Page 6 - North Haven Magazine Spring 2021 Issue 18

Sp
Springtimeringtime

by Sally Brockett
is Nesting Time!

s the days get warmer and the sun shines longer, the world of nature comes alive as animals and birds prepare nests for their young.
ABirds have fascinating methods for building nests, in fact, some are architectural geniuses! Let’s take a look at some of the amazing
structures created by our feathered friends and learn more about how you can assist the birds with their work.

Barn and Cave Swallows House Wrens side, and a final layer of moss and downy
A wide variety of materials are used by The small house wren is not as fastidious feathers from the adults create a soft bed.
birds and the materials depend on the spe- with their nest building as the swallows. Bald eagles return to their nest each year
cies. Some of the swallows, such as barn Wrens use small twigs for building mate- and may add as much as another 12 inches
swallows, who like to create a bowl or cup- rials and seemingly toss the twigs into a of materials. Building these huge nests may
like nest attached to rafters in an outbuild- bird house without much care about how it take 1-3 months. The average nest is 4-5
ing, and cave swallows, who like to nest on is arranged. When I monitor my bluebird feet in diameter and 2-4 feet deep. The larg-
the walls of caves, use mud as their primary houses and find a pile of twigs in it, I know est recorded nest was 9.5 feet in diameter,
material. They may incorporate some piec- that a wren is trying to take over the house. 20 feet deep and weighed almost three tons.
es of straw, hay, or grass to add strength and It is hard to imagine how the tiny baby, with
stability. If you want to assist these birds no feathers and very thin skin, can survive
and there is not a source of mud nearby, without getting punctured in the pile of
you can create a small mud hole and keep twigs.
it wet during the nest building period. It
is amazing to watch these birds collect the Orioles
mud in their beaks and shape it into a cup Orioles are intricate weavers who use fine
for their eggs. grasses and plant fibers to weave a long,
sock-like pouch that hangs and swings free-
ly high in a tree. The hanging nests may be
as high as 90 feet in the tree. The female is
the primary nest builder and while she may
use some materials from last years’ nest, she
will create a new nest each year. The deep
pouch provides protection from predators
and helps prevent cowbirds from laying
their eggs in the oriole’s nest. Providing Plover
nest materials such as twine may encourage Plover nests are quite different from other
them to build in your tall tree. They also en- birds. The male scrapes away the sand and
joy grape jelly, nectar, orange wedges, suet, small rocks on beaches and in fields and
mealworms, and of course, a birdbath. the small depression, called a scrape for ob-
vious reasons, becomes the nest. One can
quickly recognize the danger this presents
for the plover family. The birds, eggs, and
babies blend with the sand or soil and may
Tree Swallows not be seen. The eggs and young are often
Tree swallows build their nests in cavities stepped on or crushed by vehicles, and
found in trees, or they like to use bluebird predators can easily access the nest. This is
houses. They use different types of grass, the reason for the protective fencing seen in
starting with tough, grass with broad blades, beach areas. Some plover species are near-
and line the inner nest with fine grass, and ly extinct and without protection, they will
chicken feathers. They will hunt as far as become extinct. Eggs take 28 days to hatch,
a half mile or more for chicken feathers so when they emerge, the young are much
to bring to their nest. They will also catch more developed than other species. Unlike
feathers in the air when they are tossed out most birds, plover chicks can walk, run,
for them. Tree swallows prefer light colored and feed themselves within hours of hatch-
feathers to line the nest. Research shows Bald Eagles ing. Soon after hatching, the female leaves
that when feathers insulate the eggs and ba- Bald eagles are huge birds and therefore the young for the male to protect.
bies, the fledglings grow larger and faster. If need a huge, very sturdy nest for their
you have access to clean chicken feathers, young. Both the male and female work to- Regulations
try putting some out in the yard for the tree gether to build their nest on strong, forked It is important to be aware of the laws per-
swallows! branches in the tallest living tree. Interwo- taining to bird nests. The federal Migratory
ven sticks are used as the foundation. Grass, Bird Treaty Act of 1918 prohibits the de-
corn stalks, and other material line the in- struction or disturbance of nests with active

6 North Haven Magazine - Spring Issue 2021