European Starling - Downy Woodpecker (male)
Sturnus vulgaris - Dryobates pubescens
When I'm on the computer, I have a great view out my window of the surrounding forest. On April 13, I noticed a pair of Downy Woodpeckers excavating a nesting cavity in a dead snag across the creek! They hammered away for about 12 days, with both the male and female taking turns! On April 25 they stopped hammering and the female took up residence in the cavity. She must have laid her eggs soon afterwards. For the past 13 days, I have watched them share the duty of incubation during the day. The female is on the nest most of the day. During the night, the male is on the nest and the female roosts on a nearby branch! Everything was going beautifully until the morning of May 4, when a non-native European Starling showed up and moved into a different cavity right above the Downy Woodpeckers!!!
European Starling - Downy Woodpecker (male)
Sturnus vulgaris - Dryobates pubescens
For the next three days the male Downy Woodpecker constantly harassed the Starling! It would fly at the Starling, hang out by the cavity it was in, and peck at it whenever possible. It never stopped moving! It was flying around the snag, "hopping" up the trunk, harassing the Starling, as well as checking on its own nest! The Downy Woodpecker is smaller, by about a third, than the Starling. However, that didn't stop the male Downy from aggressively hounding the Starling from dawn to dusk!
European Starling - Downy Woodpecker (male)
Sturnus vulgaris - Dryobates pubescens
European Starlings were introduced by an English amateur ornithologist, Eugene Schieffelin, who unfortunately wanted to introduce to North America every bird mentioned in Shakespeare's plays! Jeez! In 1890, he released 60 Starlings into New York City’s Central Park, and another 40 in 1891. The population of European Starlings in North America has grown from those original 100 birds, to an estimated 200 million birds!
These non-native birds are intense competitors for nesting cavities, and have had a detrimental effect on native cavity nesting species including, woodpeckers, Tree Swallows, Buffleheads, Wood Ducks, and bluebirds!
Downy Woodpecker (male - female)
Dryobates pubescens
I was so worried that the Starling would disrupt the nesting of the Downy Woodpeckers! In the above photo on the left, you can see the male Downy at the entrance to his nest, as well as the cavity above him that the Starling moved into. The female is pictured on the above right, at and in the Downy's nest. She can be distinguished from the male by the absence of red feathers on the back of her head. Luckily, the pair continued incubating their eggs during this whole event! The eggs should hatch any day now, and I hope to watch this determined pair feed their nestlings!
After two and half days of constant harassing by the male Downy, the Starling took off and only returned to the nest cavity infrequently. Every time it came back, the male Downy harassed it immediately!!! For the last two days, there has been NO SIGN of the Starling and the Downy Woodpeckers are busy at their own nest site! This morning I watched the male Downy actually stick his head way into the cavity where the Starling had been, and apparently found it empty! Yahoo!!! Hooray for the determined little male Downy who was successful in his displacement of the non-native intruder! How lucky I was to watch this avian drama unfold right outside my window!
Brewer's Blackbird (female) with Nesting Material
Euphagus cyanocephalus
More Nesters!
Birds are nesting everywhere! Right near our home, several Brewer's Blackbirds are making nests. It appears that the females do all the nest building, while the males hang out and guard the area.
Brewer's Blackbird Nest
The female lays 3-7 eggs and incubates them for 11-17 days. She alone does the incubation. Once the nestlings hatch, both parents feed the babies. They young will fledge after 12-16 days, and both parents will continue to feed them for another 3 weeks.
American Dipper - Cinclus mexicanus
American Dippers are the only aquatic songbird in North America!
They dive underwater and swim with their wings to find aquatic insects and larvae to eat! They, like all birds, have an extra lens (nictitating membrane) over their eye that works like goggles underwater. This lens is hinged at the inner side of the eye and sweeps horizontally across the cornea. They also have special muscles that close their nostrils underwater! These remarkable birds live year-round on our river.
American Dipper - Cinclus mexicanus
My neighbor and fellow naturalist Cy Rollins, told me that there was a dipper nest on one of the local bridge pillars! I drove down to check it out and was thrilled to find an "igloo of moss" with two baby birds inside! Wow!!!
American Dipper - Cinclus mexicanus
Both the male and the female build the nest, but the female does most of the construction. The nest consists of an inner nest made from woven grasses, leaves, and bark, and an outer shell of moss! She will lay 4-5 eggs and incubate them for 14-17 days. After hatching, the nestlings remain in the nest for 25+ days while both parents feed them. After fledging, the parents will continue feeding them for approximately another week.
American Dipper - Cinclus mexicanus
I was so lucky to be able to watch this active Dipper nest! Usually, their nests are not so easily seen! I can see why they built their nest here, in the middle of the rushing river and safe from any predators.
Canada Goose - Branta canadensis
On one of my favorite spots on the North Yuba River, I've been seeing a single Canada Goose hanging around. Two days ago I realized that a female Canada Goose was just across the river on a nest, and that's why the male was by himself!
Canada Goose - Branta canadensis
The female will select the nest site, create the nest, and do all the incubation of the eggs. I could just see the downy white feathers under the female goose, that she had plucked from her breast to line the nest! She lays 2-8 eggs, and incubates them for 25-28 days. The male guards the nest and the female, while she incubates the eggs. When the goslings hatch they are downy and their eyes are open. Within two days they will leave the nest, and can walk, swim, feed, and dive! They will stay with their parents for the following year.
Steller's Jay with Nesting Material - Cyanocitta stelleri
A pair of Steller's Jays have been busy finding the perfect nest site around our home. They started one nest on a branch under the roof eaves, but abandoned it for a different site in a dense Cedar Tree off our back porch. Both the male and the female built the nest together. The female will lay 2-6 eggs and incubate them for 16-18 days. Once the nestlings hatch, both parents will feed the babies for approximately another 16 days until they fledge. Both parents will continue to feed the fledglings for about another month. The family members may stay together throughout the coming winter!
Steller's Jay Nest - Cyanocitta stelleri
What's happening in the Lakes Basin?
What insects are out and about?
Where are the Bears?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!
During these days of Covid-19 and uncertainty, I hope you are all healthy and coping with this unusual stress. Get out in nature while you have the time! It can be so healing!
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Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com
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