Propane tank songbird habitat

While checking the amount of propane we have left in our storage tanks here at our office after this past winter, I happened to find a bird nest under the cover of one of the tanks.
With camera in hand, I went back out to the tank for a few pictures. I first wanted to try to get a shot through the small opening in the cover of the bird nest inside. After positioning myself in front of the opening and framing the shot through the viewfinder on the camera, imagine my surprise when one of the parent birds flew out of the opening and all but hit me in the face! :) I did at least get a fairly decent look at the bird and comparing that with the nest structure and markings on the eggs I'm pretty sure that what we have here is the nest of a "Carolina wren" (Thryothorus ludovicianus).
A couple of intriguing facts about Carolina wrens:
* A pair bond may form between a male and a female at any time of the year, and the pair will stay together for life. Members of a pair stay together on their territory year-round, and forage and move around the territory together.
* The Carolina Wren is sensitive to cold weather, with the northern populations decreasing markedly after severe winters.

Carolina wrens are found in a wide range of habitats, from swamps to forests to residential areas and they generally require moderately dense shrub or brushy cover. They typically utilize cavity nests and the nest is a domed cup with a side entrance. The nest is usually bulky and made of bark strips, dried grasses, dead leaves, hair, feathers, paper, plastic, or string. They can be placed in tree cavities, vine tangles, dense branches, or other artificial sites such as a mailboxes (or in our case, a propane tank).


A link to a "Wikipedia" article on the Carolina Wren can be found HERE.

The NCWRC '2006-2008' Biennial Report

The 2006-2008 biennial report, "All Things Are Connected," is now available. This 20-page publication gives a snapshot of some of the agency's activities over the past two years, and is an excellent tool to educate the public about the Wildlife Commission.

For the first time, the biennial report is also available at www.ncwildlife.org. We hope that this will make it simple to distribute the report to anyone. Download the report here (http://www.ncwildlife.org/Documents/NCWRC_Biennial_Report_2006-2008.pdf) or click the biennial report link on the home page of the Web site under "Downloads."

What has THE D-7 crew done lately? (Jan - March 2009)

JANUARY

Building Maintenance:
Performed routine depot and site maintenance tasks.
Installed insulating materials in storage building to reduce heating costs.
Installed impact protection around propane fuel tanks.

Boundary Maintenance:
Investigated boundary problems and posted entrances to Three Top GL.
Collected data for potential land swap/ boundary change on TCGL.

Road and Trail Maintenance:
Consulted with engineering services in planning for repair of washout on Mitchell River GL, and installation of creek crossing on logging road on TCGL.

Maintenance, Repair & Purchase of Non-Highway Equipment:
Crew performed inventory, repairs, recovery, and maintenance on various non-highway equipment.

Firebreaks:
Transported culvert needed on firelane to MRGL.

Herbaceous Planting:
Daylighted ¼ mile of linear opening on Thurmond Chatham GL.

Tree and Shrub Planting:
Daylighted 32 persimmon, chestnut, and apple trees on Thurmond Chatham GL.

Vegetation Control:
Prepared plans and equipment for upcoming burning.
Conducted 3 burns totaling 60 acres on TCGL.
Felled trees to create 1.25 acres of sprout openings on TCGL.

Planning, Coordination, Evaluation & Reporting:
Routine office work, purchasing, and reporting.
Crew attended District 7 public hearing.
Crew attended budget education seminar and strategic planning meeting.

Maintenance, Repair, and Purchase of Highway Vehicles:
Scheduled maintenance of highway vehicles.

Miscellaneous State Funded Activities:
Crewmember provided urinalysis sample for random drug testing of Commission
Commercial Drivers License holders.



FEBRUARY

Building Maintenance:
Performed routine depot and site maintenance tasks.

Maintenance, Repair & Purchase of Non-Highway Equipment:
Crew performed inventory, repairs, recovery, and maintenance on various non-highway equipment.

Firebreaks:
Installed culvert on firelane to MRGL.
Hauled 45 tons of aggregates for culvert installation on MRGL.

Herbaceous Planting:
Daylighted 0.7 mile of linear opening on Thurmond Chatham GL.

Tree and Shrub Planting:
Daylighted and pruned 5 apple trees on Thurmond Chatham GL.

Vegetation Control:
Prepared plans and equipment for upcoming burning.
Conducted burns on 5 blocks totaling 174 acres on MRGL.
Conducted burns on 2 bog properties totaling 10 acres in Wilkes County.
Assisted on 1 burn totaling 108 acres on South Mountain GL.

Planning, Coordination, Evaluation & Reporting:
Routine office work, purchasing, and reporting.


Maintenance, Repair, and Purchase of Highway Vehicles:
Made repairs and installed new tires on two equipment trailers.

