Feathers and Fuzz

one woman's cure for the empty-nester blues

Nesting Challenges: Cold and Hot Weather

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2017 presented us with an unseasonably-warm February.  The Carolina Wrens and Eastern Bluebirds started nest-building and egg-laying very early.  Eggs are laid at the rate of one per day.  Female parents do not typically spend the night on the nest until all eggs have been laid -- the idea being to incubate all eggs an equal amount of time so all eggs will hatch about the same time.  For spring nesters, especially, this delayed-incubation comes with a risk -- an overnight cold-snap, before the female is sitting on the eggs overnight, can kill the embryos.

 

The Bluebird pair produced 3 eggs, but then their behavior indicated things were not going according to plan.  Soon the pair started bringing additional nesting material to bury the existing eggs.  The cold nights had killed the embryos.  The pair began the nesting process again -- this time successfully.

Bluebirds Bury Eggs
Wren Parent Leaves Nest in Morning

 

 

The Carolina Wrens had a different story.  The pair produced two eggs.  BOTH adults spent the night in the nest -- from the time the eggs were laid until the nestlings fledged.  I have never seen a male do this before, but somehow this pair knew that it would take the body heat of both parents to keep the embryos/nestlings alive.  (One of the two parents is shown leaving the nest in the photo.)

 

Birds producing eggs well-into July are presented with the opposite challenge.  Bird houses can be brutally hot -- even in April.  Like dogs, nestlings will pant when hot.  They will also align into an X-formation in the nest to allow maximum air circulation around their bodies.

BB Nestlings in Cooling-X
BB Nestlings in Cooling-X

We just won't go into the fans, umbrellas and sun-shades I may have employed on their behalf.

Up next ...

When a human follows the rules the birds did not write ...

Nesting Challenges: Phoebe Builds Her Own House

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The Eastern Phoebe, like the Carolina Wren, doesn’t use a bird house for nesting.  While the Wren will weave a nest just about anywhere, the Phoebe is a talented “adobe artist” who generally prefers locations high-up near the eves of a dwelling.  In my experience, a wall of the man-made structure will typically provide one wall of the nest.  Starting with that man-made wall, the female Phoebe will use mud to glue the nest to the building.  From there she will begin building out, in a horseshoe shape, using a mixture of mud and grasses.  Throughout construction, the female will sit in the cup and swirl around — testing for fit, I assume.  When nest construction is complete, the nest cup has a rigid bottom and sides — lined with soft grasses.

In the featured 30 second video, you will see nest construction over a 6-day period.  This nest is a bit different than the standard Phoebe nest in that “my” Phoebes have become accustomed to using the platform I provide for additional support of the nest structure.  The nest in the video, while securely glued to the platform, is not glued to the house walls.

Enjoy this impressive display of bird adobe talent!