NOTICE: Weather permitting, the entire refuge will be CLOSED on Thursday, March 30, 2023, for an aerial feral hog control operation. |
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Every year beginning on December 1st, the Friends of Hagerman give the public an opportunity to support the Eastern Bluebird population and learn all about them via the Adopt-A-Nestbox Program. Participants of the Adopt-A-Nestbox program will have their name on one of the nestboxes along a Hagerman NWR hiking trail, and will receive an email every week during nesting season with a picture of the inside of the nestbox and an explanation of its stages of development. An adopted nestbox makes a great Christmas gift! Donations to the Adopt-A-Nest Program help support the expense of maintaining the impressive Bluebird trail of 45 nestboxes throughout the refuge. The Adopt-A-Nest program is sold out for the 2023 season. Look for them to go on sale December 1st, 2023 |
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Photo by Laurie Blankenship-Lawler Bluebird nesting season is from the beginning of March until the end of July every year. Check out this PDF version of our Second Saturday PowerPoint Presentation by Kathy Whaley, Refuge Manager. |
The Eastern Bluebirds at Hagerman NWR were hit hard by the winter storm of 2021, many were lost. We are working hard to provide nestboxes and restore their habitat, and you could help by considering a Donation. Donations will help replace nestboxes and expand our nestbox trails. |
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By Wes Crawford The Nestbox Program has been a well-established volunteer activity of the Friends of Hagerman since 2013. Every year volunteers are monitoring nearly 50 nestboxes on Harris Creek and Raasch Hiking Trails. Volunteers usually do box repair, relocations and cleaning during the off season from September through February. Then, towards the end of February, nestbox monitors pair up and select the trails they prefer to monitor for the season. The monitoring season begins in late February and ends in August. Based on scheduling, each team monitors about one time each month. Monitoring normally occurs on Wednesday or Thursday in the late morning or early afternoon. Volunteers sometimes have to be flexible about their monitoring day due to weather or trail conditions. Monitors carefully open each box and note observations on the Cornell NestWatch data sheet. Some nestboxes have sponsors and a photo is taken. Monitors will remove nests and clean the box once the chicks have fledged. A designated volunteer enters the data for all of the nestboxes into the Cornell database for scientific monitoring and research. Another volunteer takes the photos and prepares reports for the Adopt-A-Nestbox program sponsors. There is nothing like the joy in seeing the royal blue male Eastern Bluebird on top of the nestbox or the female bravely huddled over her eggs or the site of the fully feathered young waiting for the queue to fledge. One of our volunteer monitors this year was blessed by actually seeing a chick peck out of the egg. Although our target species is Eastern Bluebirds, other species benefit from use of the nestboxes including: Carolina Wren, Bewicks Wren, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse and Prothonotary Warbler. Thanks to all Friends, volunteers and HNWR staff for supporting this program.
Note: Differences in the species utilizing the nestboxes through the years may be due to our effort to move boxes into more suitable Bluebird habitats. 2022 58 Eastern Bluebirds 16 Carolina Chickadee 6 Tufted Titmouse 6 Carolina Wren 2021 41 Eastern Bluebird 12 Carolina Chickadee 18 Carolina Wren 2020 130 Eastern Bluebirds 19 Carolina Chickadee/Carolina Wrens 2019 147 Eastern Bluebirds 9 Carolina Chickadee 22 Carolina Wrens 2018 140 Eastern Bluebirds 26 Carolina Chickadee 22 Carolina Wrens 2017 122 Eastern Bluebirds 3 Carolina Chickadees 44 Carolina Wrens 6 Bewick’s Wrens 9 Tufted Titmice 5 Prothonotary Warblers 2011 to 2016: 939 Eastern Bluebird 147 Carolina Wren 97 Carolina Chickadee 73 Tufted Titmouse 23 Prothonotary Warbler 14 Bewick's Wren |
Photo by Larry Wecsler
Photo by Bill Powell
Male Bluebird by Randall Patterson
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6465 Refuge Road Sherman, TX 75092
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Kroger: Stop by the customer service desk at Kroger and link your Kroger Card to the Friends of Hagerman: the Friends will get rewards for every dollar you spend, at no cost to you.
Please add friendsofhagerman@gmail.com to your contacts to ensure delivery of registration confirmations, account information and the Featherless Flyer
Special thanks to Nancy Miller for the amazing photo of the Visitor Center
See you at the refuge!