Ok. I admit that's bit dramatic and over the top but, honestly, there is something up with goldfinches and bushtit nests this year. Let me explain:
Goldfinches don't build quite the elaborate nests that bushtits do. Goldfinch nests are basically a cup fashioned with sticks and grass stitched together with.... spider web. Unfortunately bushtit nests are a handy source of spider web since it (along with lichen) is the primary building block of the bushtit nest, allowing it to be stretchy and strong at the same time. Every year I do get goldfinches attempting to pilfer material from bushtit nests. Often the bushtits fend them off. But sometimes they just can't. Usually this interest by goldfinches is short-lived and peaks around the time bushtits are building their first nests so they can repair the damage. After that, goldfinches have usually lost interest and are minding their own business. Usually.
I already knew that goldfinches can have quite a dramatic and negative effect on a bushtit nest. Once, in Arizona, I found a bushtit nest (after a laborious and exhausting search of several hours) in the building stage that was being constructed by a happy little pair. The next day I came back to find a goldfinch ripping off material faster than the poor bushtits could bring it in. And they didn't even seem to notice. By the following day nothing remained of the nest and the pair had disappeared -- presumably to find a safer neighborhood.
Here in Portland I have seen goldfinches removing nest material from bushtit nests, but it rarely seems to effect the integrity of the nest. Sometimes the nest looks a bit "fluffy" afterwards, but it survives.
Not so this year. This year the goldfinches have gone mad. I don't know if the unseasonably cold and rainy May has forced them to be more aggressive about stealing spider web from bushtits or what. Perhaps they are rebuilding lost nests in record numbers? Regardless, they have caused devastating consequences to some of the nests I've been following.
One nest fledged a first brood successfully and was incubating a second when the goldfinches removed enough of the neck of the nest to cause it to be abandoned and then fall to the ground. Another nest with only 10 day old nestlings (they fledge at 18 days) is just hanging by thread and a hole has been torn into the neck such that the poor nestlings are essentially in a hanging cup nest -- open to the elements. I expect it to fall and the nestlings to disappear any day now.
Still another nest was close to fledging their first brood and the goldfinches removed enough material to cause it to fall, leaving the nestlings on the ground and easy pickings for the predators that doubtless devoured them that night. Finally, I have far more bushtit nest starts that get to the "hanging sack" stage and then are abandoned as threadbare and forlorn wisps. They have been stripped of their material by.....goldfinches.
I thought nest predators were the bushtits' worst enemy. Who would have guessed that this year it would be goldfinches?
Sunday, May 24, 2020
Sunday, May 3, 2020
The carnage begins
Nests are hatching already in spite of the cold and wet spring. Interestingly, by far the greatest percentage of nest with nestlings is in Westmoreland Park. Next is Reed campus.
But that's where the carnage is happening. Alas, we may be following the same pattern I observed last year when the percentage of nests lost at Reed due to predation was about 80%. In comparison, Oaks Bottom and Westmoreland nests were relatively safe at 12% losses. In 2018, Reed also lost few nests at 11%.
So what's up with Reed? Well, my working hypothesis is that crows, being exceptionally smart and opportunistic, figured out that bushtit nests are lovely little parcels of protein and cue in on them just as they hatch and activity increases as the parents go to and fro with food for the kids. In 2018, they were relatively clueless. It was last year that some individual crows figured it out. I was hoping they would have forgotten. But, so far, it appears they may have long memories.
Of course crows are not the only predators on bushtit nests. All the corvids (jays, crows, and ravens) as well as squirrels and other mammals that can climb trees are happy to enjoy a meal of baby bushtits. Owls may also pick off nests at night.
So it may be that Reed has a habitat that encourages populations of other predators besides crows. But that doesn't explain the difference between 2018 and 2019, does it? Only a predator that has learned about the delectability of bushtit nests would explain that.
My money is on the crows.
Regardless of the perpetrators, Reed campus is a frustration as nests that were lovely and easy to watch and reach eventually to band babies at are found torn and useless. In every other way, Reed campus is the ideal study area this year. Because of the current pandemic, there are few students and visitors on campus. Campus security is out in force. I can walk around, for the most part, without a mask. It's really an ideal research site in these unusual times. The rest of my study areas are crawling with people on nice days. And, since nice days are unpredictable, I can't depend on being able to be out safely. This is particularly true of Oak Bluff trail where joggers and walkers are impossible to distance from. Consequently, those nests (and there are plenty!) have become very low priority. This is extremely sad because that's the most "natural" area I have and I have always enjoyed my interactions with the people I meet there.
Oh well. This too shall pass. In the meantime, we are doing the best with what we have and are keeping our fingers crossed that a few Reed nests survive the season.
But that's where the carnage is happening. Alas, we may be following the same pattern I observed last year when the percentage of nests lost at Reed due to predation was about 80%. In comparison, Oaks Bottom and Westmoreland nests were relatively safe at 12% losses. In 2018, Reed also lost few nests at 11%.
So what's up with Reed? Well, my working hypothesis is that crows, being exceptionally smart and opportunistic, figured out that bushtit nests are lovely little parcels of protein and cue in on them just as they hatch and activity increases as the parents go to and fro with food for the kids. In 2018, they were relatively clueless. It was last year that some individual crows figured it out. I was hoping they would have forgotten. But, so far, it appears they may have long memories.
Of course crows are not the only predators on bushtit nests. All the corvids (jays, crows, and ravens) as well as squirrels and other mammals that can climb trees are happy to enjoy a meal of baby bushtits. Owls may also pick off nests at night.
So it may be that Reed has a habitat that encourages populations of other predators besides crows. But that doesn't explain the difference between 2018 and 2019, does it? Only a predator that has learned about the delectability of bushtit nests would explain that.
My money is on the crows.
Regardless of the perpetrators, Reed campus is a frustration as nests that were lovely and easy to watch and reach eventually to band babies at are found torn and useless. In every other way, Reed campus is the ideal study area this year. Because of the current pandemic, there are few students and visitors on campus. Campus security is out in force. I can walk around, for the most part, without a mask. It's really an ideal research site in these unusual times. The rest of my study areas are crawling with people on nice days. And, since nice days are unpredictable, I can't depend on being able to be out safely. This is particularly true of Oak Bluff trail where joggers and walkers are impossible to distance from. Consequently, those nests (and there are plenty!) have become very low priority. This is extremely sad because that's the most "natural" area I have and I have always enjoyed my interactions with the people I meet there.
Oh well. This too shall pass. In the meantime, we are doing the best with what we have and are keeping our fingers crossed that a few Reed nests survive the season.
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
LLRX loses and a surprise
Poor LLRX. Remember him? He was the male that cruelly abandoned his mate to raise the kids on her own in 2018 while he did who-knows-what.
Well, the first nest lost this year to predators was his. We found it early in March on Reed campus not far from his nest last year (also lost to predators). High in a tall cedar, it was fairly cryptic although a bit hard to watch because of the distance. LLRX and the unbanded female he was with were dutiful in their nest-building activities. Things seemed to be going well. The nest looked finished. But, alas, the area is crawling with cawing crows and I believe (not know) that they were the culprits.
At first we thought our eyes were deceiving us and we just couldn't see the nest. But 30 minutes of searching and finding no nest where it used to be along with hearing no bushtits, and we were sure it was gone. We did finally find the remains (how gruesome that sounds!) on the ground near the tree. It was torn to shreds with no evidence of what it contained: no eggshells, for example.
Worried about LLRX (sometimes adults are also taken) I played my favorite bushtit tape and he came roaring in right away, sptting like mad. He may have lost the battle, but wasn't going lose the fight! I expect to find his new nest soon.
On a more cheerful note, a nest we had given up as abandoned mid-build, has been re-occupied! We found a pair madly building there the same day we lost LLRX's nest. A nice surprise.
Lose one. Gain one. An even exchange.
Well, the first nest lost this year to predators was his. We found it early in March on Reed campus not far from his nest last year (also lost to predators). High in a tall cedar, it was fairly cryptic although a bit hard to watch because of the distance. LLRX and the unbanded female he was with were dutiful in their nest-building activities. Things seemed to be going well. The nest looked finished. But, alas, the area is crawling with cawing crows and I believe (not know) that they were the culprits.
