Nature Connection: Nesting Season

In a matter of days winter became spring became summer and then back again to spring. The back seat of my car has an impressive array of clothing to cover the ever-changing weather and temperature changes, but at least the wool hats and mittens have been put away.

We air dry our clothes outdoors beginning in March, and this past week we laundered the cozy blankets we use all winter, the warm robes and fleece casual wear, washing and hanging them on the line in much the same way our grandmothers did. The wool sweaters and socks have been put away with cedar blocks to keep the cloth moths away, and the warm weather clothes are slowly replacing long sleeved turtlenecks and fleece sweatshirts.

It’s almost June, but those of us who have lived our whole lives on the Cape know that the hoped-for warmth and pleasantness of June are more ideas than facts here. June can be quite cold and damp, and then July slams in with a full course of summer heat with little thought of a gradual transition.

We should be used to this, but every year we grouse and grumble as we peel off the morning’s layers in the warmth of an afternoon, often forgetting to bring them home. We chastise our children for leaving their sweaters and jackets behind, but honestly, grownups aren’t much better. I’ve spent years chasing after adults who leave these behind after spring classes.

Most of our migratory birds have returned. Their long trips are followed by resting and feasting if they’re lucky, but they don’t get to do either for very long. They have other important things on their minds, such as claiming and defending territories, attracting and keeping a mate, and setting up housekeeping.

For birds, housekeeping means finding a suitable nesting spot and building a nest. Easy access to nesting materials is always a bonus, and you will often find birds collecting dried grasses, broken twigs and bits of vine. Some, like robins and cardinals, use mud in their nests, while others use various bits of plastic, string, ribbon, and even snakeskin or old bits of paper wasp nests.

When I was a child, my mother put out cat and dog fur as well, but these days this is not advised as most pets are given pills to deter or kill fleas and heartworms as well as ticks. These pills are toxins, which is how they kill the offending critters, and those toxins are in the fur and hair of our pets, making the fur dangerous, even deadly for baby birds who cannot tolerate the poisons. If you give your pet any of these pills, please don’t put their fur or hair out for birds. Bag it as the hazardous material it is and dispose of it safely.

It is always intriguing to me to note the different nests birds make. Somehow it is wired into a robin to build a nest that is different from that of a song sparrow or gray catbird. An osprey doesn’t build the same kind of nest as a great horned owl, and a piping plover barely makes a nest at all. 

Each species chooses a different kind of location, and some choose only a certain kind of tree or shrub. Some build nests that hang from high tree branches while others build theirs on the ground. Almost all are intricately woven, and when you consider that the builder only has a bill and feet to work with, it’s almost miraculous, especially when one considers the speed with which it is built.

Most nests last only a very brief time, though a few get reused each year. Osprey and bald eagle nests are often added to each year until some get so big they topple to the ground and the bird must start over. This past winter was very windy and lots of osprey nests got blown off their platforms or were partially destroyed. The returning birds didn’t panic but simply began to rebuild or add more sticks.

Speaking of sticks, the blue jays in our yard have been yanking the ends of sticks right off the trees and bushes to add to their nest. Some sticks have leaves still attached, which probably helps camouflage the nest, but watching the birds tear the twigs can be somewhat amusing as the twigs don’t always give way as easily as the jays may want or expect.

Location of nests is always important, and not all birds are great at picking a safe location. Our neighborhoods have many predators watching birds build their nests, and some days it is difficult to watch as the targeted nest gets raided. Sometimes the offending bandits take eggs, but often they wait for nestlings, which is always hard to witness. Outdoor cats, jays, squirrels, chipmunks, snakes, crows and hawks are known perpetrators, but don’t forget that grackles, wrens and house sparrows can also be culprits.

In recent years many people have been walking right up to nests in their yards and taking pictures they post to social media. This practice can be extremely detrimental to the nesting birds as it can notify watching predators of the nest location. Crows have been known to follow the direction of binoculars on beaches to find the nests of shorebirds such as piping plovers. This has meant that nest monitors have had to change the ways they watch nests, and casual observers are asked to not use binoculars in nesting areas. 

Nesting is one of the most precarious things a bird can do. They are extremely vulnerable at this time of year. If you are fortunate enough to host nesting birds in your yard, please give them space and privacy. The success of their young may depend on your behavior.