Nest Box Season in LCCEA & Creve Coeur Park
December, 2025
by Mary Dueren, Class of 2016
In 2024-2025, I participated in managing nesting boxes along with Karen Meyer and a few observers. I learned how much nesting changes from season to season. I helped because I love birds. This activity requires a season long commitment. Birds are vital to the over all health of our planet whether its pollination or insect control or our own mental health and well being. The summary of our findings is below.
2025 Summary of Bird Boxes in Creve Coeur Park &
Little Creve Coeur Ecological Area
In the last summer of 2024, during a capstone event, Great Rivers Master Naturalist interns worked 5 blue bird boxes. Later, Karen & Glenn Meyer installed two new box locations and replaced 2 worn out boxes. One was held in reserve for either a new location or in case a box is damaged during the season.
There were two sites monitored for nesting activity. There are 12 boxes for blue birds at LCCEA and 3 Purple Martin towers with a total of 32 units at Mallard Lake in CCP.
Eastern Bluebird taken at LCCEA in 2024
We had just started checking boxes in March 2025, when the March 14, 2025 tornado came through the Creve Coeur Park area. For a week, we could not get in to check boxes due to a power pole and lines down just past the entrance. When we did get in, other than a few limbs down, no boxes were damaged. The tornado passed north of Mallard Lake. There was no damage to the Purple Martin towers.
During the nesting season, a total of 9 volunteers came out including Karen and Mary Dueren. Some came only once or twice. The Purple Martins were monitored by Karen & Glenn. Mary checked once when the Meyers were out of town. It’s a big commitment to monitor nesting birds.
Here are the estimated total fledglings:
Total EABL’s fledged: 17 (27 fledged in 2024)
Total HOWR’s fledged: 83 (YIKES—33 fledged in 2024)
Total PUMA’s fledged: 99 (100 fledged in 2024)
The Northern House Wren species is in direct competition for the bluebird boxes. If we caught the very early beginnings of wren nest building we would clean out the box. Frequently, nests were constructed so quickly, we let them go. House Wrens are a protected species. House wrens are the only species we have dealt with in LCCEA. Other species that use the boxes are Tree Swallows, House Sparrows and Eurasian Tree Sparrows. There are methods to deal with those species.
Another nesting season is now done. If you are interested in volunteering to help check the boxes, please reach out to me or Karen. We could use the help!