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Dawn Chorus: It's nesting time. How many nests have you seen with birds in them? [1]

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Date: 2023-05-28

Ms. JG and I just finished an online course from a renowned local birder on bird nests. It was a four week course and covered nests from the most basic to the most complex. That gave me the idea to look into my photo files and see how many different bird nests I have found.

As usual, my presentations are heavy on photos and light on text.

I hope many of you add stories and photos at the end.



I think Osprey nests have been seen by many in the Pacific NW.

Here is a more rare NW nest — that of a Downy Woodpecker. Here one is leaving the small nest cavity. The Downy had no trouble entering the small hole without perching first. Amazing.

A sock nest is the home of this female Bushtit. The sock nest can hang down over 18 inches. Bushtits make several nests. The female chooses the one to raise the young.

I had never seen a Red-winged Blackbird nest until a couple of weeks ago when someone pointed it out to me. The female is at the bottom of the nest with two chicks, beaks open, waiting to be fed. This was a woven basket type nest but was set at an angle for some reason. see larger

Another nest that many have seen is the Bald Eagle’s. We are lucky to have one very close that is easy to see. The one above is on Camano Island.

Here is a photo of our local nest. The pair, named Monte and Marsha by a well-known local birder who writes a blog, have successfully raised chicks for several years in a row. Ms. JG and I see this nest on one of our regular birding walks.

You’d have to live near water to see a Purple Martin nest. It is the largest swallow. They have adapted to gourds and nest boxes. Here the male is inspecting the gourd and the female is watching from a Wood Duck nesting box.

Here is a Wood Duck male waiting for his mate to exit the nest box. We have had several successful hatches from Wood Duck nesting boxes. I have never seen the chicks jump out, but I have watched the female enter and exit the box.

I did a Bucket on Great Blue Heron raising chicks at Commodore Park in Seattle. This year I am going to visit again and do another followup on the nests.

This Marsh Wren weaves a nest attached to cattail leaves.

Cooper’s Hawks build cup type nests about 2/3 of the way to the top in a fork near the main trunk. These three chicks had their nest in a Madrone tree.

A Western Screech Owl is peeking out of the nest cavity.

Here are the eggs at the bottom of the tree cavity.

I wrote about his Red-tailed Hawk chick in a previous Bucket. The two years before, there was a Great-horned Owl in the same nest. The Red-tailed Hawk took control this year.

Here was one of the parents making soaring flights through the canyon.





The same nest as the Red-tailed Hawk above but with an adult and two Great Horned Owl chicks.



Tree Swallows like both gourd and box nests placed for them at the Union Bay Natural Area.

A Red-breasted Nuthatch removing a fecal pellet from its nesting hole.

Anna’s Hummingbirds in a nest barely big enough for them both.

I have enjoyed the opportunity to get many photos of Pied-billed Grebes in the nest with chicks.

Killdeer eggs in nest, barely a scrape in the gravel.

There are Killdeer chicks in the photo and one egg. click to see larger

A Barn Owl and Owlet in a nest box.

A Robin deep in the nest it just made from grasses and mud.

It took many mouthfuls to make its nest.

Canada Goose on an egg in her nest.

I’ve also seen a couple of crow’s nests this year but didn’t get photos. When volunteering for the Forest Service in Hells Canyon, Ms. JG and I saw Canyon Wren nests in the gas house and Bullock’s Oriole’s hanging sock nests in the trees.

This isn’t the Big Bird Nest Race. It’s just a Dawn Chorus.

Any photos or stories are welcome, but I’d love seeing nests, nest making, eggs, chicks — you get the idea. Welcome one. Welcome all. Your turn.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/5/28/2171056/-Dawn-Chorus-It-s-nesting-time-How-many-nests-have-you-seen-with-birds-in-them

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