At first we thought our eyes were deceiving us and we just couldn't see the nest. But 30 minutes of searching and finding no nest where it used to be along with hearing no bushtits, and we were sure it was gone. We did finally find the remains (how gruesome that sounds!) on the ground near the tree. It was torn to shreds with no evidence of what it contained: no eggshells, for example.
Worried about LLRX (sometimes adults are also taken) I played my favorite bushtit tape and he came roaring in right away, sptting like mad. He may have lost the battle, but wasn't going lose the fight! I expect to find his new nest soon.
On a more cheerful note, a nest we had given up as abandoned mid-build, has been re-occupied! We found a pair madly building there the same day we lost LLRX's nest. A nice surprise.
Lose one. Gain one. An even exchange.
Sunday, April 19, 2020
Bushtit crazy time
It's that time of year. Nests are mostly complete. Some birds are egg-laying and incubating. But it's not nearly that simple. It's time for the friendly little bushtit to become not so friendly to their flock mates.
Today I saw a couple of good examples of bushtits mis-behaving:
The first was at a lovely nest over-hanging a creek. It was finished quite some time ago, being built by an unbanded pair. Soon after the nest was finished we began to see chases around the nest when we visited. Apparently someone (we couldn't see who!) was interloping and perhaps trying to take over the nest. That happens. Without color-banded birds in that area, I can't be certain what the outcome was.
Today I was watching that nest again. First an unbanded male showed up with nothing in his beak. This was suspicious because both male and female bushtits continue to carry nesting material into the nest after it is finished and through incubation. Soon after, an unbanded female arrived and went right to the nest. Also with nothing. Instead of going into the nest as the "owner" would, she peered in and then hopped about the nest, cocking her head as if to inspect the real estate. The entire time the unbanded male stayed in a branch above as if keeping a look-out.
They left quietly to the north after a few minutes, neither one ever entering the nest. Immediately from the direction they took and nearby I heard the sound of chasing bushtits (loud spits!). I couldn't see what was happening, but I could hear it. Then suddenly, a pair shot past me heading south, followed by a lone male. It must have been the presumed nest-owner chasing off the interlopers.
I can't wait to have these birds banded! Then things will become much clearer as they always do.
So why the fuss from the owner (assuming that what was happening?). Well, sometimes owners are booted from their nests. And sometimes neighboring females secretly lay an egg in a nearby nest -- usually while her mate stands guard.
So there is good reason for neighbors to keep neighbors away!
The second instance was a banded male (RCRX), nowhere near his own nest, chasing an unbanded male near that male's nest. This went on for quite awhile while a female entered the nest several times with feathers. What RCRX was doing is anybody's guess. But last year another male (RXRG) did take over a neighboring nest while his own nest was being incubated by the female alone (not the usual arrangement). After taking the other nest over and ensuring there were eggs present and being incubated, RXRG returned to his first nest to help feed the kids, leaving the female at the second nest to raise her kids alone.
There's a quite a bit more to THAT story. It's very complicated. But I'll save it for another day.
Today I saw a couple of good examples of bushtits mis-behaving:
The first was at a lovely nest over-hanging a creek. It was finished quite some time ago, being built by an unbanded pair. Soon after the nest was finished we began to see chases around the nest when we visited. Apparently someone (we couldn't see who!) was interloping and perhaps trying to take over the nest. That happens. Without color-banded birds in that area, I can't be certain what the outcome was.
Today I was watching that nest again. First an unbanded male showed up with nothing in his beak. This was suspicious because both male and female bushtits continue to carry nesting material into the nest after it is finished and through incubation. Soon after, an unbanded female arrived and went right to the nest. Also with nothing. Instead of going into the nest as the "owner" would, she peered in and then hopped about the nest, cocking her head as if to inspect the real estate. The entire time the unbanded male stayed in a branch above as if keeping a look-out.
They left quietly to the north after a few minutes, neither one ever entering the nest. Immediately from the direction they took and nearby I heard the sound of chasing bushtits (loud spits!). I couldn't see what was happening, but I could hear it. Then suddenly, a pair shot past me heading south, followed by a lone male. It must have been the presumed nest-owner chasing off the interlopers.
I can't wait to have these birds banded! Then things will become much clearer as they always do.
So why the fuss from the owner (assuming that what was happening?). Well, sometimes owners are booted from their nests. And sometimes neighboring females secretly lay an egg in a nearby nest -- usually while her mate stands guard.
So there is good reason for neighbors to keep neighbors away!
The second instance was a banded male (RCRX), nowhere near his own nest, chasing an unbanded male near that male's nest. This went on for quite awhile while a female entered the nest several times with feathers. What RCRX was doing is anybody's guess. But last year another male (RXRG) did take over a neighboring nest while his own nest was being incubated by the female alone (not the usual arrangement). After taking the other nest over and ensuring there were eggs present and being incubated, RXRG returned to his first nest to help feed the kids, leaving the female at the second nest to raise her kids alone.
There's a quite a bit more to THAT story. It's very complicated. But I'll save it for another day.
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
It's been a long time......
.....and much has happened. I've been cautiously going in the field as have my two assistants and we have already found 56 nests.
Fifty-six nests!! I believe that's some kind of record for this time of the year. Last year I found a total of 97. I'm guessing, based on what we have so far, we'll find over 100 by the end of the summer. Wow.
Nests are in all stages. Some are complete and I believe incubating. In fact, we may have a few hatching now. Others are in the very early stages of building. They are are either loose sacks or just a whisper of spider web and lichen on a branch. There have been a few false starts: nests begun and abandoned for a better site nearby. Nest material thieves (likely goldfinches or other bushtits) have decimated a couple. But most are going strong.
This is banner year for bushtits. It's too bad it's not a banner year for bushtit researchers. I have had to confine my searches to areas where I can maintain distance and wearing a mask is a problem because my glasses fog up. But I go out anyway --- with an abundance of caution when I can't maintain 20' or so distance. I have two fabulous field assistants who have been absolutely essential. And Gary on the Reed campus has been keeping me up-to-date on the banded birds he sees at his feeder on campus. So all is not lost.
But the season has one big challenge: Banding and collecting blood for DNA analysis will be limited to only those nests without much traffic because of the need to social distance. I always say that every year is different. Usually I'm referring to the birds. This time I'm referring to the fieldwork and the challenges we need to face to keep ourselves and others safe. Sigh.
A cute story:
Three days ago I came in for lunch and sat by my big picture window looking out over the front yard. The window has a bush in front of it which I like because it's open enough to let in light but also shades a bit and provides some privacy. Occasionally a pair of bushtits who are building about 2 houses down bop through the bush and then out in a minute or two.
So I was surprised and enchanted when a lone male joined me for lunch one day. He hopped about in the bush and then made his way to a new branch that was right up against the window only a few inches from my face. He seemed to me to be just coming over to say "hello." He hung out long enough for me to eat and was then gone after I got up to put my things away. Magical.
It happened again yesterday and, again, he left after I was done with lunch. How sweet!
Or so I thought. Of course there was a rational explanation rather than some "mystical bushtit coming to commune with the lone bushtit researcher" reason. Today he showed me why and it was exactly what many of you are thinking: he was investigating his reflection in the window. Today, instead of just coming to the branch and looking at me (or so I thought), he was much bolder. This time he pecked at the window repeatedly as if pecking at another bushtit. Then he'd take a short break, hop around the bush, and come back to do it again. After doing this for a bit, he huddled up to the window (I am not kidding) as if he was huddling up against another bushtit (they do this often) and....fell sound asleep. In the sun and leaning against the window. It was absolutely adorable. He was so sleepy, he even began to tilt back and hang sideways. I got a little worried about him and tapped on the glass whereupon he woke up and began to hop around energetically and even came back to peck at the window again. Quite the little character.
So what was going on? Why as he alone? I strongly suspect this little guy is an unmated male who is "lonesome" for flock members that are now associated with nests. Bushtits are very social but as nests are completed, pairs do take up residence and spend less time in flocks. That leaves lone males vulnerable and....lonely. Because of this they often join a pair at a nest and earn the privilege of spending the night there. Sometimes they even feed the kids (and maybe a few of their own...only DNA will tell). Such is one of the interesting traits of bushtits, but from the perspective of this little lone male.
