Bird Nests!

Yellow-rumped Warbler (female) with nesting material - Setophaga coronata

Just this week I noticed several new bird nests, as well as birds gathering nesting material! The materials used by birds in nest construction varies tremendously from species to species. Mud, grasses, leaves, twigs, branches, feathers, rootlets, animal hair, plant fibers, tules, cattails, and manmade objects are some of the main materials that are used in bird nests. Nest sites also vary greatly, and can be on the ground, in a tree trunk or on a branch, in shrubs or vines, floating on water, or in a manmade structure. The shape and structure of the nest also varies between species, from cup shape, to a platform, a hanging pouch, or just a bare scrape on the ground, to name a few!

I luckily got this photo of a female Yellow-rumped Warbler with nesting material in its beak up at Yuba Pass last week! How beautiful!!!  To learn about the nest and nesting habits of a certain bird species , I use allaboutbirds.org for a reference, as well as birdsoftheworld.org. for more in depth information.  Both websites are from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Here is what they said about Yellow-rumped Warbler nests!

"NEST PLACEMENT:  Yellow-rumped Warblers put their nests on the horizontal branch of a conifer, anywhere from 4 to about 50 feet high. Tree species include hemlock, spruce, white cedar, pine, Douglas-fir, and larch or tamarack. They may build their nests far out on a main branch or tuck it close to the trunk in a secure fork of two or more branches. Occasionally nest are built in a deciduous tree such as a maple, oak, or birch.

NEST DESCRIPTION:  Females build the nest, sometimes using material the male carries to her. The nest is a cup of twigs, pine needles, grasses, and rootlets. She may also use moose, horse, and deer hair, moss, and lichens. She lines this cup with fine hair and feathers, sometimes woven into the nest in such a way that they curl up and over the eggs. The nest takes about 10 days to build. It's 3-4 inches across and about 2 inches tall when finished."

Hairy Woodpecker (female) at nest site - Dryobates villosus

On one of my morning wanders this week I spotted this Hairy Woodpecker nest in a dead alder tree! How exciting! I watched it for a few minutes, and the female came back several times with insects in its beak and poked its head into the nest hole. No baby birds are poking their heads out yet, but I'll check back in a few days.

Hairy Woodpecker Nest

My friend Gerry Tecklin found this Hairy Woodpecker nest in a dead tree that had fallen on the forest floor.  He cut it in half length-wise to expose the size of the nest cavity.  It looks like the cavity was approximatedly 15" deep!  Wow!  That must have taken quite a while to excavate!  Here's what Cornell says about Hairy Woodpecker nests.

"NEST PLACEMENT: Hairy Woodpeckers typically excavate their nests in the dead stub of a living tree, especially trees with heartrot, or in a dead tree. The cavity is often in a branch or stub that isn’t perfectly vertical, with the entrance hole on the underside. This location may help keep flying squirrels and sapsuckers from trying to take over the hole. Hairy Woodpeckers begin excavating their nests less than 2 weeks before egg-laying begins.

NEST DESCRIPTION: The entrance to the nest is about 2 inches tall and 1.5 inches wide, leading to a cavity 8-12 inches deep. The inside widens at the bottom to make room for the eggs and the incubating bird. It’s typically bare except for a bed of wood chips at the bottom for the eggs and chicks to rest on."

American Dipper at nest site - Cinclus mexicanus

 

On April 24th of this year, I came across this Dipper nest being built.  In seven days it was completed. For some unknown reason, the Dippers then built a second nest right next to it, which was completed by May 21.!  I've been watching these nests since then on an irregular basis, and didn't see any sign of baby birds until this week, on June 10!  How unusual!  There is indeed a bunch of bird poop just outside the nest entrance, which indicates the presence of baby birds, even though I haven't seen them.  I'll keep checking on it and let you know what happens!  Below is what Cornell says about American Dipper nests.

"NEST PLACEMENT:  American Dippers nest in inaccessible, nearly vertical surfaces, often over rushing water. They typically place nests on large boulders, cliff ledges, on fallen logs, under an overhanging dirt bank, or underneath a bridge or culvert. They may use nest boxes when provided. They have even been known to place their nests behind waterfalls, so the birds must fly straight through falling water to access them. The female chooses the nest site.

NEST DESCRIPTION:  The American Dipper’s nest is a two-part domed or ball-like structure with an entrance that always faces the water. The outer shell is primarily made of streamside mosses, though it may also contain leaves and bark from streamside trees. The inner portion of the nest is a pad of dry grasses and leaves. Both sexes build the nest and care for the young."

