If You Build It They Will Come

You may recall that last summer we had a plethora of Prothonotary Warblers visit the yard (where "plethora" = six). Often there or four in view at the time.

Here's a reminder.

Well a few years ago we built and installed three Prothonotary nest boxen. Two out in the backwoods behind our place, and one out by our back pond.

And now is the time to clean out all our bird boxen, including these three. And when I did, I found this in one.

It is out in the backwoods, in what is now a mostly dry, shallow stream bed.

The other two did not have any evidence of bird occupation. The other backwoods box had fallen over (I reset it upright in the stream bed). The one in our yard had mud dabbler wasp nest tubess, which I relocated.

Here's hoping the birds return this summer. The boxen are ready.