Nest-a-palooza

[Nancy Stotz]

Went for a nice walk in NW Corvallis during a welcome break from the rain this afternoon, and in addition to fresh air and moments of sunshine, I enjoyed finding the nests of 5 different species of birds.

First was a Red-shouldered Hawk that drew my attention to its apparent nest site by screaming from the nest. Though the lighting is always tricky looking up into trees, it looks like the nest is well covered with lots of moss so the sticks of the platform aren't terribly obvious.

Second was a Bushtit nest. Actually 2 Bushtit nests, but one I had seen previously when the pair was just starting to build it (found on Mar 28). It is now complete and looks to have a spider egg case adorning the bottom of it. I later found a new (to me) Bushtit nest that has young in it (I could hear them begging when the female visited the nest). This nest appears to have some strips of green plastic worked into its structure (maybe from one of those compostable bags used for kitchen waste?). Sort of reminded me of some of those oriole nests woven of fishing line and colorful plastic twine.

Third was a crow nest with a messy stick platform being lined with moss high in an oak. 

Fourth was a Northern Flicker nest being excavated by a male in a cottonwood snag.

And fifth was a Cooper's Hawk nest in a fir tree. For the past few years, I have figured there was a pair nesting in this vicinity (including one year when I encountered some very vocal fledglings), but this is the first time I have found the nest platform. The nest is pretty high and hidden by vegetation, but I observed 2 visits to the nest by one member of the pair while a second bird was perched nearby.

Photos (many annoyingly backlit) to document all the nests are included in the following checklists.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S107498521

https://ebird.org/checklist/S107497903

https://ebird.org/checklist/S107498588

Nancy Stotz