I couldn't help but hope he has somewhere safe and warm to sleep tonight. Perhaps he will even join the pair I see so often and I will soon have 3 bushtits joining me for lunch.
Fifty-six nests!! I believe that's some kind of record for this time of the year. Last year I found a total of 97. I'm guessing, based on what we have so far, we'll find over 100 by the end of the summer. Wow.
Nests are in all stages. Some are complete and I believe incubating. In fact, we may have a few hatching now. Others are in the very early stages of building. They are are either loose sacks or just a whisper of spider web and lichen on a branch. There have been a few false starts: nests begun and abandoned for a better site nearby. Nest material thieves (likely goldfinches or other bushtits) have decimated a couple. But most are going strong.
This is banner year for bushtits. It's too bad it's not a banner year for bushtit researchers. I have had to confine my searches to areas where I can maintain distance and wearing a mask is a problem because my glasses fog up. But I go out anyway --- with an abundance of caution when I can't maintain 20' or so distance. I have two fabulous field assistants who have been absolutely essential. And Gary on the Reed campus has been keeping me up-to-date on the banded birds he sees at his feeder on campus. So all is not lost.
But the season has one big challenge: Banding and collecting blood for DNA analysis will be limited to only those nests without much traffic because of the need to social distance. I always say that every year is different. Usually I'm referring to the birds. This time I'm referring to the fieldwork and the challenges we need to face to keep ourselves and others safe. Sigh.
A cute story:
Three days ago I came in for lunch and sat by my big picture window looking out over the front yard. The window has a bush in front of it which I like because it's open enough to let in light but also shades a bit and provides some privacy. Occasionally a pair of bushtits who are building about 2 houses down bop through the bush and then out in a minute or two.
So I was surprised and enchanted when a lone male joined me for lunch one day. He hopped about in the bush and then made his way to a new branch that was right up against the window only a few inches from my face. He seemed to me to be just coming over to say "hello." He hung out long enough for me to eat and was then gone after I got up to put my things away. Magical.
It happened again yesterday and, again, he left after I was done with lunch. How sweet!
Or so I thought. Of course there was a rational explanation rather than some "mystical bushtit coming to commune with the lone bushtit researcher" reason. Today he showed me why and it was exactly what many of you are thinking: he was investigating his reflection in the window. Today, instead of just coming to the branch and looking at me (or so I thought), he was much bolder. This time he pecked at the window repeatedly as if pecking at another bushtit. Then he'd take a short break, hop around the bush, and come back to do it again. After doing this for a bit, he huddled up to the window (I am not kidding) as if he was huddling up against another bushtit (they do this often) and....fell sound asleep. In the sun and leaning against the window. It was absolutely adorable. He was so sleepy, he even began to tilt back and hang sideways. I got a little worried about him and tapped on the glass whereupon he woke up and began to hop around energetically and even came back to peck at the window again. Quite the little character.
So what was going on? Why as he alone? I strongly suspect this little guy is an unmated male who is "lonesome" for flock members that are now associated with nests. Bushtits are very social but as nests are completed, pairs do take up residence and spend less time in flocks. That leaves lone males vulnerable and....lonely. Because of this they often join a pair at a nest and earn the privilege of spending the night there. Sometimes they even feed the kids (and maybe a few of their own...only DNA will tell). Such is one of the interesting traits of bushtits, but from the perspective of this little lone male.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
More nests.....
The weather couldn't be better! I love this cool spring, especially on sunny days and it looks like we have at least a couple more in store. Next week, alas, looks rainy. But you never can tell.
I didn't get out yesterday as I was waiting for food deliveries. But I had bushtits all around my house again and happy little birds they were as I now have a restocked suet feeder. A pair seems to be hanging out more than the others and I have fond hopes I will have a nest here in the yard. We'll see!
I did get out the day before yesterday to Oaks Bottom and made three new discoveries:
1. I found a nest being built by an unbanded pair in a rose vine on someone's porch very near Sellwood Park. This would be unremarkable except for the fact that this is the 4th year in a row bushtits have built in that very vine. Last year's nest is still there....looking a bit forlorn, but almost usable. The even-older nests are gone only because the owner trimmed back the vines last year. Otherwise, 3 old bushtit nests would be hanging like soggy Xmas ornaments.
2. Remember the first year female W-X "rebuilding" at a nest that was built and used last year? Well, that is happening no longer. Instead, she and an unbanded male are building in the same tree but about 20' higher. It's a very early stage nest so we'll see if they stick with it or if someone else takes over. I did find the pair hanging with another pair near there later in the afternoon, suggesting the second pair in eying the nest site.
3. I found a very early stage nest (just a ring of spider web and lichen) along the Bluff trail that, if completed, will be so obvious to anyone on the trail that I am loath to reveal its location. I find that nests that are that close to the trail often don't do well if people find out about them and stop and watch too much and too closely. Crows are crafty and learn pretty quickly that bushtit nests are lovely hanging sacks of protein. Sad for the bushtit families.
Which brings me to.......
Reed College! My amazing field assistant, Amelia, who was with me last year, has started searches for nests on campus and so far she has seen banded birds (GYYX and another banded male) with an unbanded female hanging out around an old nest site. More on that later.......time to go find my birds!
Monday, March 16, 2020
Bushtits......and the pandemic....
A cheerful flock of bushtits just appeared in the bushes out my front window and made their way around to the back of the house, a bit disappointed that my suet feeders aren't up, I'm guessing. They are a reminder to me that they are still hanging out in their flocks even as late as 10AM and so are not entirely serious about nesting.....yet.
But that doesn't mean nests aren't being built. It doesn't even mean some nests aren't finished already. It just means no one is incubating yet.
In all probability these these little flocks (tintinnabulation's, twitters, or whatever we will decide) will break up into subgroups of pairs and contenders for females and nests later in the day as it warms. That's really what I'm seeing now. I am rarely running across a single pair building solo. There always seems to be one or more bushtits hanging out with little chases and even courtship around the nesting areas which are, not surprisingly, about where nests were last year.
As I watched the flock from the safety of my house, I contemplated what this year's season will look like given the current and future state of the pandemic. I think (so far) I'm pretty safe heading out by myself and finding nests in the open air. I have two assistants who (so far) seem ok with that scenario as well. My plan, as an elder, is to do most of my searching alone to avoid exposure as much as I can. My two assistants (both in their 20s) can work together if they like as their risk of complications is much lower and and I think they would enjoy the company. But I'll leave that up to them.
I think we are all safe watching nests in the field. That's a solitary endeavor no matter what. Solitary except for the bushtits, of course.
The big compromise I think I will have to make this year will be catching and banding birds. Although I can do that alone, I need help setting up the net and that involves less personal distance than recommended. Taking blood is even worse because I need to be in very close contact with my assistant.
And so I am faced with a dilemma: Do I take the risks I will have to take to continue my study this year? Or do I stay at home as I have been instructed to and lose this field season and all the interesting information I would get from birds I already know ---- birds that may not be around next year at all ---- to stay as safe as possible.
I don't know yet.
But my problems are nothing compared those who are ill or who don't have the luxury of self-isolating. My heart goes out to all those people who, because we didn't take a strong enough stance on this virus early enough, will suffer and even die. It is my hope that in the next day or two, Oregon and every other state will close all but essential businesses and "flatten the curve" so that our health care system does not get over-burdened and we weather this very real storm in relative safety.
Stay well everyone.....and stay tuned. If I do continue to find and watch nests (at the least) you may find this distracting as you stay home and stay the distance.
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Mar 10-11: Four nests and a puzzle.........already
Yesterday I returned to Oaks Bottom and walked all the way from the southern end to the north and back. Today I returned to just the southern end and found nests......
This is a quick recap (joined today by a student from PSU);
1. PPRX is building a nest with an unbanded female very near to his nest in 2018 and right next to the nest he briefly took over last year. It's also very near where I saw him with the flock on 9 March. This nest is just a hanging sack so far, on the outer edge of a very large cedar. Lots of little chases and such with at least one other bird in the area could mean that, on closer inspection, this nest isn't really PPRX's at all. We'll see!!
