Robbing the Nest!

Bullock's Oriole (female) - Icterus bullockii

This week I was SO THRILLED to find this female Bullock's Oriole recycling nest material from two old nests!!!  For a few days this week, she visited two nests that were about 20' apart, and pulled and pulled to get the nesting material out of them!!!  It was AMAZING to watch her!  The male and female Orioles work together to weave a hanging pouch out of plant fibers, and whatever else they fancy!  The females, however, do most of the work.  It may take them a week or more to construct the nest! Once the nest is completed, the female will lay 3-7 eggs in the pouch, and incubate them for 11 days.  The altricial nestlings fledge in approximately 14 days!

I photographed the two oriole nests above, in late winter.  Below are the same two nests this week, after the Bullock Oriole had taken what she needed!  The nest on the right had a bunch of fishing line it it! 

 Beautiful Bullock's Orioles!

These Bullock's Orioles showed up in our neighborhood in the last 10 days!  The color of their plumage is so brilliantly beautiful!  An adult male has black and bright golden-orange coloring. Adult females have bright golden-yellow and light-brown coloring.  They really stand out in the forest!  They overwinter in Mexico and Central America.  In the Spring, they fly north to nest in riparian areas with tall deciduous trees.  They forage in trees and bushes for caterpillars, ants, bugs and nectar.  The local Black Locus trees are in full bloom right now, and full of nectar.  Every morning I see the Bullock's Orioles flying from one tree to another, with both the males and females chattering and singing away!  Below are the photos I took this week of our vibrantly colored new residents!  

Top:  Adult Male                      Young Female                        Adult Male

Bottom:  3 photos of the same Oriole, an "almost" adult male

The immature male on the bottom hasn't changed into the full golden-orange plumage of a mature adult, but has the white wing bars, and black crown of an adult.  The young female oriole in the top middle doesn't have her mature plumage either, but has a sharp, finely-pointed beak, just like the adults. 

Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and Grizzly Peak 

If you read about Black Locust trees, you will find that they are thought of as an invasive species.  They are native to the Southeastern United States, but have spread throughout North America.  I've noticed that Black Locusts are the favorite tree of many of our local birds!  It is one of the tallest deciduous trees in my neighborhood, and birds love to perch in them.  I also saw the Evening Grosbeaks eating the seeds out of the dried Locust pods, when they first arrived this Spring!  3 out of the 3 old Oriole nests I've found, have been in Locust Trees.  Also, the nectar from the blossoms is eaten by many insects, as well as birds.  I think that even though it is an invasive species, through my observation it appears to be beneficial to the birds!  I'm glad that they grow here!

I finally found an occupied nest!

American Robin - Turdus migratorius     Adult on nest (left) - Young Robin (right)

I've been watching this nest for the past two weeks, but haven't seen any birds in it.  I thought it must be an old nest!  Yesterday, I pointed out this nest to my neighbor and she said, "There's a bird on it right now!"   WOW was I surprised!  Finally I've seen a nesting bird, thanks to my neighbor!  Yahoo!  Robins can have up to 3 broods a year.  However, only 40% of the nests successfully produce nestlings, and only 25% of those nestlings survive to November!  There are Robins that have lived for 14 years, but most live for 6 years.  I'll keep watch, and post how this brood turns out!

I photographed the young Robin, on the right, earlier this month!  Apparently successful broods do happen!

Steller's Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) with nesting material  -  Steller's Jay eggs

I saw this Steller's Jay gathering nesting material just yesterday!  The female Jays lay 2-6 eggs in a largish twig and mud nest, once a year.  They incubate the eggs for 16-18 days. The nestlings fledge in approximately 16 days.  I couldn't find information about the nestlings' state when they hatch.  So I don't know if they're born altricial or precocial.  I'll keep looking for an answer!

My neighbor gave me this Steller's Jay nest last year, when the bird parents never returned.  The eggs were a surprising turquoise blue, like a Robin's egg, but they also had brown spots, unlike a Robin's egg!  

The dreaded Brown-headed Cowbirds have arrived!

This week a flock of about 20 Brown-headed Cowbirds arrived in our neighborhood.  This is NOT a good thing!  Cowbirds do not make their own nests!  They are nest parasites of other birds!  The females will lay their eggs in another bird's nest!  Each female Cowbird produces over 3 dozen eggs in a season!!  The Cowbird nestlings usually hatch earlier than the host bird's nestlings.  They are also usually larger than the host bird's nestlings!  Since they are born sooner, they push the unhatched host bird's eggs out of the nest!!!  If the other nestlings hatch at the same time as the Cowbird, they will even push nestlings out of the nest!  Also, the larger size of the Cowbird nestling improves its odds for getting fed more by the host bird.

Some birds can detect that a Cowbird egg is not their egg, and will destroy it, toss it from the nest, or build a whole new nest on top of it!  Unfortunately, most birds don't realize that a Cowbird egg is in their nest, and raise the Cowbird nestling as their  own.  Originally a bison-following bird of the Great Plains, the Brown-headed Cowbird spread eastward in the 1800's as forests were cleared. The Brown-headed Cowbird's habit of nest parasitism can threaten species with small populations.  I'm glad only about 5 females are in our area!

Who's scat is that?

I'll talk more about mammal scat next week.  

Can you guess what canine mammal left this scat?

Lizards and snakes don't talk.  They don't even have vocal chords!  They communicate by using body language!!  What do you think this lizard is saying?

What eats snakes and lizards?

Where are the Black Bears?

What other scat is easily recognizable?

What's happening in and along the river?

Check back next week for answers to these questions 

and MORE!!!