Happy Homes

It’s that time of the year- time to make a nest!    Birds have an astonishing array of ways in which they do this.

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The king and queen of home building must be the Pileated Woodpeckers.   Not only do they knock out a hole in a tree for their own use, but their constant excavating activity makes many holes in trees that other birds use for their nests too.

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I found out that Pileated Woodpeckers share egg sitting and the feeding of young.

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When I saw this female woodpecker approach her nest, I expected some little babies to poke their heads out of the hole waiting to be fed.   Instead, a big male stuck his head out, said hello, and flew away to feed.

IMG_7136Last night I went back to see them, and the male had his head out of the hole, calling for his mate.   She flew over and they switched places.

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Birds like this baltimore Oriole can be extremely skilled at the craft of nest building.

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The Orioles arrive back in May, and get right to work gathering materials to weave into their nests.

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Here is a nest on Day 1.

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And Day 3.   Eventually, the nest will be an exquisite hanging basket.   A nice safe place to raise babies.

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Yellow Warblers also weave their nests, but integrate them among the leaves and sticks of low growing shrubs.

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Great blue Herons nest in huge crude nests of sticks, seemingly just shoved together.

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The neat thing about these herons is that they nest communally, in a “heronry.”   This heronry is just north of us on the Trent River system.

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Some birds like this Killdeer just nest right on the ground.   This little mother bird had decided to nest right beside a parking lot!   Luckily people had blocked off her nesting area with large branches, so nobody would run her over.

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Last weekend I got to witness an amazing spectacle- thousands of shorebirds stopping over to eat and rest on their way to their nesting grounds in the north.

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Like Killdeer, Dunlin also will make their nests right on the ground.   Their breeding territory is wet, coastal tundra.

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In the meantime, they are resting and eating here, and just scrapping for a little piece of ground to sit on.

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Some birds like this Tree Swallow will readily accept bird houses.

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Look out, though, for the House Wren, who heartily sings, and chases away other birds who wish to make their homes in his area.    House wrens will even clean out the nesting material of other birds, then move into their nests.  Wrens will harass and peck at much larger birds, sometimes dragging eggs and young out of a nest site they want.

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Yesterday I found this female House Wren carrying a big piece of white stuff into her nest.

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Upon closer inspection I realized it was a snake skin.  Nice touch with the home decor!

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Sometimes, all birds need is for a tree to fall down in order to have a place to nest.   A family of Barred Owls has been nesting in an old tree snag down the street from me for a couple of years now.

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The hole inside this rotting Beech Tree must be just right for them, because they are successfully raising another brood of little owlets again this year.

Stay tuned for updates on these birds and their nests.   Hopefully I will get to see the young grow up, if I am in the right place at the right time!

2 Comments:

  1. Wow, Leslie! How DO you find all these amazing shots, and the never ending unique topics?! Thanks for continuing to share your talent!

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