2. A young birder extraordinaire (who will remain nameless until I get his permission) found a nest yesterday that is almost finished on the slope about half-way between the southern field and the mortuary building. Both birds are unbanded (so far).
3. We found another new and barely there nest hanging over some brambles that had a very successful nest last year. This new one is being build by an unbanded pair and is just a ring of spider web and lichen. It's in the lower branches of a giant pine on a slope along the Bluff Trail.
4. And finally the puzzle....actually TWO puzzles. W-X (this time a female) and an unbanded male are apparently refurbishing a nest we had last year on the edge of the southern field of Oaks Bottom. Two things are a puzzle. First, this is W-X, but not the male I saw with PPRX two days ago. This is a female. Now, both of these W-X birds hatched last year in a nest on the edge of this field (dad was PYLX) and are siblings. The big puzzle is I have never had a first-year female breeding in her natal flock! They usually disperse out. So this is "first #1." "First #2" is really not a first. It's a "second." But it's very, very rare. Only once before have I ever seen a nest reused in another year. A very rare event! And the last time (in Arizona) it was also a young first-year pair and not the original owners of the nest. Interesting.
Last, but not least, I found RXRG (RexRug) with a flock very near his nest from last year. Also with him was NUNX (Nuns) who was banded as an adult visitor at RXRG's nest last year. This was all near the juncture of Bluff Trail and Springwater. I am certain RXRG (who has a very, very complex history which I will detail here soon) has a nest near here.
Stay tuned for more! I realize that, at this point, it all seems a bit confusing. But as the season progresses, you will get to know these birds and their nests and shenanigans and be as excited about what they do next as I am. I think :-)
This is a quick recap (joined today by a student from PSU);
1. PPRX is building a nest with an unbanded female very near to his nest in 2018 and right next to the nest he briefly took over last year. It's also very near where I saw him with the flock on 9 March. This nest is just a hanging sack so far, on the outer edge of a very large cedar. Lots of little chases and such with at least one other bird in the area could mean that, on closer inspection, this nest isn't really PPRX's at all. We'll see!!
2. A young birder extraordinaire (who will remain nameless until I get his permission) found a nest yesterday that is almost finished on the slope about half-way between the southern field and the mortuary building. Both birds are unbanded (so far).
3. We found another new and barely there nest hanging over some brambles that had a very successful nest last year. This new one is being build by an unbanded pair and is just a ring of spider web and lichen. It's in the lower branches of a giant pine on a slope along the Bluff Trail.
4. And finally the puzzle....actually TWO puzzles. W-X (this time a female) and an unbanded male are apparently refurbishing a nest we had last year on the edge of the southern field of Oaks Bottom. Two things are a puzzle. First, this is W-X, but not the male I saw with PPRX two days ago. This is a female. Now, both of these W-X birds hatched last year in a nest on the edge of this field (dad was PYLX) and are siblings. The big puzzle is I have never had a first-year female breeding in her natal flock! They usually disperse out. So this is "first #1." "First #2" is really not a first. It's a "second." But it's very, very rare. Only once before have I ever seen a nest reused in another year. A very rare event! And the last time (in Arizona) it was also a young first-year pair and not the original owners of the nest. Interesting.
Last, but not least, I found RXRG (RexRug) with a flock very near his nest from last year. Also with him was NUNX (Nuns) who was banded as an adult visitor at RXRG's nest last year. This was all near the juncture of Bluff Trail and Springwater. I am certain RXRG (who has a very, very complex history which I will detail here soon) has a nest near here.
Stay tuned for more! I realize that, at this point, it all seems a bit confusing. But as the season progresses, you will get to know these birds and their nests and shenanigans and be as excited about what they do next as I am. I think :-)
Monday, March 9, 2020
Day 1: Who and what did I see??
Well today was the first day of the real season for me. I drove in from Olympia by 2pm and headed out to the southern edge of Oaks Bottom for a quick look at what the bushtits were up to. I only had an hour, but the weather was so clear and pretty, I couldn't resist.
And what were they doing? They were messing around in small flocks of 5-10 birds that divided and coalesced seemingly randomly, although I'm certain it wasn't random. I'll know better when I have more birds banded.
Which deserves a quick explanation:
In Arizona, my study area in the Chiricahua mountains was well within Coronado National Forest and so my study area was, literally, boundless. The lovely result was that I could be certain I had every bird in a flock (or whatever we'll call it) banded and every nest found. I didn't have to worry about roads or fences or people's backyards or sensitive wetlands. I could go anywhere. Consequently, I could be certain I knew what every single bird was doing from day to day. Every spring, flocks were full of old friends with just a few new unbanded birds that had dispersed and joined up over the winter or early spring.
Not so in Portland. The flocks I am finding now are most certainly as cohesive and tight-knit and closely-related as those in Arizona, but I am constrained by the urban-ness of the terrain. I can never find every nest in a flock because some of these nests are unfindable. I had one last year that was well out in the wetlands at Oaks Bottom. Some nests are in backyards. Others are in areas that are otherwise off-limits. So I do what I can. Every year I find as many nests as I can within the constraints of Oaks Bottom, Sellwood Park, Riverfront Park, Westmoreland Park, and Reed campus. Many of these nests are nests of old friends and I am always delighted to see them. But every year I have nests with unbanded members of the same flock whose nests the year before I couldn't find. It is only the observations I make during the breeding season and especially near the beginning and end that verify who belongs to which flock.
I should also mention that every year I see banded birds early in the season and never find their nests! I know that they are still around when the season starts to end and they show up with fledglings in tow.Very frustrating!
Ok....that's a bit about urban bushtit research! Not particularly easy, actually.
Back to my short afternoon: I ran into a conglomeration of bushtits --- perhaps 10 -- near the northern end of the big field. Most of the birds I saw were unbanded, but I was excited to find PPRX and W-X among them. W-X is a first year male whose father was PYLX -- I'm hoping I'll find PYLX who was the "helper" in 2018 at Nest 11 and had his own nest last year. The same year PYLX was a "helper," PPRX had a nest very close by that was successful twice. So PYLX and PPRX are clearly members of the same flock...perhaps even related.
Now PPRX is a male who has been a very successful breeding male for the last two years and he is a real character! Last year he booted PYLX out of his first nest after finishing a clutch of his own at another nest and leaving the female to incubate alone (a no-no and the same thing LLRX seems to be capable of). Then he himself gave up on PYLX's nest (never knew why --- someone else eventually rehabbed it and moved in) and became the doting father at his original nest where he and the female raised two broods successfully.
Poor PYLX, in the meantime, seemed a bit lost although he continued to hang out in the area. He finally nested late in the season in a small tree at the opposite end of the big field and successfully raised a brood of four -- W-X was one of them.
So....not much to report yet, but two banded birds in just an hour and verification that nest-building is imminent based on the loose nature of the flocks and some chases I saw, was better than nothing and a nice start to the year! I'm sure there are already nests out there just waiting to be found :-). And more of my banded friends.
.
And what were they doing? They were messing around in small flocks of 5-10 birds that divided and coalesced seemingly randomly, although I'm certain it wasn't random. I'll know better when I have more birds banded.
Which deserves a quick explanation:
In Arizona, my study area in the Chiricahua mountains was well within Coronado National Forest and so my study area was, literally, boundless. The lovely result was that I could be certain I had every bird in a flock (or whatever we'll call it) banded and every nest found. I didn't have to worry about roads or fences or people's backyards or sensitive wetlands. I could go anywhere. Consequently, I could be certain I knew what every single bird was doing from day to day. Every spring, flocks were full of old friends with just a few new unbanded birds that had dispersed and joined up over the winter or early spring.
Not so in Portland. The flocks I am finding now are most certainly as cohesive and tight-knit and closely-related as those in Arizona, but I am constrained by the urban-ness of the terrain. I can never find every nest in a flock because some of these nests are unfindable. I had one last year that was well out in the wetlands at Oaks Bottom. Some nests are in backyards. Others are in areas that are otherwise off-limits. So I do what I can. Every year I find as many nests as I can within the constraints of Oaks Bottom, Sellwood Park, Riverfront Park, Westmoreland Park, and Reed campus. Many of these nests are nests of old friends and I am always delighted to see them. But every year I have nests with unbanded members of the same flock whose nests the year before I couldn't find. It is only the observations I make during the breeding season and especially near the beginning and end that verify who belongs to which flock.
