TOTX

Sometimes someone sends me a photo so stunning, I can't help but share it.  Today I'd like to post this beautiful photo of TOTX (tots) taken by Tony Freixas.  Thank you, Tony!  

Since we have his picture, I'll tell you a bit about TOTX and his life this year.  It was a difficult one but also very interesting and intertwined with the lives of his neighbors.  

TOTX originally had a lovely nest (RD 2) in a backyard immediately adjacent to Reed campus.  It was found during the last week in March in a very early stage and was low-hanging fruit, nestled in a thick vine just a few feet off the ground.  Nonetheless, it was hard to watch because a tangle of thorny berry bushes grew up along the border of the garden and campus so that short people (me) had a very hard time seeing over and into the yard.  Fortunately, the owners of the yard generously allowed us in to watch the nest and all was well.  We even had a chair to sit in.  A nice perk.  

But TOTX was a bit of a pain.  He was a very noisy bird.  Not only was he noisy near the nest, he was noisy no matter what.  We could always tell he was in the area and exactly where he was with his mad spitting.  And he wasn't just spitting at us.  He was spitting at the world.  The female (who remained unbanded) was much more discrete when she arrived alone.  But TOTX was often found following her about noisily, during nest-building, egg-laying and even after the kids had hatched. I don't know how she put up with him.  

TOTX's loud personality eventually got him in trouble about 10 days after his eggs had hatched.  Predators finally got the hint and found his nest, ripping it to shreds and undoubtedly feasting on the contents.  End of RD 2.  But not the end of TOTX (and, we assume, the female he was with).  

Just 2 days later he was seen visiting at the nest of his closest neighbors (RD 24) only 50 meters south of his destroyed nest.  The residents, PXPW (female) and ERYX (male) had built their nest also unusually close to the ground...about 6 feet.  It was pretty obvious hanging in the dense shade between two very large pines.  Its saving grace, however, was the vines and low branches that also hung around the base of these trees so that the bird's comings and goings were not too obvious.  During this visit, TOTX just hopped about and peered in.  PXPW and ERYX seemed unperturbed.  No fuss.  Just a friendly and quick perusal of the neighbor's real estate.   

However, only two days after TOTX's first visit to the nest he was found visiting again.  This time things were very different.  ERYX was nowhere to be seen.  TOTX, an unbanded female, and an unbanded male were all there making a fuss around the nest where PXPW was incubating eggs.  The unbanded female was ripping nesting material from the nest and the unbanded male was trying to court poor PXPW.  It was all very puzzling.  Where was ERYX?

Well, it turns out that, unbeknownst to us at the time, ERYX had found an unbanded female (perhaps the nest-material thief at RD 24 and even perhaps the female at RD 2) and had been building a new second nest (RD 41) not far away.  In fact, it was almost complete by the time we found it that very day.  ERYX had apparently abandoned  PXPW to incubate on her own while he established a new nest with a new female.  Yet another bushtit cad!   

Important note:  We don't know who the female at RD 41 was as she was unbanded.  She may have been TOTX's mate from RD 2.  Or she may have been just another unbanded female.  We will never know in part because......

.......just 2 days later TOTX was visiting RD 41.  In fact, TOTX, PXPW, ERYX, and an unbanded female were all there together.  This time TOTX and ERYX were aggressively chasing each other and TOTX was observed entering the nest repeatedly.  Just two days after this TOTX and an unbanded female were clearly victorious and were the proud new owners of RD 41.  ERYX was now back at RD 24 with PXPW, vanquished and again a dutiful dad, helping her incubate and feed once the nestlings hatched.  

All seemed well for TOTX and the unbanded female at RD 41 as well.  They finished building the nest which was well-hidden in a hanging branch of a very high deciduous tree about 15 feet over a sidewalk.   Both birds were very careful in approaching it.  TOTX seemed to have learned his lesson and was not the noisy idiot he had been at his first nest.  The nestlings hatched and we were anticipating getting up to them soon for banding and blood for DNA until......

.......disaster struck in the form of the heat dome.  RD 41 was one of the casualties -- all the nestlings perished.  It was sad for us and undoubtedly sad for TOTX as well. 

But, happily, he survived.  The picture above that was taken in the winter attests to that.  Hopefully we will see him again this spring with a brand new nest.