The unusual egg with breakfast

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 26 June 2008 13:14

You never know who’ll drop by at breakfast.

Sue Henderson of Redding and her husband “were enjoying our breakfast coffee in the dining room earlier in the week when a wren landed on the edge of the table on the deck just a few feet away from the sliding doors we were overlooking.

“She nodded and bobbed her head a few times, then she jerked her tail upward and launched away in flight. We realized in that jerking motion, she had laid a tiny beige speckled egg on the table! Do birds lay random eggs out of a nesting environment? Quite a surprise!”

Surprise, indeed! It certainly doesn’t seem to be normal behavior, even if it were a House Wren, which is famous for building false nests. Laying “false eggs” seems a bit much.

House Wrens are prolific egg-layers. The average clutch is six eggs, but this species has been know to lay as many as 12 at a time.

A check through several ornithological tomes produced nothing about this kind of behavior.

Perhaps this bird was interrupted during egg-laying by a predator. Studies have found that between a third and a half of all bird nests are attacked by predators, such as squirrels, snakes and other birds.

Another possibility is its nest was destroyed during the egg-laying period, perhaps in a storm, and the poor mother simply had to get rid of her load. A sizable number of nests fail each season simply because they were poorly built or located, especially when the builders are young birds that are first-time parents and constructing their first nests.

Is anyone else familiar with this phenomenon?

The faithful and faithless mates: Why birds stray...

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 19 June 2008 12:52

The season of nesting is a good time to take a look at the kinds of male-female relationships that exist in the bird world. Many birds form lifetime partnerships — though they may have quick “flings” on the side — while others mate for only short periods or have multiple mates.

Ornithologists describe three kinds of mating arrangements: monogamous, polygamous and promiscuous. In monogamous pair bonds, the birds mate for at least the breeding season, raising their young together. Ornithologist David Lack estimated that at least 90% of nest-raised birds come from monogamous pairs. So do 80% of precocial birds — those able to walk about and feed themselves shortly after birth.

In many, perhaps most cases, monogamous pairs remain mated until one of them dies. Canada Geese are among the most faithful birds, mating for as long as 20 years. Most gulls also pair for life. This system is the most efficient and effective, providing the best protection and service for the brood of nestlings.

Some birds, such as House Wrens, generally stay with one mate for only one brood. In fact, while the male is raising the first brood, the female may take off, find a new mate, and begin a second nest. Talk about energy!

The high price of good bird seed: Some strategies

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 12 June 2008 14:55

Chuck Merten of South Salem has a question a lot of readers have been wondering about, dealing with the cost of sunflower seeds, especially hearts. “Do you know what is driving the price to unaffordable levels?” he asks. “Any information and suggestions will be much appreciated.”

According to Kermit Wilfon, director of marketing for Wild Birds Unlimited in Indianapolis, the price of birdseed is being driven up by the anti-trans-fat movement and the growing use of seeds in ethanol-based fuels. Sunflower seeds are very rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as other things that are good for you — which is why birds love them.

From what I read, sunflower farmers are quite happy about the growing popularity of their crop and the prices they can get for it.

As for the consumer, there are two things you can do about the higher cost:

What if you don't want big birds?

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 05 June 2008 22:24

Ellen Elias of South Salem, N.Y., is having a problem with “the very large black birds. No matter what I put in the bird feeder they will come and in a matter of hours empty the entire feeder and scare off most of the other birds. I have tried to not fill the feeder for several weeks hoping that they would find another food source but to no avail. Would you have a remedy to this problem?”

It sounds as if grackles have discovered Ellen’s feeder. The only way I know of to deal with problems like this is to use a feeder with no platform or a very small platform so that the grackle, the Mourning Dove — or whatever large bird is considered a pest — can’t get a footing.

Some of these feeders are simple and some a bit more elaborate. For example, Duncraft (www. duncraft. com) makes what it calls the “Squirrel Buster Plus,” which it claims is not only Gray and Red Squirrel-proof, but also “grackle, starling and pigeon proof.”

This feeder has a weight-sensitive metal ‘skirt’ that drops down with the weight of squirrels or large birds. “Access to the seed is denied,” Duncraft says, “but the smaller birds you want can feed easily — plenty of perching room for cardinals included.” Perch lengths can be adjusted, too.

The changeability of coloring

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 29 May 2008 00:00

I have a very gray-backed, red-billed, cardinal-like bird on the deckoften, under the hanging feeder,” says John McGinley of Wilton. “Have not been able to get a good look at the breast, but the view from the top is s-o-o-ogray, I am wondering if a stray Pyrrhuloxia (whoever thought of that name?) has arrived from the South. I know their range is the Rio Grande and south; I’ve seen them there. Striking. Can it be?”

Very, very unlikely a Pyrrhuloxia — the desert-dwelling species hasnever been recorded as seen in Connecticut and lives so far from the Northeastand in such a different environment, it would take incredible global warming to make it at home in Connecticut. Pyrrhuloxia, by the way, comes from the Greekwords meaning “flame-colored” and “bent,” the latter referring to the shape of the beak.

Window-feeding hummingbirds: A treat, close-up

Written by Jack Sanders
Thursday, 22 May 2008 00:00

The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are back and, from our own experience at least, there are plenty of them.

For years, Sally and I have had hummingbird feeders of various kinds, and always got a modest showing of Ruby-throats. Last year, because of some modifications to our house, we did not have our usual feeding station.

This year, we decided to try something new: Feeders hanging from windows, one in the kitchen (where we’ve never had one before) and one in the bedroom (which had been our traditional location).

While thumbing through a Kinsman Garden Company catalogue last winter, I noticed “super suction hangers.” “Bring your hummingbird feeders right up to your window glass and enjoy a super close-up view, with this high quality suction hanger,” Kinsman said.

Our previous feeders were hung from steel swing arms mounted solidly to the house. The catalogue said the suction hangers could safely handle feeders (or small plants) up to three pounds. They were only $6.95 so I ordered two.