I should also mention that every year I see banded birds early in the season and never find their nests! I know that they are still around when the season starts to end and they show up with fledglings in tow.Very frustrating!
Ok....that's a bit about urban bushtit research! Not particularly easy, actually.
Back to my short afternoon: I ran into a conglomeration of bushtits --- perhaps 10 -- near the northern end of the big field. Most of the birds I saw were unbanded, but I was excited to find PPRX and W-X among them. W-X is a first year male whose father was PYLX -- I'm hoping I'll find PYLX who was the "helper" in 2018 at Nest 11 and had his own nest last year. The same year PYLX was a "helper," PPRX had a nest very close by that was successful twice. So PYLX and PPRX are clearly members of the same flock...perhaps even related.
Now PPRX is a male who has been a very successful breeding male for the last two years and he is a real character! Last year he booted PYLX out of his first nest after finishing a clutch of his own at another nest and leaving the female to incubate alone (a no-no and the same thing LLRX seems to be capable of). Then he himself gave up on PYLX's nest (never knew why --- someone else eventually rehabbed it and moved in) and became the doting father at his original nest where he and the female raised two broods successfully.
Poor PYLX, in the meantime, seemed a bit lost although he continued to hang out in the area. He finally nested late in the season in a small tree at the opposite end of the big field and successfully raised a brood of four -- W-X was one of them.
So....not much to report yet, but two banded birds in just an hour and verification that nest-building is imminent based on the loose nature of the flocks and some chases I saw, was better than nothing and a nice start to the year! I'm sure there are already nests out there just waiting to be found :-). And more of my banded friends.
.
Sunday, March 8, 2020
What to call a flock of bushtits?
While I await my return to Portland (I'm in Olympia with friends) I think I'll post a very interesting thread from OBOL. We are all familiar with various names for flocks of other species: a gaggle of geese, a murder of crows, etc. But, as far as I know, there is no "official" name for a flock of bushtits. Perhaps we can rectify that with a contest.
It started with a query: What do you call a flock of bushtits? And there was a cascade of responses from OBOL list serve members. I expect more will come.
I'll list the suggestions people have emailed on OBOL and then we can take a vote. I'm open-minded! I'll keep names off the list, but include explanations if needed. When there is a consensus (that would be nice) or a majority in favor of one, I'll declare the winner and that is what will go into my book. I suggest "Ranked-choice voting:" Choose your top 5 favorites and rank them in order of preference.
Here we go. If you'd like me to post your name with your suggestion, just let me know. Some are silly, but most have some interesting descriptive character.
1. Psaltriparus minimus glosses as 'smallest harper-tit.' A collection of harpers is a melody. The smallest significant part of a melody--beyond a note--is a motif. QED: a Motif of Bushtits.
2. Swarm of bushtits
3. Tinkle of bushtits
4. Tickle of bushtits
5. Mob of bushtits (this is probably the most commonly used to date)
6. Flash mob of bushtits
7. Flurry of bushtits
8. Bundle of bushtits
9. Lint-trap of bushtits
10. Bale of bushtits (as in a gathering of collection such as hay-bale)
11. Invasion of bushtits
12. Bushel of bushtits
13. Bustle of bushtits
14. Business (or Busy-ness) of bushtits
15. Blizzard of bushtits
16. Buzz of bushtits
17. Collective of bushtits
18. Sharing of bushtits
19. Arrival and departure of bushtits
20. Gathering of bushtits
21. Togetherness of bushtits
22. Cloud of bushtits
23. Passage of bushtits
24. Gang of bushtits
25. Bully of bushtits
26. Scatter of bushtits
27. Myrmiration of bushtits (not a typo: derived from beetle taxonomy)
28. Frenzy of Bushtits
29. Twittering of bushtits
30. Bell choir of bushtits
31. Tintinabulation of bushtits
32. Cascade of bushtits
33. Titillation of bushtits
34. Shower of bushtits
35. Spit of bushtits (because they say, very clearly, "sspt.")
36. Spray of bushtits
Ok! I think that's QUITE a list! In the Comments below, vote for your favorite. And if you have yet another suggestion, I will add it tomorrow and we can include it as a possibility as well.
Enjoy!!
Just for fun, here's a link to my favorite video of a flock of bushtits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXsN2Ly59JM
It started with a query: What do you call a flock of bushtits? And there was a cascade of responses from OBOL list serve members. I expect more will come.
I'll list the suggestions people have emailed on OBOL and then we can take a vote. I'm open-minded! I'll keep names off the list, but include explanations if needed. When there is a consensus (that would be nice) or a majority in favor of one, I'll declare the winner and that is what will go into my book. I suggest "Ranked-choice voting:" Choose your top 5 favorites and rank them in order of preference.
Here we go. If you'd like me to post your name with your suggestion, just let me know. Some are silly, but most have some interesting descriptive character.
1. Psaltriparus minimus glosses as 'smallest harper-tit.' A collection of harpers is a melody. The smallest significant part of a melody--beyond a note--is a motif. QED: a Motif of Bushtits.
2. Swarm of bushtits
3. Tinkle of bushtits
4. Tickle of bushtits
5. Mob of bushtits (this is probably the most commonly used to date)
6. Flash mob of bushtits
7. Flurry of bushtits
8. Bundle of bushtits
9. Lint-trap of bushtits
10. Bale of bushtits (as in a gathering of collection such as hay-bale)
11. Invasion of bushtits
12. Bushel of bushtits
13. Bustle of bushtits
14. Business (or Busy-ness) of bushtits
15. Blizzard of bushtits
16. Buzz of bushtits
17. Collective of bushtits
18. Sharing of bushtits
19. Arrival and departure of bushtits
20. Gathering of bushtits
21. Togetherness of bushtits
22. Cloud of bushtits
23. Passage of bushtits
24. Gang of bushtits
25. Bully of bushtits
26. Scatter of bushtits
27. Myrmiration of bushtits (not a typo: derived from beetle taxonomy)
28. Frenzy of Bushtits
29. Twittering of bushtits
30. Bell choir of bushtits
31. Tintinabulation of bushtits
32. Cascade of bushtits
33. Titillation of bushtits
34. Shower of bushtits
35. Spit of bushtits (because they say, very clearly, "sspt.")
36. Spray of bushtits
Ok! I think that's QUITE a list! In the Comments below, vote for your favorite. And if you have yet another suggestion, I will add it tomorrow and we can include it as a possibility as well.
Enjoy!!
Just for fun, here's a link to my favorite video of a flock of bushtits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXsN2Ly59JM
Friday, March 6, 2020
Back in Portland....
......and the field season begins!
From now on, on good weather days when I can get out in the field, I'll be reporting what I see scattered with tidbits and details about the relevant behaviors. My hope will be that blog readers will become as attached and interested by what goes on with the bushtits in Portland as I am.
Nests are being built, I am certain, so keep your eyes peeled for bushtits carrying nesting material --- especially big blobs of spiderweb. Or their large hanging nests.
From now on, on good weather days when I can get out in the field, I'll be reporting what I see scattered with tidbits and details about the relevant behaviors. My hope will be that blog readers will become as attached and interested by what goes on with the bushtits in Portland as I am.
Nests are being built, I am certain, so keep your eyes peeled for bushtits carrying nesting material --- especially big blobs of spiderweb. Or their large hanging nests.
 |
| This one was right on Reed campus 2018 near a dorm and was very cryptic. The parents were AXAA (Captain America) and FFFX (F-X). One of the female juveniles showed a great deal of interest in the second nest for quite a while before they fledged, but never helped feeding. Right before it fledged, some unknown predator ripped the bottom out of the nest, but not deep enough to get to the kids and all was fine!! I couldn't find the nest of AXAA and FFFX last year although I looked. I know they were still around because they visited the Reed suet feeder. Ah well!! |
Saturday, February 22, 2020
The bushtit nesting season begins.......