Miscellaneous State Funded Activities:
Crew attended pesticide re-certification course in Taylorsville.
Crew assisted DB with attempted turkey confiscation in Stokes County.
Two crewmembers attended retirement information meeting.
Crewmember visited medical facility for Workman’s Compensation injury.


MARCH

Building Maintenance:
Performed routine depot and site maintenance tasks.

Road and Trail Maintenance:
Closed gates on Thurmond Chatham and Mitchell River game lands.
Delivered materials for constructing stream crossing to Thurmond Chatham GL.

Maintenance, Repair & Purchase of Non-Highway Equipment:
Performed repairs, preparation, and cleaning of fire fighting equipment.
Repaired seed drill, disc harrow, and other tractor implements.
Delivered and picked up UTV from vendor for repair work.

Firebreaks:
Placed 45 tons of aggregates, silt fence, and filter fabric on firebreak at MRGL.

Herbaceous Planting:
Planted 4.5 miles (7 acres) of firebreaks and other openings on MRGL.

Vegetation Control:
Conducted 40 acre burn on MRGL.
Conducted 2 burns totaling 62 acres on Buffalo Cove GL.
Assisted with two burns totaling 662 acres on South Mountain GL.
Burned seven acres of native warm season grass openings on Perkins GL.

Planning, Coordination, Evaluation & Reporting:
Routine office work, purchasing, and reporting.
Crew conducted annual performance review with Management Biologist.
Crew completed online training as required by personnel office.

Maintenance, Repair, and Purchase of Highway Vehicles:
Repaired and replaced six new tires on various vehicles & trailers.
Installed new decking on 20 ton trailer.
Repaired and replaced suspension components on 10-ton trailer.

Miscellaneous State Funded Activities:
Crew assisted DB with disposal of six confiscated deer.

what has THE D-7 Crew done lately? (Oct-Dec 2008)

OCTOBER

Deer Mortality characteristics:
Crewmember assisted with youth hunt and collected data from 2 deer.

Development of clearings:
Cleared 2 acres while expanding openings on Perkins GL.

Building Maintenance:
Performed routine depot and site maintenance tasks.

Road and Trail Maintenance:
Hauled 82 tons of aggregates to MRGL.
Sprayed roadside vegetation along two miles of access road on Buffalo Cove GL.

Maintenance, Repair & Purchase of Non-Highway Equipment:
Routine maintenance on various non-highway equipment.

Firebreaks:
Scouted and dozed one mile of old roads & skid trails for firebreak construction on MRGL.

Herbaceous Plantings:
Mowed 2 acres of corn in dove fields on perkins GL.
Planted 14 acres of openings on Perkins GL.
Planted 4 acres on Buffalo cove GL.

Nest structures:
Checked and cleaned 28, replaced two wood duck nest boxes on Hunting Creek Waterfowl refuge.

Vegetation control:
Sprayed 5 acres of vegetation on Perkins GL.
Plowed 10 acres with dozer & bog harrow for Kudzu control.

Planning, Coordination, Evaluation & Reporting:
Routine office work, purchasing, and reporting.
Crew attended regional meeting in Marion.

CWD investigations:
Collected sample tissues from two deer for CWD surveillance.


CURE - Call Counts
Crewmembers conducted Cure quail covey survey at Turnersburg, NC.

Miscellaneous State Funded Activities:
Conducted inventory audit with staff inspector from Raleigh.

NOVEMBER

Deer Mortality Characteristics:
Crewmembers collected data from 91 deer at various meat processors.

Bridge Construction:
Gathered information for upcoming bridge construction project.

Building Maintenance:
Performed routine depot and site maintenance tasks.

Road and Trail Maintenance:
Hauled 30 tons of aggregates to MRGL.

Firebreaks:
Constructed 1.3 miles of firelanes on MRGL.

Nest Structures:
Checked and cleaned 32 and replaced 7 wood duck nest boxes on Hunting Creek Waterfowl refuge.

Vegetation Control:
Reviewed burn plans with regional forester and prepared burn plans.

Planning, Coordination, Evaluation & Reporting:
Routine office work, purchasing, and reporting.
Crewmember reviewed bog management plans with non-game staff.

Wildlife Diseases - CWD Investigations
Crewmembers collected CWD samples from 15 deer.

DECEMBER

Deer Mortality Characteristics:
Crewmembers collected data from 138 deer at various meat processors, and
other hunter contacts.

Building Maintenance:
Performed routine depot and site maintenance tasks.

Firebreaks:
Cleared obstructions from .5 miles of firelanes on MRGL.

Nest Structures:
Made repairs to seven, replaced two, and installed two new wood duck nest boxes on Hunting Creek Waterfowl refuge.
Checked and cleaned 4, and installed two new wood duck, two bluebird, and one bat nest box on Thurmond Chatham GL.

Vegetation Control:
Reviewed and prepared burn plans.

Planning, Coordination, Evaluation & Reporting:
Routine office work, purchasing, and reporting.
Crew Attended Regional coordination meeting.

