Nesting time in the
Nesting time in the
By: Jon Hammond
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Posted by editor Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
Viewed 579 times
0 responses 0 comments One of the surest indicators of springtime in Tehachapi is when birds are nesting, and we are currently at the height of the nesting season.
Birds large and small, from golden eagles to Anna’s hummingbirds, are either building nests, sitting on eggs or feeding their hatchlings. It is both a dangerous and productive time for Tehachapi’s avian residents and visitors alike.
While many species of birds pass through Tehachapi while migrating and may even overwinter here, they move on and nest elsewhere. Almost all the birds that are here now, however, have chosen this area to raise their young.
Most nesting birds found here in the spring are residents who keep the 93561 zip code year-round. These include such familiar species as California quail, ravens, house finches, Brewer’s blackbirds, mourning doves, red-tailed hawks, mockingbirds, meadowlarks, and many others.
However, these fulltime residents are joined by many migrants who winter elsewhere but enjoy our spring and summer and return to Tehachapi each year to raise a family. Among these seasonal homemakers are Bullock’s orioles, western tanagers, cliff swallows, killdeer, western kingbirds, and others.
The parent birds must work very hard over the next few months, building nests, incubating their eggs and then feeding the hungry hatchlings. And they have to accomplish all this without being caught by predators and without allowing the location of their nest to be discovered. The stress can be intense.
While the nests of large birds like ravens and raptors are so large that they can more frequently be spotted, songbirds whose nestlings are especially vulnerable to predation can be masters at concealing their nurseries. Many of you who are reading this right now have nests cleverly concealed on your property, and the only evidence that a family was raised there won’t be found until winter when the leaves drop and small abandoned nests appear in shrubs and trees.
In addition to nests and nesting activity, another frequent sight this time of year is that of a lone egg sitting by itself on the ground. While it is possible that an orphan egg like this might have fallen from a nest, eggs don’t generally fall unless the nest itself disintegrates, and the fragile eggs seldom make it to the ground unbroken.
What is more often the case is that a mother bird simply had to lay an egg when either the nest was not yet ready or it was unsafe to visit the nest at that moment because of the presence of predators. Once I saw a female house sparrow and another time a female mourning dove suddenly alight on the ground looking distressed, and then flutter away a few seconds later leaving an egg behind. Over the years I have picked up several dozen of these abandoned eggs representing a number of different species.
So keep your eyes and ears open this time of year, and your patience and observation skills will be rewarded by the detection of a nest with precious cargo inside.
Have a good week.
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