Spring Cleaning and Housing Additions at Stone Park

Although it may not feel like spring just yet, it is just around the corner. And everyone knows what happens when spring comes – spring cleaning! The first thing on our cleaning list was the bluebird nestboxes here at the park. There are 20 established nest boxes scattered throughout the approximate 1600 acres, and recently Chris and I cleaned them all out. In most cases this just involved taking old nesting material out (and sometimes an old wasp nest). However, in one box Chris was in for quite a surprise, when she opened it and encountered a mouse family! I guess that goes to show that we are being presumptuous when we call them bluebird nestboxes, because the mice seem to have made it a cozy home for themselves!

 

 The removal of old nesting material is necessary because most bluebirds do not remove old nesting material. They do sometimes nest on top of old nests, but this can increase the likelihood of disease and parasites. The old nests are usually quite flat the end of the breeding season and covered in feces and feather dander. Old nests also are more likely to attract ants. No one would want to come home to a mess like that after a long winter vacation!  

Along with cleaning out the already established boxes, we also added 3 more boxes to the park. One of them was added to a piece of more recently acquired land on the southernmost part of the park. It was placed on a cedar tree that had been topped and stripped of all of its limbs. The other 2 were placed at Spirit Knoll, a 220 acre State Preserve 3 miles north of Stone Park.

  Now that the houses are clean and ready to be inhabited, it is up to the bluebirds to take over the work. Throughout March and early April we hope to be seeing lots of bluebirds choosing this season’s home and making them nice and cozy for their new families. We are also excited to see how well they like the locations we chose for the newest boxes  You are more than welcome to come help us keep an eye out for bluebirds with their bills full of nesting material.

 - S.H.

 

 

Winter Returns to Stone Park!

Winter Returns to Stone Park!

If the Phil, the groundhog, had come out last week to tell us that winter was going to last another 6 weeks, I would have been very skeptical.  The past few weeks have been warm, almost spring-like. As we dealt with muddy roads and the slick loess slopes while working, Chris and I had to keep reminding ourselves that it was still January, not March. This past weekend finally brought the winter back though. Stone Park is again covered in 5-6 inches of snow and seeing below freezing temperatures.

Canada wild rye with the frozen Turtle Lake in the background

There is something special about being out in the park with a fresh snow on the ground. The snow reveals the tracks of critters like mice, raccoons, deer, and turkeys as they travel along their way, and the brisk cold makes the air seem even more fresh and clean. Get here early and you will see the frost glistening on the native grasses, or come late and travel out to one of the overlooks in time to watch the sun go down behind the snowy tree covered hills.

 

Snow covered yucca on a prairie hillside

Today Phil’s shadow told us that winter will last a while longer, but in case he is wrong, come on out and enjoy your favorite winter recreation while the snow is fresh! We have 6 miles of snowmobile trails and 8 miles of cross-country/ skiing and snowshoeing trails.  The sights are breathtaking, as always, and there is an abundance of turkeys, deer, squirrels, and songbirds to see along the way. And if you are really lucky, you might also find some fresh antler sheds as the white-tail deer breeding season draws to a close.

AmeriCorps Member - Shaena Howell