floor
dimensions. Whereas the
recommended interior floor
dimensions for a blue
bird box are 4” x 4”, boxes
designed with great crested
flycatchers in mind measure
5”x5”-6”x6.” As for
the height of the entrance
hole above the bottom of
the box, 6” - 7” are recom
mended for both birds.
Interestingly, the recom
mended total height of a
box designed for the great
crested flycatcher is 9” x 12”
compared to 11” - 12” for
the eastern bluebird.
The size of the entrance
hole for the great crested
flycatcher is larger than that
of the bluebird. However,
bluebirds can easily nest
in boxes with larger holes.
It is recommended that
entrance holes for blue
bird boxes be 1.5 inches in
diameter. Holes this size will
prevent European starlings
from entering the box. An
entrance hole even slightly
larger (19/16”) will allow
a starling to enter a nesting
box. A hole diameter of
1.75” - 2.5” is preferred for
the great crested flycatcher.
I highly recommended
that you place a metal hole
guard around the entrance
hole. If this is not done,
squirrels will undoubt
edly enlarge the hole. Hole
guards can be purchased
from stores that sell bird-
related supplies such as the
Bird Store in Macon.
One of the best things
you can do to enhance
your chances that a pair
of great crested flycatchers
will use a box is to place it
in the right habitat. Great
crested flycatchers prefer to
nest in yards with scattered
hardwood trees, woods
with hardwood trees and in
sites where woodlands are
located close by.
It is always best to erect
nest boxes on metal poles
equipped with predator
guards.
Although great crested
flycatchers will nest in
cavities upwards of 85-feet
above the ground, they will
also nest in boxes six to 10
feet high.
The great crested fly
catcher is more often heard
than seen. The birds most
familiar call is a loud easily
recognized whistled wheep.
The great crested fly
catcher is a handsome bird.
As its name suggests it has a
crest. The crest is bushy, not
pointed. The birds wings
and tail are cinnamon. It has
a pale yellow belly, light gray
breast and dark olive back
The female does most, if
not all, of the nest building.
She will haul a wide variety
of materials to the nest box
including twigs, leaves, hair,
feathers and shredded bark
She will then weave into the
nest materials that we might
consider waste: plastic, cel
lophane, onion skins, wax
paper, and pieces of rope. In
addition, she commonly
adds shed snakeskins to
her creation. Roughly half
to two-thirds of all great
crested flycatcher nests
contain snakeskins.
We are not really sure why
the birds employ snakeskins
in their nest. Some experts
suggest that the birds use
them simply because they
are good nesting material.
Others, though, theorize
it is done to deter preda
tors. One study seems to
substantiate this claim. This
project found that great
crested flycatcher nests con
taining snakeskins were less
likely to be predatorized by
Among those currently experiencing a shortage of avail
able housing is the great crested flycatcher.(Photo/Terry
Johnson)
southern flying squirrels.
Over the years great crest
ed flycatchers have nested
twice in my yard. The first
nesting attempt took place
in a slot box. The birds did
not incorporate a snake skin
in their nest.
The second time the
birds nested on the Johnson
Homestead they nested in a
log bluebird house. Over the
years its 1.5” entrance hole
was enlarged by squirrels.
When I noticed a pair of
great crested flycatchers was
building a nest in the log
house, I cut strips of a plastic
bread bag and scattered
them on the ground nearby.
After the nesting season was
over, when I checked the
box I did not find a snake-
skin, although it did contain
some of the plastic strips.
If you would like plans for
a great crested flycatcher
box, contact Melissa Hayes
(melissa.hays@dnr.ga.gov).
Terry Johnson is retired
Program Manager of the
Georgia Nongame-Endan
gered Wildlife Program. He
has written the informative
column Monroe Outdoors’
for the Reporter for many
years. His book, “A Journey
to Discovery’’ is available at
The Reporter. Email him at
tjwoodduck@bellsouth. net.
Meet Senior
Bass Dawg
Troy Davis
Name: Troy Davis
Parents' Names: Melinda
Rooks
Harley Davis
Briefly share your fa
vorite fishing story: Me
and a buddy were floating
with the wind over a grass
bed and pulled a 4 and a
half pounder out of it.
Favorite Lure: whopper
plopper
Favorite fish to eat: Bass
Favorite subject in
school: Lunch
What do you plan to do
after high school? Weld
but the goal is to own my
own business of some kind
MP girls meet state champs in playoffs
The Mary Persons girls
basketball teams first trip
to the state playoffs in 7
years may be a short one
after the Lady Dogs drew
the defending state champ
Cross Creek team in
Round 1.
Cross Creek is 23-1 on
the year, their only loss
coming to AAAAAAA
powerhouse Valdosta.
Cross Creek has been so
dominant that its 23-point
win over Thomson to win
the region champion
ship was its closest game
since a 21-point win over
Morgan County on Feb.
4. They beat Richmond
Academy 80-16 on Feb. 8.
The teams met Tuesday
night, Feb. 22 in Augusta,
which is good because
MP had a holiday on
Monday and Tuesday
next week.
While the Lady Dogs
will be the decided
underdog, McElhaney
said it’s good for the girls
to experience a playoff
atmosphere, getting used
to the nerves that come
with that.
The Mary Persons
girls (15-14, 5-9 region)
secured their playoff
berth on Feb. 8 by upset
ting Crisp County 45-43
in Round 2 of the region
tournament.
The Dogs were actually
trailing Crisp County 38-
35 going into the fourth
quarter. But the Lady
Dogs outscored the Lady
Cougars 10-5 in the final
stanza to secure the win.
Miah Barkley led the Lady
Dogs with 10 points, Ja-
taria Hardy had 9. Barkley
also led on the glass with 6
rebounds.
In the semis, MP lost to
eventual region champ
Americus-Sumter (21-6,
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14-0 region) 39-31 on Feb.
10. The Lady Dogs took
a 7-1 first quarter lead on
the Lady Panthers, who
did not lose a region game
all year. But Sumter surged
ahead to lead 14-11 at the
half. MP couldn’t cut into
the Americus lead.
In the consolation game,
MP lost to Peach County
(17-8,10-4 region) 53-32
on Feb. 11.
MP tennis falls
to Jones County
The Mary Persons
tennis teams lost
their first matches of
the season to Jones
County on Thurs
day, Feb. 17.
The boys and girls
both lost to the
Greyhounds 1-4.
Becky Kinerny
had an 8-0 win for
the girls and Griffin
Morris won for the
boys 8-4.
The Tennis Dogs have three matches next week MP
must play all its matches on the road as the school didn’t
have time to build new tennis courts before the season
started.
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