A Tale of Two Nests

Nesting cormorants--upper left Double-crested; lower right Brandt's.
Photographed at Newport, Oregon on July 21, 2012 by Greg Gillson

Take a close look at the cormorant's nests. Do you note that they are constructed differently?

According to The Audubon Encyclopedia of North American Birds, the Brandt's Cormorant (lower right in front) builds a nest of marine plants, mosses, and grasses in a circular nest. On the right hand side of the upper piling are two fuzzy brown Brandt's Cormorant chicks.

On the left side of the upper piling is a nest of Double-crested Cormorant. Notice that is is built of "sticks and weed stems, lined with leafy twigs and grass."

There is actually a third species, Pelagic Cormorant in this photo. See the dark form up on the bridge just above the upper right hand Brandt's Cormorant? That's where they build their nests. On natural substrates they build nests on "remote and precipitous cliffs" of seaweed, grass, and rubbish.

How to find a Dipper nest

An American Dipper stands on a rock amid-stream, near Timber, Washington Co., Oregon on 17 May 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

An aquatic songbird! The American Dipper is truly a unique wonder of the American West. Whether floating on the surface like a little gray duck, "flying" under the water like an auklet, or walking along the bottom as easily as if it was a sandpiper on the shore, this odd bird is truly different from all other birds.

It chooses as its home the wildest rapids of a mountain stream. It builds its soccer-sized nest of moss and mud in crevices or logs over waterfalls. It also uses man-made substrates, such as the beams of bridges over rushing water.

Gushing Springs, Metolius River, Jefferson Co., Oregon on 7 June 2009 by Greg Gillson. An American Dipper has a nest under the fallen log. (Click photo for larger view.)

 

The photo above shows Gushing Springs on the Metolius River, about 1/2 mile below Cache Creek Campground, near Camp Sherman, Oregon during this spring's Woodpecker Wonderland Bird Festival on the east slope of the Cascades.

The photo below is a close-up view of the nest on the log. You can see a Dipper poking its head out of the nest!

American Dipper poking its head out of its nest under a fallen log over a roaring stream on the Metolius River, Jefferson Co., Oregon on 7 June 2009 by Greg Gillson. (Click photo for larger view.)

 

As you might imagine, these streams really roar during the winter when swollen with rain water and snow melt. Thus, last year's nest site may be washed away when the birds are ready to nest again in March and April. It is therefore quite understandable that these birds may choose to nest on beam under a bridge, giving a pair of birds a reliable nest site year after year.

A typical Dipper stream and nesting bridge is shown in the photo below in the northern Oregon Coast Range.

American Dipper nests in the beams under this bridge near Timber, Washington Co., Oregon on 18 May 2007 by Greg Gillson. (Click photo for larger view.)

 

American Dippers build their nest on the I-bar bridge support as seen in the photo below. These type of wooden bridge structures seem to be quite popular with the dippers.

American Dipper nest under a bridge near Timber, Washington Co., Oregon on 18 May 2007 by Greg Gillson. (Click photo for larger view.)

 

American Dippers can start nesting as early as February at lower elevations. They may raise a second brood that generally fledges in June.

The photos above show typical Dipper breeding streams as well as nests on natural and man-made structures. With this information you should be able to locate the nests of American Dippers. That is important, as the nest is the center of a Dipper's territory. From the nest, the Dipper's territory extends about 400-500 yards both upstream and downstream. That means that even on the best of streams it is likely there are less than two pairs of American Dippers per stream mile.

Figuring out where the nest might be located can put you near the center of the pair's year-round territory, making it more likely you will spot these unique birds when you visit.

Nesting birds

Cassin's Vireo on nest, Idlewild Campground, Harney Co., Oregon on 26 May 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 

Vireos often sing from their nests. I followed this singing Cassin's Vireo (above) right to its nest. Other Pacific NW bird bloggers have also written recently about nesting birds...

Bill Schiess combines his birding with fishing. He has a photo collection of Eastern Kingbirds at a nest at Henrys Lake, Idaho.

Also in Idaho, as posted on the Avimor Birding Blog there is a post showing the nests of Swainson's Hawk, California Quail, and Cedar Waxwing.

Another Cedar Waxwing nest was found at the Sandy River delta near Portland, as reported on the Laura Goes Birding blog.

Andy Frank posts photos of a Violet-green Swallow at a nest box.

Over at The Flycatcher is a photo of a White-headed Woodpecker outside its nest on a ponderosa pine.

At BirdFellow, Dave Irons offers up a photo essay of Western Kingbirds feeding their young on a typical nest on a power pole.

What bird is that?... Questions and answers

Patti's nesting House Finch saga...

Question: "A house finch built a nest in the wreath on my front door. It is against the glass window on the door so I have been watching the progress of the nesting female. The eggs hatched about a week ago and the mother bird has been attentive and feeding the babies until today. I haven't seen her at all. Has she abandoned the nest? Also, there have been two male house finches hanging around. Any info would be appreciated."

Patti

Patti writes back on May 9: "I've seen her a few times since my original email to you. I'm not really familiar with bird behavior so was worried. The babies appear to be growing so I guess she's feeding them. Are the males involved in feeding the young also?"

Answer: I looked it up and it seems the male in all finches feed the young, sometimes even feed the female while she is incubating.

Patti writes back on May 10: "This is all new to me - and fascinating! This morning, the mother bird is in the nest with the babies -- is that common behavior at this point (10 days give or take after they've hatched)? I greatly appreciate your info!"

Answer: In general, the birds lay one egg a day until the whole clutch is complete before beginning incubation. Thus, all the eggs can hatch the same day. That takes about 3 weeks. Then, about 3 weeks later the young will fledge.

Patti writes back on May 13: "Yesterday it appeared the nest was empty! That's approx. 2 weeks after hatching. However, both male and female are still hanging around and occasionally look into the nest. That's the wildlife report for now...."

Answer: This seemed a little soon to me, but John K. Terres writes in "The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds" (1980) that incubation in House Finch is 12-16 days and that fledglings leave the nest 11-19 days after hatching. So it seems that fledging took place right on schedule... and faster than I had expected! Rarely do we have a chance to follow the entire nesting cycle. But, now, thanks to Patti, we've all been able to experience it from beginning to end. Thanks!

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Send your queries about Pacific Northwest bird identification or behavior or other topics. I'll do my best to figure out what you saw. I'll do some research. Then I'll write an article to answer your question. If you have a certain question, no doubt others will, too, and appreciate knowing the answer. My goal will be to do one Q & A article each week, answering all the questions I receive that week. I'll just use your first name and city in my answers. If you send photos I will likely use them (perhaps cropping and adjusting exposure for the web) so others can see what you are seeing.

Send questions to me using this link: PNWBB Q & A