I'm back from hot and humid Puerto Rico where I was visiting my daughter in the steaming jungle near Utuado...and it's the dry season. I can't imagine what the wet season would be like.
In bushtit-land (re Portland, Oregon), on Reed campus it seems that GYYX and LLRX are still hanging out together with one of GYYX's sons from last year and a female (GEEX....and that can only be pronounces Geex!) who was banded early in the season and at a nest that LLRX was a frequent curious visitor at. That nest was destroyed by a crow when the poor kids were well along. Sadly. And I didn't find out what had happened to GEEX until just this week. I'm happy to hear she's alive and well.
I am pretty excited to see how things play out this year between GYYX (the good dad) and LLRX (the cad) with a young male in the mix. If you're confused, see my earlier blog about LLRX and his shenanigans in 2018. That year, I might add, GYYX was a "monogamous" (at least in appearances) father who lost his first nest to the dastardly crows, divorced wife #1, and rebuilt in another part of Reed campus to raise a healthy brood by the end of the season. Interestingly, his final and successful nest in 2019 (he lost at least one early in the season) was only 2 feet from the remnants of his 2018 nest. So, why didn't he just build there in the first place??
On a side note: That's something I've seen over and over again.......bushtits building nests near successful old nests. And it's not always the same birds. Remember that bushtits live in highly social flocks where everyone knows everyone else's business and nests are often fought over. So it makes sense that a successful location would be remembered and reused. Why not? Location, location, location.
I'll be back in Portland mid-March and will hit the ground running to find nests. In the meantime, thanks to Gary and Pat, I have an inkling of which old friends will still be around for me to learn more from.
In bushtit-land (re Portland, Oregon), on Reed campus it seems that GYYX and LLRX are still hanging out together with one of GYYX's sons from last year and a female (GEEX....and that can only be pronounces Geex!) who was banded early in the season and at a nest that LLRX was a frequent curious visitor at. That nest was destroyed by a crow when the poor kids were well along. Sadly. And I didn't find out what had happened to GEEX until just this week. I'm happy to hear she's alive and well.
I am pretty excited to see how things play out this year between GYYX (the good dad) and LLRX (the cad) with a young male in the mix. If you're confused, see my earlier blog about LLRX and his shenanigans in 2018. That year, I might add, GYYX was a "monogamous" (at least in appearances) father who lost his first nest to the dastardly crows, divorced wife #1, and rebuilt in another part of Reed campus to raise a healthy brood by the end of the season. Interestingly, his final and successful nest in 2019 (he lost at least one early in the season) was only 2 feet from the remnants of his 2018 nest. So, why didn't he just build there in the first place??
On a side note: That's something I've seen over and over again.......bushtits building nests near successful old nests. And it's not always the same birds. Remember that bushtits live in highly social flocks where everyone knows everyone else's business and nests are often fought over. So it makes sense that a successful location would be remembered and reused. Why not? Location, location, location.
I'll be back in Portland mid-March and will hit the ground running to find nests. In the meantime, thanks to Gary and Pat, I have an inkling of which old friends will still be around for me to learn more from.
Thursday, February 6, 2020
Off I go.......
......on a 12 day trip to Puerto Rico. So I probably won't be adding to this Blog until I return on the 20th. And, BTW, bushtits are most certainly building their nests now :-)
Stay tuned!!!
Stay tuned!!!
Tuesday, February 4, 2020
Banded bushtits at Reed feeder
Gary Granger, whose office is right on the Reed College campus, has been a huge help in keeping me abreast of color-banded Reed bushtits over the winter. Here are some wonderful pictures he sent to me from his feeder last winter. Thank you, Gary!
 |
| Great photo with some of the color bands I mentioned in my last blog. The bird on the upper left is GYYX. You can just see his left leg under him. The bird next to him has two F bands and we can't see the other leg. So it would coded as FF??. I happen to know this is a female: FFFX who we call "EffEx." |
 |
| In this photo (on the left), you can see a YX on one leg (I happen to know this is GYYX). On the right is a male with a bit of suet and two striped bands (AA). He would be coded ??AA. See? Those striped bands aren't that bad, are they? I know him and he is AXAA (affectionately referred to as Captain America) |
 |
| I'm posting this one because it's the best photo of an aluminum band. You can see that it looks white, but is longer than other bands |
 |
| There are three banded birds in this photo! Two are already in photos above: GYYX and AX?? (probably AXAA). But the third, at the very top center, is a female banded XWRL ("ExWhirl"). She was paired with GYYX that year. |
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Identifying banded bushtits
If you live anywhere in Portland, Oregon (or anywhere else on the Pacific coast) and have a suet feeder, you undoubtedly have bushtits arriving in elfish swarms during the colder months. If you live near Reed College or Oaks Bottom or even Westmoreland Park, you may have even noticed some with color-bands. Those little guys have been banded by me over the last few years and they each have their own private life stories. Some stories are long and complicated and others are simple. But they are all insights into interesting bushtit lives. Or at least I think so. But I'm just a tad prejudiced :-)
I mentioned in a previous blog that I have two people who have been regularly sending me updates about banded birds at their feeders: one on the Reed campus and the other near the edge of Oaks Bottom. And I am delighted every time I hear from them! Because of their interest and reports I know who is happily surviving the winter and who they are hanging out with.
But there are more of you out there! Just yesterday, a woman I know who lives a few blocks from Oaks Bottom noticed, for the first time, a banded bird at her feeder. And several times I have received notice from the Federal banding lab that someone has reported banded birds near Reed. Occasionally birders give me updates and even pictures of banded birds they have seen. I appreciate them all! Last year a birder send me a picture of bird I hadn't seen since the previous year. That was nice surprise!
I gave a brief primer about how to read bands a few posts ago. Today I'm going to give you the colors and their symbols so that when you do see banded bushtits (there may even be some left in Discovery Park in Seattle), you will be able to read the bands. If you can do that, I can let you know who you saw and what their life history is: where they had a nest and who they were paired with and who they hang out with. Chances are they'll be back and you will soon be friends :-)
Here are the colors I use and their symbols. BTW, a few birds (hatched last year) only have two bands: one on each leg and one of those is aluminum.
X = aluminum (This is the Federal USGS band. It is slightly longer than the others and silver.)
R = red (I have two slightly different reds, but they are both coded "R.")
L = dark blue (This is a very dark blue that is easily told from the lighter versions.)
O = orange (Very bright and very rare.)
B = black (This is a color I try to avoid because bushtits have black legs!)
Y - yellow (Very bright!)
W = white (The one most often mistaken for aluminum, especially if soiled.)
P = purple (In some circles this is also called "mauve." It is isn't a deep purple.)
G = avocado green (I have several greens. This is not dark or bright. A deceptive color.)
E = dark green (Almost evergreen, but brighter.)
N= neon and lightish green
U = light blue
Striped (two-color) bands (You may think I'm crazy. Bushtit bands are small enough without being striped!! ):
A = striped red and dark blue ( This one isn't too bad.)
F = striped avocado and purple (Very hard to read.)
C = striped orange and yellow (I don't know why I bothered!)
M = red and white striped (candy cane!)
So there it is (almost all). If you see color-banded bushtits, please let me know who and where. I would love that information. BTW, this is NOT easy, so don't feel bad if all you see is "yellow on one of the legs." That may be all I need if I have a location.
I mentioned in a previous blog that I have two people who have been regularly sending me updates about banded birds at their feeders: one on the Reed campus and the other near the edge of Oaks Bottom. And I am delighted every time I hear from them! Because of their interest and reports I know who is happily surviving the winter and who they are hanging out with.
But there are more of you out there! Just yesterday, a woman I know who lives a few blocks from Oaks Bottom noticed, for the first time, a banded bird at her feeder. And several times I have received notice from the Federal banding lab that someone has reported banded birds near Reed. Occasionally birders give me updates and even pictures of banded birds they have seen. I appreciate them all! Last year a birder send me a picture of bird I hadn't seen since the previous year. That was nice surprise!