Wildlife Diseases - CWD Investigations
Crewmembers collected CWD samples from 35 deer.

Maintenance, Repair, and Purchase of Highway Vehicles:
Performed scheduled maintenance and repair on five highway vehicles.

what has THE D-7 Crew done lately? (July-Sept 2008)

JULY

Building Maintenance:
Performed routine depot and site maintenance tasks.

Maintenance of public use facilities:
Mowed and cleaned up campground at Basin Creek (TCGL).

Road and Trail Maintenance:
Mowed 4 miles of road edges/horse trail on Mitchell River GL.

Maintenance, Repair & Purchase of Non-Highway Equipment:
Crew performed purchase, repairs, and maintenance on various non-highway equipment.

Herbaceous Plantings:
Mowed 3 acres of openings on TCGL.

Planning, Coordination, Evaluation & Reporting:
Routine office work, purchasing, and reporting.
Crew attended district regulation proposal meeting with Enf. & Fish Divisions.

Waterfowl banding:
Captured 135 wood ducks and banded 123 with new bands.

Mourning Dove Banding:
Captured 42 doves and banded 38 with new bands.

Maintenance, Repair, and Purchase of Highway Vehicles:
Scheduled maintenance and repair of highway vehicles.

Miscellaneous State Funded Activities:
Crewmember collected GPS data from wildfire on Buffalo Cove GL.

AUGUST

Building Maintenance:
Performed routine depot and site maintenance tasks.

Road and Trail Maintenance:
Mowed 3 miles of road edges/horse trail on Mitchell River GL.
Mowed 8 miles of road edges on Thurmond Chatham GL.
Opened and closed gates/ inspected roads for public access on
Thurmond Chatham, Mitchell River, and Buffalo Cove game lands.

Maintenance, Repair & Purchase of Non-Highway Equipment:
Crew performed purchase, repairs, and maintenance on various non-highway equipment.

Firebreaks:
Installed ¼ mile of fire lane on Mitchell River GL.

Herbaceous Plantings:
Mowed 17 acres of openings on TCGL.
Sprayed 11 acres, disked 3 acres, and mowed 5 acres of openings on Perkins GL.

Planning, Coordination, Evaluation & Reporting:
Routine office work, purchasing, and reporting.

Waterfowl banding:
Captured 119 wood ducks and banded 103 with new bands at 10 locations in six counties in District Seven.

Mourning Dove banding:
Captured 19 doves and banded 15 with new bands.

Maintenance, Repair, and Purchase of Highway Vehicles:
Scheduled maintenance and repair of highway vehicles.

Miscellaneous State Funded Activities:
Inspected 81 acre tract in Yadkin County for game lands potential. Obtained records for potential land trade at Basin Creek hunter campground.

SEPTEMBER

Development of clearings:
Cleared .75 acre opening on Mitchell River GL.

Building Maintenance:
Performed routine depot and site maintenance tasks.

Road and Trail Maintenance:
Cleared vegetation and debris from ½ mile of road on TCGL.
Sprayed 2 miles of roadside vegetation on Buffalo Cove GL.

Maintenance, Repair & Purchase of Non-Highway Equipment:
Crew repaired breakdowns on 4630 tractor, Mule UTV, Dozer, and seed drill, as well as other routine maintenance on various non-highway equipment.

Herbaceous Plantings:
Planted 21 acres of openings on Thurmond Chatham GL.
Fertilized 28 acres of openings on TCGL with 8400 lbs fertilizer.
Mowed 44 acres and Sprayed 17 acres of openings on TCGL.
Planted 3 acres and fertilized 3 acres with 900 lbs of fertilizer on MRGL.
Planted 2 acres of openings on Buffalo Cove GL.
Burned 3 acres, mowed 5 acres of dove field plantings on Perkins GL.

Nest structures:
Constructed 15 wood duck, 3 bluebird nest boxes.

Tree and shrub plantings:
Daylighted 13 persimmon, 5 cherry, and 2 dogwood trees on MRGL.
Daylighted 8 saw-tooth oak trees on TCGL.
Removed damaged growth, vegetation, and debris from 8 apple trees on TCGL.

Vegetation control:
Cleared vegetation with chainsaws in 1/4 acre sprout opening on TCGL.
Spot sprayed invasive plants in 2 acres within burned areas on TCGL.
Took photos at designated photo plots in burned areas on TCGL.

Planning, Coordination, Evaluation & Reporting:
Routine office work, purchasing, and reporting.

Waterfowl banding:
Recovered wood duck trapping materials from trap site.

CWD investigations:
Collected sample tissues from four deer for CWD surveillance.
Met with D-7 WM personnel to plan for CWD surveillance efforts.

Maintenance, Repair, and Purchase of Highway Vehicles:
Crew performed scheduled maintenance and repair of highway vehicles.
Recovered 20 ton trailer from breakdown and had repaired at vendor.