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.
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