I gave a brief primer about how to read bands a few posts ago. Today I'm going to give you the colors and their symbols so that when you do see banded bushtits (there may even be some left in Discovery Park in Seattle), you will be able to read the bands. If you can do that, I can let you know who you saw and what their life history is: where they had a nest and who they were paired with and who they hang out with. Chances are they'll be back and you will soon be friends :-)
Here are the colors I use and their symbols. BTW, a few birds (hatched last year) only have two bands: one on each leg and one of those is aluminum.
X = aluminum (This is the Federal USGS band. It is slightly longer than the others and silver.)
R = red (I have two slightly different reds, but they are both coded "R.")
L = dark blue (This is a very dark blue that is easily told from the lighter versions.)
O = orange (Very bright and very rare.)
B = black (This is a color I try to avoid because bushtits have black legs!)
Y - yellow (Very bright!)
W = white (The one most often mistaken for aluminum, especially if soiled.)
P = purple (In some circles this is also called "mauve." It is isn't a deep purple.)
G = avocado green (I have several greens. This is not dark or bright. A deceptive color.)
E = dark green (Almost evergreen, but brighter.)
N= neon and lightish green
U = light blue
Striped (two-color) bands (You may think I'm crazy. Bushtit bands are small enough without being striped!! ):
A = striped red and dark blue ( This one isn't too bad.)
F = striped avocado and purple (Very hard to read.)
C = striped orange and yellow (I don't know why I bothered!)
M = red and white striped (candy cane!)
So there it is (almost all). If you see color-banded bushtits, please let me know who and where. I would love that information. BTW, this is NOT easy, so don't feel bad if all you see is "yellow on one of the legs." That may be all I need if I have a location.
 |
| YYXP: A male in Discovery Park. Terrible picture! But in this picture you can see his X over P |
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| YYXP: And in this picture you can see the Y over Y (and a beakful of nesting material.) |
Friday, January 31, 2020
New Blog photo by Dennis Paulson
I've finally found a photo that fits the space allotted to it. And I love this picture of a female bushtit with real attitude!! Thank you, Dennis Paulson, for sharing it with me!
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Today in Portland
You may think that while I am on the east coast I don't know what my birds are doing in Portland. But I actually do.....sort of. Thanks (many, many thanks!) to two wonderful individuals who each happen to have a suet feeder in areas where I have banded birds (Reed College and Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge), I get intermittent and tantalizing reports of which birds are still around and who they are hanging out with. And that keeps me going through the long, cold, snowy Maine winter.
Just today I got a text about some of my Reed birds. Two of these birds are very interesting and have had at least a two year "friendship".......if you can call it that.....GYYX (Gikes) and LLRX (LollRex). Both are males and for the last two years (and this coming year as well, I suspect) have been seen consistently together at the feeders all winter along with other banded and unbanded birds. Last year they were always foraging together in a flock of about 20 right before dark even into April.
[ Cute fact: bushtits flock members huddle together at night to stay warm and then switch to sleeping in their nests when they are completed.]
Today I will tell you some of LLRX's history which is a bit checkered. He is, it seems, not the nicest of birds. (And he wasn't in 2019 either.)
I caught and banded LLRX along with a female, PXPY (PixPee), early in the 2018 season and in the center of "the Canyon" on Reed campus. I was certain they had a nest in the vicinity because every time I walked by, I heard them. And I was positive I would find it. But the brush was thick and there was limited time with the number of nests we had to monitor already and so I soon abandoned the search and chalked it up to a failed nest (it happens) and/or birds that had gone AWOL (it also happens).
Later in the season, however, I happily found them again. Both LLRX and PXPY were hanging out and bringing nesting material to a small nest [more on nests and how and why they vary in size later] in a pinyon pine near the vegetable garden at the western end of the canyon. All seemed very domestic and boring at first. But I soon found that when PXPY wasn't attending to the nest, she was being chased and "courted" by both an unbanded male and LLRX. In fact, the unbanded male seemed far more attentive to her than LLRX, who would take off, leaving PXPY with the interloper(?) for long periods.
Once incubation began, LLRX seemed like the doting father....taking turns incubating with PXPY. At first. The unbanded male was still around, but never entered the nest although several times I held my breath as he approached and then fluttered way. As incubation progressed, however, LLRX spent less and less time in his fatherly duties. And then, one day soon after the nestlings had hatched, he disappeared entirely.
By then, the unbanded male had also flown the coop (sic) and poor PXPY was left to raise the nestlings on her own. She did so quite valiantly --- exhausting herself as the kids grew louder, bigger, and more insistent. By the time they were close to fledging, she looked positively bedraggled. LLRX was nowhere to be seen. He had vanished. I assumed he had died.
But he hadn't. That winter, he was happily foraging at the suet feeders --- with GYYX who had raised a successful brood himself that year. PXPY, on the other hand, was never seen again. I suspect she simply didn't have the reserves left to survive the winter after her labors. Poor thing.
But LLRX? In 2019, he was at it again.....but that, more complicated, story remains to be told in another post!
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Wonderful photos!!
I was so surprised, gratified, and excited to get offers and copies of so many marvelous and adorable bushtit photos yesterday. Thank you to everyone! I'm planning to post them gradually over the next few months -- just one or two a day at most -- so we can all enjoy them. And please keep them coming! I love to watch my bushtits, but I am abysmal at remembering to make a photographic record of what I do. A few students have been pretty good at it. But not me.
I thought that today would be a good day to mention that my BNA (Birds of North America) bushtit chapter is a good source for basic bushtit information. The behavioral descriptions are 99% from my own research in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona where the first 25 years of my research took place. I'm currently working on the revision which will include many new Pacific NW bushtit idiosyncrasies.
BTW, Arizona bushtits (Psaltriparus minimus plumbeous) and coastal Pacific NW bushtits (Psaltriparus minimus minimus) have many of the same quirky behavioral traits, but some very interesting differences which I will be talking about in this blog and detailing in my book. What I don't know yet is if these are intrinsic subspecies differences or just the result of entirely different environments: desert mountains vs wet coastal forests and brush, high predation rates vs low, etc.
Time will tell.
Bushtit nests are made primarily of a combination of spider web and lichen as the two velcro together in a magical way.
The photo above is of a female (note the yellow eye) with lichen. The photo to the right is a male (dark brown eye) with spider web.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Thank you to Terri Vincent......
....for this beautiful photo of a female bushtit! Now if I can just figure out how to get it to fit the screen..............
Arizona 1987: Dad as a decoy
[BOOK EXCERPT]
Against all odds, PPLX and RYLX have recaptured their nest from the interlopers [future Blog entry on this!] and now have young nestlings in the nest they fought so hard for. The nest itself, built while the oak was simultaneously shedding its old leaves and sending out catkins has proved to be elderly and now has leafed out only sparsely. The result is that the nest is still quite exposed. To make matters worse, the area is particularly ripe with jays who would make fast work of the nest and its contents if they were to find it. In fact, I am quite surprised it has made it this far.
On 11 April 1987, I arrive alone to do a routine feeding nestwatch. I set up camp far enough from the nest to be inconspicuous to bushtits and jays alike: shortened chair in a nice, shady spot, telescope set where I can use it easily, binocs for other observations, watch, and notebook with rapidograph ready for taking notes. I worry less about disturbing the bushtits as they really don’t seem to care about me at all. I could probably sit IN the nest tree and they’d just go about their business. But I don’t want the Mexican Jays cuing in on the nest because of me. I sometimes get the feeling they are secretly looking over my shoulder, thinking, in a sentient corvid kind of way “hmmmm….what’s she watching? Oh look, a juicy little bushtit nest!” I have no evidence they are doing this, but I want to take no chances. Jay predation is high enough without my help.
So I settle in for a very easy and pleasant nestwatch; given the openness of the nest I should have no trouble identifying the birds. Sure enough, PPLX and RYLX are actively feeding about every 10-20 minutes, coming in with noisy spits and food, disappearing into the nest to deposit it into hungry baby bushtit mouths (as I can only imagine given that the nest is entirely enclosed), and then taking off together to find more food for the growing kids. But I don’t hear the nestlings begging before the adults arrive, so they must be very young.
