News
ENLARGE
It's been a good year to nest for several species including Western Bluebirds. Several people have written about their first observation of bluebirds in their boxes.
Hindi Greenberg emailed me, “Excitement here. I've had a bluebird box in my yard for probably 4 years and this is the first year that bluebirds seem to be nesting in it. Other years assorted other birds used it. In fact, this is the first year I've seen bluebirds in my yard at all.”
The Bald Eagles at Bridgeport State Park have fledged two chicks. Counting the chicks from the photos was difficult when they were little balls of fluff hidden in the recesses of a stick nest high in a pine tree. It became clear as they grew that two birds would emerge. The first eagle fledged sometime between the eleventh and fourteenth of June. The second soon followed after much encouragement from an adult who called while flying repeatedly around the nest. At this point they should still be in the company of the adults learning to find food on their own.
At least three pairs of Yellow-breasted Chats made nests in the black berries and bushes along Kentucky Creek. They should remain in the area for another month and are easily located by their whistles and rasping calls. Orange-crowned and Nashville warblers have nested and fledged their young at our altitude.
Townsend's and Black-throated Gray warblers are two species that have eluded me so far this year. Townsend's are a surprise because they were so plentiful last year and remained in the area until October.
Even the little acre and a half where we live has been home to nests of California Towhees, Bushtits, Nashville Warblers, and several other species in the area like Spotted Towhees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Titmice and Black-headed Grosbeaks, whose young I hear begging for food morning, noon and night. The male and female Anna's Hummingbirds who come to our feeder must have hidden a nest somewhere close. The neighborhood pair of Wild Turkeys showed up the other day followed by six chicks.
Michael Brackney called from his home office off of route 20 to say that he observed Nuttall's Woodpeckers taking over a cavity previously occupied by Acorn woodpeckers and producing a brood. The larger Acorns returned and reclaimed their cavity much to Michael's consternation.
Birds that migrated through our area to nest somewhere else will make a return migration throughout the summer. In the past few days the penultimate bad-parent a male Rufous Hummingbird has been chasing the Anna's around our feeder. Male Rufous's wait for a female to appear in the area north of California. They copulate and immediately begin their return south leaving the family responsibilities, including nest construction to the female.
Of course the ultimate in bad parenting is the Brown-headed Cowbird. The female cowbird sits all day long atop a tree watching other species building nests. Then at the appropriate moment she finds a male, copulates and delivers an egg to another's nest which concludes her parenting.
Walt Carnahan, past president of the Sierra Foothills Audubon Society, reports with words and photos.
Hindi Greenberg emailed me, “Excitement here. I've had a bluebird box in my yard for probably 4 years and this is the first year that bluebirds seem to be nesting in it. Other years assorted other birds used it. In fact, this is the first year I've seen bluebirds in my yard at all.”
The Bald Eagles at Bridgeport State Park have fledged two chicks. Counting the chicks from the photos was difficult when they were little balls of fluff hidden in the recesses of a stick nest high in a pine tree. It became clear as they grew that two birds would emerge. The first eagle fledged sometime between the eleventh and fourteenth of June. The second soon followed after much encouragement from an adult who called while flying repeatedly around the nest. At this point they should still be in the company of the adults learning to find food on their own.
At least three pairs of Yellow-breasted Chats made nests in the black berries and bushes along Kentucky Creek. They should remain in the area for another month and are easily located by their whistles and rasping calls. Orange-crowned and Nashville warblers have nested and fledged their young at our altitude.
Townsend's and Black-throated Gray warblers are two species that have eluded me so far this year. Townsend's are a surprise because they were so plentiful last year and remained in the area until October.
Even the little acre and a half where we live has been home to nests of California Towhees, Bushtits, Nashville Warblers, and several other species in the area like Spotted Towhees, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Titmice and Black-headed Grosbeaks, whose young I hear begging for food morning, noon and night. The male and female Anna's Hummingbirds who come to our feeder must have hidden a nest somewhere close. The neighborhood pair of Wild Turkeys showed up the other day followed by six chicks.
Michael Brackney called from his home office off of route 20 to say that he observed Nuttall's Woodpeckers taking over a cavity previously occupied by Acorn woodpeckers and producing a brood. The larger Acorns returned and reclaimed their cavity much to Michael's consternation.
Birds that migrated through our area to nest somewhere else will make a return migration throughout the summer. In the past few days the penultimate bad-parent a male Rufous Hummingbird has been chasing the Anna's around our feeder. Male Rufous's wait for a female to appear in the area north of California. They copulate and immediately begin their return south leaving the family responsibilities, including nest construction to the female.
Of course the ultimate in bad parenting is the Brown-headed Cowbird. The female cowbird sits all day long atop a tree watching other species building nests. Then at the appropriate moment she finds a male, copulates and delivers an egg to another's nest which concludes her parenting.
Walt Carnahan, past president of the Sierra Foothills Audubon Society, reports with words and photos.
