Once I saw what a Bushtit nest looks like I was so intrigued I had to investigate.
When bird authority and blog follower Dan Gleason saw yesterday’s Bushtit blog post (this photo is one of the two I posted yesterday) he sent me one of his photos of a Bushtit nest. I’d never seen one and I was fascinated by its design and construction so I asked Dan if he’d consider allowing me to use his photo in a blog post about Bushtit nests.
He graciously consented.
Copyright Dan Gleason. Image used by permission.
Dan found the nest in a county park in or near Eugene, Oregon. The nest hung directly over a busy walking trail which caused him to worry about disturbance from hikers going by so he watched it for over an hour to see if folks noticed it and if the nesting Bushtits were disturbed by close human traffic. But the nest blends into the environment so well not a single person even noticed it in that hour and the birds went about their business normally.
Bushtit nests are constructed of spider silk and plant material and during construction the nest stretches into a long, hanging, loose sac. The interior is heavily lined with soft insulating material such as feathers, fur, and/or downy plant material. When finished it resembles a pendulous gourd with a small, circular, side-facing and often hooded entrance near the top. Here the entrance can be seen at upper right near where the nest is attached to the branch.
The nest is tightly woven and includes a secure pouch near its bottom to hold the eggs and young. Average clutch size is 6-7 eggs (up to 15 have been documented) and both adults typically sleep in the nest at night even after the eggs have hatched so it can be very crowded in there. When the young are almost ready to fledge nest observers can actually see the sides of the nest pulsating with all the activity inside. One nest in Arizona contained 10 nestlings and 4 adults (presumably two of the adults were ‘nest helpers’, a behavior Bushtits are known for).
Various species including some warblers and vireos will often steal nesting material from Bushtit nests causing significant damage or even nest failure. Dan says that in his area goldfinches are notorious raiders of Bushtit nests.
Utah is just about in the center of Bushtit range in the continental US so I know I’ll be on the lookout for their nests next spring and early summer. I’d love to actually see one.
Ron
Note: The Bushtit species account in Cornell’s Birds of the World was written by Dr. Sarah Sloane. Dr. Sloane has been studying Bushtits for 34 years and she publishes her own blog specifically about her favorite bird so if you have the interest here’s the link to The Secret Lives of Bushtits.
Fascinating! I’m often blown away by the seemingly infinite variety of nesting materials, designs, and constructions in the bird world. Dan, thank you for sharing this photograph with all of us and Ron, thank you for being such a great teacher and allowing a special guest photographer into your classroom. 🙂
That is very interesting. I did not know they made the nest of spider webs. I will have to watch for the nests too. The photo of the bushtit nest reminds me of oriole nests.
Thanks, April. I see the similarity too.
Bushtits make nests out of much more than spider silk and plant material. I used to live in Berkeley California, where I grew quite fond of the little guys. In the house I rented I had access to laundry facilities in an outdoor shed. One year a pair of Bushtits made a nest that hung from some vines right by the laundry shed, but they used quite a bit of drier lint in construction, which sadly could not support the weight of the eggs as they grew and the eggs fell right out the bottom of the nest. Hopefully this young couple did better the next time!
That’s a sad story, Stephanie. Construction materials matter!
Dan’s nest photo with your commentary — and Dr. Sloane’s blog — give me pause about my habit of feeding the crows, jays and squirrels that hang out in my neighborhood. I have a whole bunch of goldfinches, too — so I’m really not making it easy for the adorable Bushtits that visit my yard, am I? The bird lover’s dilemma … Thanks, as always, for the great info (including the blog link)!
Chris, I wish I had your dilemma with that many birds in my yard.
It is intriguing–though I guess just coincidence and happenstance–that so many bushtit nests are found very close to places frequented by humans. I have been lucky to find and observe two at some length both of which I only discovered when I noticed the consistent bushtit activity and sounds near them. The first was in an oak tree very near a levee road heavily used by both vehicles and walkers in the middle of a university campus. The other was in a redwood tree in my backyard less than 10 feet above my patio overhang and just a few steps from my back door. That one eventually fell. It seems as strong, stretchy and resilient as any human made athletic sock…which it greatly resembles though sporting what seems a characteristic camo color scheme. I retrieved, photographed and sketched it and so have inspected it closely and carefully. But I haven’t been able to bring myself to open it up. For some reason that feels more like an invasion of privacy than an appropriate natural science project.
Thanks for that very interesting report on the Bushtit nests you’ve found, Jim.
They are incredible architects aren’t they? Our olive-backed sunbirds make similar beauties and a blog friend in the area they frequent fills me with awe and jealousy sending photos each year.. I suspect that the sunbirds also steal from the consumnate architect the spiders too.
EC, spider advocates promote not killing them because of the insects they control. They should add their positive contributions to birds to their list of reasons to leave them alone.
Yes.
Well, now I have a new appreciation for Bushtits and less (just a bit) for Goldfinches. I see a flock of Bushtits at the feeders just a few times a year for about a minute, seems usually when the snow flies. Thanks Ron, Dan, and Sara.