Then tragedy strikes…or so I think at first. A Mexican Jay is in a pine tree near the nest and watches as the parents noisily arrive, feed the kids, and then together take off for more food. When the coast is clear and all is quiet, the jay cocks its head and slowly hops, branch by branch, to the bottom of the pine and then, in a single quiet swoop, launches and lands in the nest tree only 3 feet from the nest, eyes ominously glued on the nest itself. Lunch.
I am paralyzed. Do I interfere? Do I stand and throw rocks and scream, as I so badly want to? Or do I be the good, impartial scientist and let nature take its course? There is a part of me that wants to actually see this, to see jay predation in action. I never have. I’ve only seen its sad conclusion: the torn nest, the scattered feathers, and the silence of the empty nest. And sometimes the confused parents spitting about the old nest, clearly wondering what has happened while they were happily collecting food for the nestlings that are no longer there.
While I’m in this state of indecision, both parents return to the nest, and assessing the dire circumstances, begin mobbing the jay as best a bushtit can. Without dropping their loads of caterpillars and whatnot, they somehow manage to spit madly at the intruder, diving at its head like a swarm of angry mosquitoes. But sadly the jay seems unperturbed by the tiny assailants (who would be?) and creeps closer to the nest, clearly intent on an easy meal. All seems lost.
But then something truly amazing happens. As a last ditch effort, the male drops his load of caterpillars and perches next to the jay and opposite the nest. He begins to utter a sound I have never heard from an adult bushtit: the calls of a begging nestling. Immediately, the jay swings its head away from the nest and toward the male, who is now begging loudly and fluttering his wings. As soon as the jay’s attention is on him, PPLX hops to the top of the tree. The jay follows. Then into the pine. The jay still follows. Then they disappear. Remarkably, the male has successfully used himself as a decoy to save the nest. How smart and brave for such a little bird.
I stay longer than I had planned to see what will happen and twenty minutes later both parents are nonchalantly feeding at the nest and the jay is nowhere to be seen. Still, I think as I pack up to leave, this nest is doomed. The jay clearly knows the nest is there. And, as the nestlings get bigger and louder, they will become even more conspicuous. Doomed. Absolutely. No doubt about it.
But bushtits always have a way of surprising me. In spite of high predation rates all over the study area, and in spite of the jays supposedly knowing where this nest is, the nest fledges successfully 10 days later, right on time. And, even more surprising, the parents are back for yet another clutch just one week later.
So much for corvid intelligence.
Bushtits 1: jays zero.
Monday, January 27, 2020
2018: Male joins at nest
One of the (many) unique characteristics of bushtits is that they have "helpers at the nest." By helpers, I mean non-breeding birds (usually adult males) acting as parents by feeding the kids and defending the nest. Over the years I have have had very little opportunity to observe exactly how that happens. All that changed in 2018 with two nests. I describe below how PYLX joined Nest 11 in 2018. It was fascinating! [This is an excerpt from my book still in progress]
SELLWOOD NEST 11 (2018)
By the time I find Nest 11 in late April, it’s a completed gray gourd, hanging like a ripe fruit from the outer middle branches of a tall pine on the edge of the open field that defines the southern boundary of Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge.
The nest isn’t that easy to find even though it certainly isn’t cryptic. It’s hung nestled in the drooping branches of a large pine that are so common here in Portland. What makes it obvious, once I do find it, is that some of the vegetation is dead and so it stands out against the background of sky and hill. But it’s still not obvious if you’re just passing by. It’s the unbanded pair --- a male and a female --- now feeding at the nest, that finally give it away. Nestlings need to be fed and frequently. It was a fairly simple matter to follow the adults eventually to the nest.
And there it is. A nice nest to watch with the entrance facing straight towards the open field where I can sit. On the other hand, it is a bit far and at first I resort to a telescope to tell male from female by their eye color. By the first week in May, I suspect there may be more than just a male and female here. At one nestwatch, I am certain there are at least 3 bushtits in the area. If so, it would be my first documented multibird nest in the Pacific NW. But it’s not until Ellie and I band here that the slightly more complicated truth begins to reveal itself.
We set up the net not far from the nest. Since it’s so high up in the tree, I’m not afraid the calls I use to attract the parents will give the nest’s location away to the dastardly crows. After setting up and playing the tape for just a few minutes we catch in quick succession, and surprisingly, 4 birds ….3 males (LYYX:Likes), PYLX:Piles), and PPRX:PopRocks) and only one female (GXGG:Geegee). A fifth bird flits about the net, but never gets caught. Still…..we have 4 birds banded and I am hoping we have caught all the attendants at Nest 11 and perhaps we have even more than three. I am delighted and greatly anticipate my next nestwatch.
Which is a dud. Sort of. The next day the nestwatch reveals that the female is not banded. She must have been that slippery cookie that teased us the day before. And disappointingly only one male, LYYX, is feeding and coming in with the unbanded female almost every single time. I am disappointed. No third bird.
That same day I find GXGG, PPRX, and PYLX foraging merrily nearby in the undergrowth at the edge of the field, but not doing anything remotely nesty. Just hanging out. Oh well.
But the next nestwatch I do a couple of days later is far more interesting. GXGG and PPRX are still lounging in nearby bushes snacking on bugs and having a quiet conversation of spits, but PYLX shows up at the nest a few times on his own. At first he seems excited about his “discovery,” hopping about and peering in the nest a few times. LYYX shows up at one point with food for the kids and pecks at PYLX, chasing him off temporarily. But PYLX soon returns. This time he’s carrying a bit of lichen….nesting material. Not really appropriate for a nest full of nestlings. The female arrives a minute later and he wing-flutters towards her as if trying to attract her attention. When she leaves, he slips into the nest…with the lichen….and then exits….with the lichen, seemingly puzzled (if a bird can look puzzled.) He enters a few more times, each time coming out with the lichen still in his beak. The last time he emerges without it and flies off. I can’t imagine what he did with it. Did he convince one of the nestlings it was food? Or, more likely, did he just leave it and give up?
So PYLX is a “visitor.” And he’s doing what I once saw in Washington, but never in Arizona: bringing nesting material to a nest containing nestlings and wing fluttering towards the female. What is he up to? He is not what I would call an “attendant” or a “helper.” He’s just visiting. And he’s bringing inappropriate gifts.
I have more nests to watch than just this one, so I don’t get back to Nest 11 for another few days.
And by then things have changed in a big way. Both LYYX and the unbanded female are feeding the nestlings. But now PYLX has joined them. Instead of showing up with lichen, he’s carrying food. And instead of chasing him off, LYYX seems to have accepted this new member of the family. In fact, had I not observed the earlier lichen-carrying attempts of PYLX and LYYX’s annoyance at his presence, I might think this was just a big happy family made up of two males and a single female from day one. True, PYLX is feeding separately from LYYX and the female who almost always show up in tandem with food. And he’s feeding less often than they do. But he is feeding and that now means he’s a “helper.”
Nest 11 immediately becomes my favorite nest and we try to watch it daily. As the nestlings grow and their demands increase, PYLX collects more food and shows up more often. And now he often overlaps with LYYX who sometimes politely waits just inches away for PYLX to leave before he enters the nest with his offering of caterpillars and spiders and such. By the time this first brood fledges, PYLX is a full-fledged (sic) member of the family. In fact, had I found this nest now, I never would have known who was dad and who was the interloper. They are indistinguishable. Except by their bands, of course.
And fledging day does come with its usual mad flurry of activity in the vicinity as the kids bolt from the nest, flying strongly, if not totally in control. All three adults and a few neighbors are there to greet them. Mad spitting ensues. Within 20 minutes, the newly fledged kids, short tails and all, have found each other and are perched in a tight little row high up in a small tree where LYYX, PYLX, and the unbanded female continue to feed them as if they had never left the confines of their swinging bed.
Unlike in Arizona, where the fledglings move rather quickly over the next few days away from the nest area, these five kids along with both males and the female don’t move farther than 50 meters from home. In ten days, I know why. Both LYYX and the female are taking turns hanging out in the nest, obviously incubating a new batch of eggs that must have been begun just a few days after the next was vacated. PYLX remains devoted to the first brood who are now mobile, long-tailed and a nuisance to their caretakers, chasing them with chittering begging calls and still being fed on occasion although they are now fully capable of foraging on their own. I never see him incubating.
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