Tree Swallows - Tachycineta bicolor

Just two weeks ago I noticed this Tree Swallow in a nest hole on a telephone pole.  Most of the swallows in our area are Cliff Swallows and Northern Rough-winged Swallows that build cup-shaped, mud nests on the undersides of bridges or highway overpasses near water.  I don't see many Tree Swallow's in my neighborhood.  Their nests are usually in an old woodpecker nest, and they don't use any mud!  Here's what Cornell says about Tree Swallow nests.

"NEST PLACEMENT:  Tree Swallows nest in natural cavities of standing dead trees, old woodpecker cavities, or nest boxes. On occasion they nest in hollow stumps, building eaves, Wood Duck nest boxes, holes in the ground, old Cliff Swallow burrows, or other unconventional sites.

NEST DESCRIPTION: The female does most of the nest building, taking between a few days and two weeks to finish the job. She collects material on the ground near the water’s edge, usually within 100 feet of the nest site. The nest is often made entirely of grass, but may include pine needles, mosses, rootlets, aquatic plants, animal hair, and artificial materials like cellophane or cigarette filters. Within the cavity, the female presses her body against the nest material to shape it into a cup, about 2–3 inches across and 1–2 inches deep, and lines it with many feathers of other bird species. In some populations the male gathers most of the feathers, and in others the male and females split the duty evenly."

Black Phoebe - Sayornis nigricans

The Black Phoebe builds a nest out of mud like the swallows.  Unlike the swallows, they don't live in colonies on the underside of bridges etc.  The ones in our neighborhood usually build their nest under the eaves of houses.  Here's what Cornell says about Black Phoebe nests.

"NEST PLACEMENT: The male shows possible nest sites to the female by hovering in front of them for 5-10 seconds each. The female makes the final decision about where to nest. Black Phoebes originally nested in places like sheltered rock faces, streamside boulders, and tree hollows but have adjusted well to human-made structures such as building eaves, irrigation culverts, and abandoned wells. They often reuse the same site (or even the same nest) year after year.

NEST DESCRIPTION: The nest is a mud shell lined with plant fibers, plastered to a vertical wall within an inch or two of a protective ceiling. The nest measures 3–8 inches from top to bottom and 3–7 inches across, with an inner cup that’s about an inch deep and 2.5 inches across. Nests are usually 3-10 feet up, over the water or ground. Even those built over the ground are always located near sources of water and mud. The female does all of the nest construction (or refurbishment), finishing in 1–3 weeks."

Bullock's Oriole (female) gathering fishing line for a nest - Bullock's Oriole Nest

 Icterus bullockii

 A Bullock's Oriole nest often contains manmade items such as fishing line, carpet fibers, twine etc.  They don't reuse their hanging nests, but they do re-use the materials to make a new nest!  There are several old Oriole nests in our neighborhood, that have lasted out in the elements for years and years!  Here's what Cornell says about Bullock Oriole nests. 

"NEST PLACEMENT:  The female selects the nest site, typically 10 to 25 feet above the ground in an isolated tree or at the edge of a woodland, commonly near water. The nest is usually suspended from the ends of flexible branches to discourage predators. It is not necessarily situated within the male's advertising territory. Several other active nests may be close by.

NEST DESCRIPTION: The female usually weaves the nest, but the male may assist, with one partner working on the inside and other outside, bringing nest material. The project can take up to 15 days to complete. The nest is gourd-shaped and neatly woven from fibers such as hair, twine, grasses, or wool. It's lined with soft materials such as feathers or the "cotton" from cottonwoods or willows. Nest depth varies, averaging a bit less than 4 inches and ranging up to 15 inches. On average, Bullock's Oriole nests are deeper and wider than those of the Baltimore Oriole, though the opening diameter is smaller."

Bushtits and their nest  - Psaltriparus minimus

 photo by Marion Hill at Audubon.org

Without a doubt, one of my biggest wishes is to come across a Bushtit nest some day. I have only seen them in museums, never in the field. They are architectural wonders! I have seen a few Bushtits in the Spring in our area, but they must not stay here to breed. Here's what Cornell says about Bushtit nests.

"NEST PLACEMENT: The male and female try out several nest sites by hanging spiderweb from mistletoe or other vegetation. Nest sites tend to be on branches or trunks of trees at any height from about 3 up to 100 feet.

