Nesting Season

ETHICAL DISCLOSURE: These nests were minimally disrupted.  I did not touch the tree with the nest nor move and nor harass the nest or birds.  If Parent Bird was close, I did not approach.  When Parent approached, I ceased my activities and left the scene.  In short, I aimed to respect the space of the birds and their chances at breeding.

Birds breeding powers their migration, courtship rituals, and plumage.  While we may dream about seeing the amazing breeding grounds of the tundra or the rainforest, our local birds aren't too shabby.  We just need to know where to look and how to look.  Finding nests is kind of like finding a pot of gold.  You can get a real intimate view of the bird.  But here are some thoughts on the ethics and moral dilemmas of looking at and photographing Nests.

#1 - Do Not Anger Mom and Pop - Pissing off parents can be a dangerous proposition.  You don't want to scare them off their nesting duties and you don't want to draw attention to the nest.  If you have to make too much motion or commotion, you might really endanger the nest

#2 - Do Not Disturb the Tree/Shrub/Ground - Different birds have different nesting strategies and its important to know them so you don't disturb them.  Knowing where birds like to build their nests also makes it easier to find them!

#3 - Take only Memories - Don't gather a memento of your encounter with a bird nest.  It is against the Migratory Bird Act to take nests and also detrimental to the birds themselves.  

Enjoy the many activities of our breeding feathered friends!  What are your favorite encounters with a nest and breeding birds?  Share in the comments below and until next time!

Northern Flicker in Nest

American Redstart on the Nest

Yellow Warbler Nest

Eastern Phoebe Nest

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday - Link here

Book Review: What the Robin Knows and How to be a Better Birder

(C) Young & and Houghton Co., Lovitch & Princeton UP

In the past few weeks, I finished two great works on birding, birds, and connecting with nature.  One involves a push to listen more closely to nature and the other provides the tools for a better scientific understanding of forces that move birds around and affect their interactions with nature. They are an excellent pair of books to use to help reflect and improve how we act and understand birds in the field.

What the Robin Knows advocates for a basic principle of listening and trying to understand the different messages that nature is telling us.  Young proposes many different skills and exercises for improving how we listen to nature and respond to the birds around us.  Finding a listening spot and learning how to listen for the alarms, signals, and communications from birds.

Young provides some great rewards for what knowing and listening to "Bird Language" can bring.  Great insights into nature and amazing lessons that birds can teach us.  Knowing and figuring out how to listening to birds beyond iding a species can yield great rewards.  Earlier this year, knowing bird language helped me and a birding friend find a Great Horned Owl.  Hearing lower-than-usual Junco chips told me something was up and doing a little looking through the canopy revealed an owl!

I can't wait to put more into Young's lesson into practice and improve my observations and listening skills!

Jon Young's Bird Language Website - Link Here

How to Be a Better Birder provides the best scientific background to couple with Young's book.  Lovitch does a great good of outline skills from plant identification, weather observation, and knowing the scientific migration of birds.  From basic skills, good practices, and improving your reading list, Better Birder honestly provides the tools to be a better birder.  It is a delightful example of truth in advertising!

Better Birder for me really outlined some key skills that I felt that I had been missing.  Namely the weather.  On my own and through a few readings, I had started to pick up on the rules of judging and using weather to find and track birds!  I can't wait to start looking at the upcoming winds and storms.

Both books are great reads to helping birders understand being in the field and how to better find and listen to birds.  I can't wait to get out and look at birds with deeper appreciation of all the forces and aspects that make birding so exciting.