Chips on a Sandwich | no. 34 | NESTING
Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!'
-Robin Williams
HOUSE WREN: These tiny birds are pretty much ubiquitous across America. Bubbly, bouncy and super vocal, the male bounces around from crevice to crack building dummy nests thus tricking potential mates into thinking he's a real-estate mogul. Once a female picks the nest of her dreams, she gets to finish it. Hmph.
AMERICAN ROBIN: There's no such thing as an abandoned robin's nest-- it's just vacated. Fresh in from migration, female robins will use their nests from the previous year (but with a new partner). Or squat in another species empty one. There she and her mate can produce up to 3 clutches of blue-green eggs in one season. (They get their unique color from the pigment biliverdin the same one responsible for the greenish hue in bruises.)
OSPREY: Dear Reader, may I introduce you to Phoebe and Steve Osprey of Hog Island, Maine. Steve and his nest have had a 24/7 reality show for about 10 years now (it started with his original mate, Rachel, who didn't make it back from migration a few years ago). Tune In day or night and witness this pair raise their young together. There will be drama for sure.
KILLDEER: These little cuties are shore birds and unlike the previous three prefer to nest on the ground amongst tall grass. A killdeer couple will make one humble nest and then several decoys to confuse predators. Eggs are then camouflaged with little objects like stones, shells, sticks and even scraps of beach garbage.