NEST DESCRIPTION: Both male and female help build the remarkable hanging nest, a process that may go on for a month or more. The nest hangs up to a foot below its anchor point and has a hole in the side near the top that leads down into the nest bowl. The adults make a stretchy sac using spider webs and plant material, sometimes stretching the nest downward by sitting in it while it’s still under construction. They add insulating material such as feathers, fur, and downy plant matter and camouflage the outside with bits taken from nearby plants, including the tree the nest is built in. While the nest is active all the adults associated with it (the breeding pair plus helpers) sleep in it. The pair typically reuses the nest for its second brood of the season."

Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius

Spotted Sandpipers live along the shoreline of the North Yuba River, in our neighborhood.  They are also live along the ponds and lakes of the Lakes Basin.  Last year I came across one of their nests on the ground at a high elevation wet meadow.  It was just a gathering of dried grasses and leaves, pretty much flat on the ground, with only one egg in it.  The egg was just as "spotted" as its parents!  Here's what Cornell says about Spotted Sandpiper nests.

NEST PLACEMENT:  Either the male or the female may choose a nest location. Nests are always located near the edge of a body of water, usually within about 100 yards of the shore. The nest is typically placed under the shade of a broad-leafed plant. If predators are numerous, the nest is more likely to be under thicker vegetation such as raspberries or nettles. They are not averse to gravel pits, farm ponds, or even wetlands created by mining operations. They will often nest near or within Common Tern colonies when this species is present.

NEST DESCRIPTION:  Nest building is an important part of courtship. A pair may begin several nests during the process, but those are rarely finished. The actual nest, built after the pair has formed and courtship is over, is a 2–3 inch depression scraped out in the soil and lined with dead grass and woody material. Often it is begun by the female and finished by the male.

Sandhill Crane on nest - Antigone Canadensis

Last year, over in Sierra Valley, a Sandhill Crane built a flat nest of dried tules right in plain sight!  It was in a wetland, and surrounded by water.  Two eggs were laid and apparently hatched but I never saw the young cranes. Here's what Cornell says about Sandhill Crane nests.

"NEST PLACEMENT:  Sandhill Cranes usually nest in small, isolated wetlands—such as marshes, bogs, and swales—or within about 300 yards of the edges of larger ones. They prefer areas with vegetation growing in standing water, but some nest on dry ground. It’s not known whether males or females choose the nest site. If one member of a pair dies, the surviving member may reuse its previous nesting area with a new mate.

NEST DESCRIPTION:  Sandhill Cranes build their nests from the dominant vegetation—such as cattails, sedges, burr reeds, bulrushes, or grasses—using dried plant materials early in the season and adding green materials later on. To a foundation of larger materials they add a cup-shaped hollow lined with smaller stems or twigs. Both mates may gather material, tossing it over their shoulders to form a mound. The female is usually the one to stand on the mound and arrange the material. Nests may be 30-40 inches across and 4-6 inches high; those built over water are larger than those built on dry land."

Harvest Brodiaea - Brodiaea elegans

Right now, along Highway 49 in our area there are thousands of Brodiaea Family flowers in bloom!!!  At one time they were all in the Brodiaea genus , but have since been divided into three genus, Dichelostemma, Triteleia, and Brodiaea.  They all grow from underground corms (a rounded underground storage organ, consisting of a swollen stem base covered with scale leaves). This is proving to be quite a wildflower year, from all the precipitation we got last winter.  I've never seen this many Brodiaeas in bloom before!  Such beauty!!!

Wally Basket/Ithuriel's Spear - White Brodiaea/White Wild Hyacinth

 Brodiaea elegans - Triteleia hyacinthina

The Wally Baskets and White Brodiaea weren't a numerous as some of the other Brodiaeas but just as beautiful!

Roundtooth Ookow/Wild Hyacinth - Dichelostemma multiflorum

By far, the Roundtooth Ookow was the most prolific bloomer.  There are thousands of them along the highway!

Forktooth Ookow - Dichelostemma congestum

The Forktooth Ookow looks a lot like the Round-toothed Ookow, but it has leaves that are 3'-4' long!!!

Blue Dicks - Dichelostemma capitatum

Blue Dicks are the first ones to bloom, and are pretty much gone now.

Stormy Weather!

We had rainy, showery, dark-cloud days this week with some lightning, hail, and thunder!  The total rainfall for our neighborhood was .56".  This brings us to a water year of 83.53"!  The forecast is for warm, sunny weather, with no rain in the near future. That will help melt the snow up in the Lakes Basin and make the river rise!

What's happening on the river?

What kind of insects are out and about?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. Please feel free to email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!.