A few weeks ago I optimistically wrote about the several (6) bird species that were nesting in my yard. I had high hopes of an uplifting follow up to show how they all grew to take their place in nature and move on to perpetuate their species. Alas, it was not to be. So far as I can tell, there are but two survivors of this former maternity ward that now looks more like a Covid — 19 ward. (However, on the upside, I since found a 7th species whose grand plan seems to have worked. )
I’ll start with a partial success story —
the Steller’s Jay family.
The Jays have been fun to watch as their nest was within my sight as I sat on the living room couch with my laptop. I watched them build the nest, then populate it with at least 2 blue eggs. They sat and incubated even through the driving rain. And then I saw movement beyond the parents. The hatch was on but still difficult to see much except some movement. The parents brought food and the chick/s grew.
I then saw a small head and bill. As best I could tell there was only one chick there. The second must not have hatched or possibly the crows got it.
The chick continued to show itself and after a couple of weeks was looking pretty big so I decided I needed to get a photo before it fledged. I did get it, again hanging out the front window and just in time as that was its big day.
After getting that photo (shown above) I went off for a walk. On my return, what should I see in the backyard but a newly fledged Steller Jay. Fresh out of the nest. It is shown below.
It flew with some apparent effort from the pavement to the garden fence, then onto my bean poles and finally disappeared under the hedges. It was pretty unsteady but going for it. It's helicopter parents however were there to monitor its every move, and mine as well. I never did like their threatening squawk and still don’t.
For the next several days this little tyke flitted around the yard, first exploring one side and then another, parents always hovering. One day I decided to look for it as I did not know where it was but figured it was still in the yard. Then I saw a parent and followed it. As I got warmer the parent squawked louder and louder until I knew I was very close. Bingo. The parents’ had given its position away. It was perched in a spruce tree just a few feet away from me.
Then on fledge day +5, it found me. As I walked in the back gate from the ally, the fledge apparently had been in an overhanging tree and took off just as I walked in, barely missing my head a and landed on a nearby pot.
As it was in quite close proximity to me, the parents showed up immediately scolding to warn me off. I left but not before I got one more photo with my iphone.
( see at the right)
It continued for a couple more days and then the whole family apparently left, in tack I hope.
Northwestern Crow: (Corvus caurinus)
The next case is of a hatch not included in my first post. I suspected there might be a nest but did not see this little one until after the fledge. This is a Northwestern Crow fledgling that had recently fledged in one of the Big Leaf Maples in our front yard. I had seen a lot of crow activity there but as the tree is so dense I could not and still can’t, see the nest. I spotted this one up on our roof and at first thought it might be the Jay. But it was too big.
Then it turned and started to call. It quickly became obvious what it was, especially when one of the parent’s showed up immediately to feed it.
The territorial squabble however continues: As I sat on the front porch that evening I witnessed a very agitated Corvid war going on in the Maple trees. The parent crows with their fledgling were squawking like the mad Corvids they were at something. Then I saw that they were taking on the Jay family who were hopping around, squawking and posturing back. Both had their young fledgling in the tree at the same time. What a cacophony it was. They eventually gave up and found their nests for the night. Long day in fledgling world.
I am still hearing the crows attacking/warning anyone who ventures near the trees, like me going out in the morning to retrieve the newspaper. They do appear alive, feisty and well.
Spotted towhee:
I never did see the Spotted Towhee’s nest but frequently saw them entering our Arborvitae hedge. I was unable also to determine what happened to them as I did not see any fledgling activity, although the adults were often seen foraging on the ground in my garden. Since these guys forage along the ground I feared one of several large cats that range through the yard had found them. That was until I realized that the varied dark brown and striped, sparrow-like bird I had seen around the garden was in fact a juvenile spotted towhee. Their coloration was drab rather than orange and white spotted like the adults. Duh!! See below from my iphone camera,
So, these are the only three birds out of seven nests that I can vouch for having survived to the fledge stage. I am quite sure that at least 4 of the nests were barren this year.
The rest of the nesters?
Robins:
I noted in the original bucket that the the Robin nest was preyed upon by I think this crow family. Fortunately for the Robins they can have two to three broods each year so maybe it will still begat some little ones. Their odds are not great however.
An American Robin can produce three successful broods in one year. On average, though, only 40 percent of nests successfully produce young. Only 25 percent of those fledged young survive to November.
Northern Flicker:
I am now quite sure that the Flickers’ had a failed nesting. In comparison with my observations of the flicker pair that I observed last year and who occupied the nest, the behavior of this year’s pair appeared odd. Last year’s couple successfully saw two youngsters through the fledging process.
It seemed to have started normally enough as a male and a female started coming and going from the nest in the utility pole that the previous pair had constructed. I even heard them inside remodeling it a bit with their pecking. Then they seemed to come and go alternately as they do when they share the incubation duties. But then I saw less and less of the male flicker and the female would sit in hole for long periods of time and call. I wish I spoke her language but had no idea what the call meant. I was able to spot her variously around the neighborhood as she had a very distinct white patch on her back.
At this time last year, there were two voracious youngsters at the nest opening demanding food and two parents dutifully supplying them.
She now seems to have left entirely now as I have not seen her for several days.
House Sparrow:
I noted having observed the house sparrow couple building a nest in my gutters. Although I could not see inside the nest, the comings and goings seemed normal nesting behavior. Then we has several days very heavy rain, enough to flood the gutters. Following this heavy rain, the sparrows were no longer to be seen.
Glaucous Winged Gulls.
A pair of GWGs set up nesting on my neighbor’s roof, supported by his chimney, just as a pair had last year. I couldn’t tell if they were the same pair or not but GWGs often remain paired several successive years. The previous occupants successfully fledged two youngsters on the roof last year. After they left, the neighbor washed the nest off his roof.
This year’s pair got off to a good start with rebuilding the nest and I believe laid some eggs. They were taking turns sitting on them as they do and made it through the torrential downpours that had wiped out the sparrows. However, they and the nest could not fight the power washer that the neighbor took to them to clean off his roof. This year he did not wait until they were gone.
Successful year? If so for whom?
Although this was an instructive bird watching year, it was not so successful for our avian friends. Final score for my yard as best that I can determine is 3 new birds from a total of seven nests/14 parents. Those are not species replacement numbers.
I just read a new study pointed out by Besame over the weekend that showed the best predictor of bird population growth is the degree to which there is a predominance of native plants in the immediate environment or yard.
We also found that populations could only be sustained if nonnative plants constituted <30% of plant biomass. Our results demonstrate that nonnative plants reduce habitat quality for insectivorous birds and restoration of human-dominated areas should prioritize native plants to support local food webs.
In terms of biomass, our yard is probably over 90 % native vegetation so I don’t think that was an issue here. I suspect that both human and other animal predation was a major factor in our relatively small success rate. I am also sure that there are other yards or areas out in the forests where the survival rate was sufficient to maintain the populations of these birds although as we know, the general trend for many species is downward.
By following the findings of that study, we should do our best to surround our yards with native species that support the insect populations on which our local avian species depend.
How did your hatchlings fare this Spring?
