Nests!

Nests come in all sizes and descriptions, much like the creatures that build them.  

You probably think of birds when you think of nests and so do I.  

Compared to Ruby's 'nest', which she made from my coat when it fell off the doorknob and she arranged to her liking, most bird's nests are quite amazing.  Here's a wonderful nest made by Baltimore Orioles:

It was so well made that even after a Cedar Waxwing stole some grass from it, it was still sturdy.

The Waxwing thief took the piece of grass and put it in its own nest, here....

Some other nests I watched this spring included a Blue Jay nest, very high in a tree near our house.  The only reason I discovered it was that some Crows were attacking it one day and I heard the ruckus and investigated.

The Blue Jays must have decided to move somewhere else because after that day I didn't see them anymore.  If you look carefully at the next photo you can see a Blue Jay in the nest.  As I said, the nest was very high, and to get a photo I had to wait til the wind blew the leaves so I could see it!

Though I couldn't see into the next nest at all, I had fun watching a pair of White-breasted Nuthatches bring pieces of bark to this tree cavity.  Later, I watched them bring many caterpillars to their hidden nest.

I think maybe Wood Ducks nested in this dead tree, but I was never able to see them enter or exit.  

Though Wood Ducks are very tricky to find when they are nesting, other cavity nesters are not so shy -- such as the Bluebirds, Wrens, and Tree Swallows that use nest boxes in our yard.  Here's a look into a Tree Swallow nest:

Their close relatives, the Barn Swallows, build a different kind of nest... almost entirely from mud:

While many birds do a lot of work to make their nests, there are others who don't... such as the Killdeer.   The perfect nest for them is on the ground, either just scraping a slight hollow in the soil or arranging the mulch into a little depression. 

Thanks to Ruby, I got to watch another nest in the ground, made by this rabbit:

I wrote about Ruby and the rabbits in this post-- click here if you missed it.

So, I thought you might like an update.  This is the last photo I took of the baby bunnies before they left the nest:

There were 5 of them-- tightly packed in the nest, on June 10th.  The next day they were gone.

We still have a second brood of House Wrens in one of our yard boxes, but other than that, most birds are finished raising babies for this year.  (Now it's fun to watch what I call the 'teenage' birds!)

While it's lots of fun to watch nesting birds and we've had a good year for it, what about the nests that were too well hidden and the birds were too secretive for us to find?  That is one thing to look forward to winter for... those secret nests will be revealed!

Oh, the Drama!

Time for a little catching up on nesting news in the neighborhood.  And, as my title says... there's some 'drama' involved.   

First of all, a pair of Eastern Bluebirds arrived back in our yard on March 11th and started checking our nesting boxes.  I have photos of them from that day, on what seemed to be their favorite box (which we'll call Box #1).   However, that was a foggy morning, and there was snow on the ground, so I'm going to show you a photo of them on Box #1 from March 25th instead.

Things were looking good for the bluebirds until along came a pair of Tree Swallows, who decided that they want to live in Box #1.  

Being the nice birds that they are, the bluebirds didn't put up a fuss and simply moved to Box #2.

On May 4th, Mama bluebird was building her nest.

She used lots of dried grass and added a few old leaves, too.

By May 12th, she had laid 5 pretty pale blue eggs in Box #2.

And by May 30th, the eggs had hatched.  Not sure how many babies are in there, it's pretty hard to tell.  I can't see them, I had to snap a photo from above and then check that.  I don't look in often, and then only a quick look so as not to disturb them too much.

Meanwhile, back at Box #1, the Tree Swallows have been minding their box carefully.  I don't even try to check theirs... they would dive-bomb me!  But on May 13th, I got to watch this little drama...

A pair of House Wren who had used Box #1 for their second brood last year (only after the Tree Swallows had raised their family in it) came around checking things out!

First, sit on the top of the box and sing.  Then, have a look around....

Whoa, someone seems to be inside!

Wren's not sure what to do!

But it decides to get out of there, before Papa Tree Swallow gets back, and not a moment too soon!

The Tree Swallows seem to have a little conversation about what just happened.

Maybe Papa reassures Mama that he'll keep a closer eye on things for awhile?

Now, wrens are feisty little birds, and they wanted a house.  (Actually, the males often build several nests and let the female choose their favorite).  We have a wren house, which they used for their first brood last year.  But apparently that one wasn't to their liking now, because they decided on Box #3.

That suited me just fine, because I was battling with a pair of House Sparrows over that box.  I kept taking the House Sparrows nest out, but they kept building more.

 The House Wrens solved that problem by simply building over top of the sparrows' nest.  (I haven't seen the House Sparrows for awhile!)

Wrens like to fill their cavity right up with sticks.  I can't even get in there to take a photo, but a couple of days ago, I felt inside very carefully with my finger and there were 2 tiny eggs!

There are more eggs in the neighborhood, too.  I can't see the next ones either, because they are over my head... but a pair of Cardinals have a nest in our lilac bush, right next to our house.

 And a pair of White-breasted Nuthatches must already have babies in this tree cavity because they are busy bringing food-- in the form of caterpillars and such.

Our neighborhood Killdeer already have two young ones running around and they are brooding a second batch.

They lay their eggs right on the ground, where it's easy to see them... that is, if you know where they are!  Once again, I was only there for a minute or two, because I don't want to disturb them.  One of the parents went in one direction doing its 'broken wing' distraction performance (talk about drama!), while the other went the other way.

I left pretty quickly, watching as I left the area, and one Killdeer went right back to those precious eggs.

It settled down and was back to work keeping them warm.

All is well in the neighborhood again.

Nesting News

It's been awhile since I've given you an update on the nesting situation here.  If you've been reading along, you may remember the bluebirds' dilemma over which box to choose.  They have several choices close by our house.  Three in the backyard, and others nearby, too.  Even though we give the birds numerous choices, they still compete for housing.

Box # 1 has been taken by the House Sparrows (also called English Sparrows).

That's the female on top of the box, and the male clinging onto the hole on the front.
They've already built a nest inside.  Here the female has something nice and soft to add:

The male looks rather noble in the next photo-- standing guard, but they are not known for their patrician disposition. They are more thought of as nasty aliens (which they are, since they were introduced to America from Europe in 1851) who take over nesting spots from our native bluebirds. 

They have already built their nest.

Nest box # 2 seemed to be the bluebirds favorite, until the tree swallows showed up.

But even which tree swallows will succeed in using it might be in question!

"Mine!"              "No, Mine!"

One pair decided briefly to investigate house # 3:

But I'm still hoping the bluebirds will use that one, and they seem to be keeping an eye on it.

even while the tree swallows are nearby.

In other locations, I have not seen the chickadees at the box they were looking over recently.  But I do know where there is a nest of another sort....

It took a trip by kayak to take a look.  Can you see where it is?

How about now?

I waited til the goose decided I was too close for comfort and swam off before scooting in quickly to get these shots:

In other nesting news, so far this year the great-blue herons have not been using the old heron nest.  But an osprey stopped by on April 19th and sat there eating a fish.

I crept up as close as I could (on land) and he didn't seem to mind.  There was still a lot of water between him and me that day.

It's fun to see the heron nest from the kayak, too... gives it a different perspective.

Too bad the heron nest isn't going to have babies in it this year, but the old tree is still good for lots of birds to perch on. I guess getting old isn't all bad!

This old tree gets to have herons, red-winged blackbirds, tree swallows, kingfishers, an occasional osprey and bald eagle for company.  Sometimes even a strange lady in a blue kayak!