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!! |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)