“usually when the snow flies”
Giving juncos a run for their money as ‘snowbirds’… 🙂
Years ago, walking the bluff path above Crystal Cove State Park (N. Laguna, CA) we saw several Bushtit nests hanging (about chest-high) in the Baccharis (Coyote Bush) bushes, right along the path! A fellow birder pointed them out to us. We’ve looked more recently and not seen any. The vegetation is more sparse, because of the drought.
Darn drought. It’s had similar effects around here, Barbara.
My thanks to everyone for your kind comments. Thank you, Ron for providing the world with wonderful photos and great information for everyone to learn more about some of the creatures we share this planet with and thanks for allowing me to opportunity to share some of the things I find so fascinating. Bushtits are just one of the small wonders I find fascinating. It’s impossible not to smile and find joy as you watch them flit through the bushes with so much seeming enthusiasm and energy. I hope you all have the chance to see them somday if you haven’t already done so.
Dan, thanks again for your continuing support of Feathered Photography. You’ve taught all of us a lot of fascinating bird ‘stuff’.
You mentioned Dan’s blog. I’ve looked, but couldn’t find a link. Would you care to provide one, please?
Gunta, I don’t recall mentioning Dan’s blog and as far as I know he doesn’t have one.
But he has this as part of his Wild Birds Unlimited website and I think it’s pretty neat.
https://eugene.wbu.com/bird-trivia
I apologize. It seems I misread your statement (“use his photo in a blog post about Bushtit nests”) as referring to Dan’s blog, not yours. Seems my brain wasn’t firing on all three cylinders at the time. I’ll be sure to check out the website. Thank you.
Many thanks on the photo and the information. It is very well camouflaged by local material…looks like bits of lichen blended in. Who would think such a tiny bird would construct such an intricate nest! 😍 The numbers are rather surprising also and the info on ‘nest helpers’. Great info. many thanks to Dan also! It resembles on oriole nest by it’s shape and hanging structure but I would think it is perhaps smaller. Two years ago we were lucky enough to have a nest built and occupied right in the front yard in a maple tree…about 20′ or so from the grape jelly feeders. But as it turned out once it was built, we lost all the other orioles that came to get jelly. The male was constantly chasing all intruders away from the area. Once fledged the others were allowed back.
” I would think it is perhaps smaller”
Kathy, in her BotW Bushtit account Dr. Sloane says their nests can be up to 1′ (30 cm) long.
Many thanks for this post, which simply says I’m not too old to learn something new!!
It says the same to me, Dick. 🙂
One of the things I like best about Feathered Photography is the frequency with which not only you-Ron- but also your posse– are so generous and enthusiastic
about sharing resources and references. You’ve built up a wonderful community
and I’m grateful to benefit from it daily–thanks !
What you said in your comment means a lot to me, Kris. Thank you.
I just love your investigative mind!!! After reading Dan Gleason’s post yesterday, I had to do some Googling to learn more about these fascinating little birds (THANK YOU Dan!!) and I’m ashamed I haven’t noticed these guys before now! They now join chickadees and the whole corvid family as my favorite non raptors 😉
I’m not at all surprised that the nest Dan observed in Eugene went completely unnoticed. The VAST majority of humans are oblivious AND clueless with almost NO situational awareness at all. Unless those birds are making a fuss about the human presence, they’re pretty much invisible! That’s a good thing!!
Like Arwen, I LOVE looking inside homes and I’m a regular Zillow surfer when possible…LOL! But bird nests are much more fascinating! Magpie nests leap to mind but also raptor nests! In the context of who needs thumbs, I’ll challenge any human to build a structure as resilient, as strong and as protective (using the same building materials) as those AND I’ll even grant you the use of your thumbs! Betcha the humans fail!
Have I mentioned that I LOVE birds? LOL!!
I certainly wouldn’t take your nest-building challenge, Laura. You make a great point in the last part of that paragraph.
Love your comments!
Nope, wouldn’t take that challenge for love or money!!
Wow! That’s all new information to me about bushtit nests. Thank you, Ron!
It was mostly new to me too, Nancy.
WOW! I can see why the nest would go unnoticed! 😀 I can also see why other species would want to raid it for their own nesting material. 😞 Thx Ron and Dan for providing the photo and “continuing education”..😀
Judy, that nest is very cryptic. I should have mentioned in my text that the adults camouflage the outside of the nest with local plant material.
That is very interesting especially to me who has so many daily Bushtit visits. I never took the time to look up anything about them so I really appreciate seeing this. Thanks to Dan and thanks Ron for including it. So many fascinating things about our feathered friends.
Thank you, Everett.
What an exciting follow-up to yesterday’s post! I had no idea the little Bushtit was so fascinating. Thank you, Dan Gleason, for sharing your photo of a Bushtit nest and your observations. Thank you, Ron for your research and the link to Dr. Sarah Sloane’s blog. I have learned so much.
“I have learned so much”
Melanie, that means a lot to me and I know it will to Dan too. By the way, Dan was my source of the link to Dr. Sloane’s blog.
Oh I really like seeing nest photos. I’m the same with those shows where people are trying to decide on a house! And don’t get me started on looking inside homes on Zillow. I guess I’m just a Gladys Kravitz at heart!
Made me smile, Arwen.