Nests and Eggs

I took a stroll around to see how egg laying activities were progressing in the local nests.  Two boxes contain four Bluebird eggs each.  I’m seeing Bluebirds all around the field, but I don’t know where all of these birds are nesting.  Tree Swallows have claimed half a dozen boxes, but have not yet begun to lay eggs.

I found this Robin’s nest a few days ago.  The odd angle of the nest comes from my holding the camera at arms length above my head to get a shot without disturbing the nest.

The nest was in the fork of a low White Pine branch, far out from the trunk.

This is the way things looked following a violent wind storm.  The nest wasn’t very well anchored and probably just popped off the branch as the storm thrashed the tree.

The eggs look like they just broke as they fell from the nest.  I don’t think any type of predator was responsible for this loss.

A Cardinal has its nest in the juniper bush overhanging the Water Garden.  The female has been sitting on these three eggs for about a week.

For this shot, I pulled back an overhanging branch to improve the view.  The nest is normally roofed by a thick mass of cedar leaves.  The female voluntarily left the nest and was down near the pond when I moved in to take these shots.  I don’t scare birds off their nests just to get a picture.

Cardinal Nest

I know that Northern Cardinals can extend their nesting season into September, but this is the first time I’ve found a nest with eggs this late in the season. Of course, this hasn’t been a typical year. I think the rainy spring weather disrupted the nesting attempts of many species. I have found a lot of late nests, but I’ve not seen many young birds.

I was hurrying through this field yesterday evening when I flushed a female cardinal from a cedar tree. The way she carried on told me that there was probably something in the tree worth taking a look at. I stopped to investigate.

Far out on some side branches was a nest. Located about six feet off the ground, it looked like a typical collection of debris that you’re likely to find stuck in the branches of any old cedar.

For nests that are within easy reach of predators, I guess it’s best not to look too much like a nest.

Considering the violent storm that came through here early Sunday morning, these eggs are lucky to be intact. A cluster of large cedars to the west of the nest site must have been enough to provide a wind break sufficient to keep the nest tree calm. I watched some more exposed cedars get whipped and bounced in a way that would have dislodged anything held in the branches. I wish these eggs continued good luck.

The female Cardinal continued to circle and scold as I photographed her nest. I finished up as quickly as I could, so she could get back to her duties.