Nature Study

Nesting News

Mrs. Robin has laid a full clutch of eggs under our noses. Her nest is awfully near the ground, and awfully near the front door. But we’re all on the alert against predators and have even altered our lifestyle to the extent of letting the dog out the back door instead of the front door to avoid spooking her. I wish her all the best… she’s settled in on full incubation duty now.

I was beginning to think that the pileated woodpecker nest we’d found was not active after all, but the other day when I checked on it, I witnessed the parents changing shifts.

The female arrived...
...and the male flew away.

They must have nestlings in there now. It’s a deep cavity; I could see no trace of the adult bird in there before he flew away, much less youngsters. Maybe when they get a little bigger.

Last but not least under the Nestwatch category was this visit by Mrs. Oriole yesterday. She was plucking mane strands from the tire-horse on our rusty old swingset.

I wish her well. John Burroughs writes in “The Tragedies of the Nests” of a young oriole that was strangled by one of the strands in its nest. I hope Mrs. Oriole’s family fares better. The male has been serenading the neighborhood, and between him and the rose-breasted grosbeak the air is full of music.

3 Comments

  • Erin Mooney

    Hello, I just discovered your blog today and am glad I did. I enjoyed reading about your delight in nature. I read your Wendell Berry postings — being a huge fan of his — as well as a number of others. Please keep posting those pictures of birds!

    P.S. I tried commenting on earlier posts, but it seems that feature is disabled — correct?

  • Janet

    Thank you, Erin! Glad to “meet” you. :)

    The comments are closed on posts after a certain period — I think it’s 2 weeks. It’s to help cut down on spam… Sorry to have missed out on your thoughts on those.

  • Erin Mooney

    Hi again, I forgot to mention that the photo of the robin’s eggs is beautiful. Amazing color.
    Thanks again, and I look forward to reading more.