Seward, Alaska
Rain, hail, sun, strong and
chilly south wind, calm, showers, sun, hard rain, etc. The temperature sank to
32º overnight, rose to 47º by midday, then dropped again towards evening. The
forecast even mentions snow tonight! What a blender buzz of crazy weather
ingredients!
This afternoon between
squalls, the neighbor boys came over to show me a bird nest. It was located
about 2 ½ feet above the ground in a dense ornamental Arborvitae of some sort.
A generous layer of dried grasses, mosses, plant stalks, and twigs surrounded
the perfectly round and deep cup in the middle. Four dark eggs lay nestled
against what may be hair from their Australian shepherd.
Some other boys had
apparently handled the eggs then put dandelion leaves and flowers on the eggs,
perhaps in an attempt to keep them warm. I removed the unnecessary greenery in
hopes the mom would return.
At first glance, the eggs
looked like chocolate candies. I picked one up to make sure there were no further
shenanigans and quickly put it back like a hot potato. Yikes! It WAS an egg! A
closer look later at my photos showed the base color was greenish with heavy
chocolate-brown mottling.
I suspected a FOX SPARROW,
due to the small size of the nest plus a male has been singing in the Dinosaur
Chorus nearby, and they are common here.
My excellent reference book,
“A Guide to the Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds” by Paul
Baicich and Colin Harrison, showed a photo of very similar-looking eggs, though
I could be mistaken.
The text notes that the
female builds the nest in only 2 to 3 days, and typically lays 3-5 eggs. The
incubation lasts 12-14 days, starting with the first egg. The babies are fed by
both parents until they fledge in 9-11 days. Under favorable conditions, the
parents may raise a second family.
Given the unfortunate
location, easy discovery, cold and wet weather, and unfortunate mishandling of
the eggs, I doubt that these eggs will hatch. The boys now know to leave this
nest and any other nests, alone. I hope the parents will try again, in a less
accessible location.
Despite the sad circumstances
and lesson in stewardship, we all learned a bit more about our feathered
neighbors, their beautiful home, and extraordinary eggs.
Happy Birding!
Carol Griswold
Seward Sporadic Bird Report
Reporter
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