In all the years I’ve been photographing birds I’d never seen a Yellow Warbler nest, until this spring when I’ve actually seen and photographed two of them.
Twelve days ago I posted photos of one of them – an incomplete nest in a Hawthorn bush in the mountains. The photo below is of the second nest, which is complete and apparently contains eggs..
1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 3200, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
I’ve known almost exactly where this nest is for some time because I repeatedly see the female going to the same spot in the willow but until recently I’d never seen it, despite spending quite a bit of time looking for it with my naked eye and through my lens. It’s in the middle of the very large willow so masses of branches, twigs and leaves have very effectively blocked my view of it.
Three days ago, after I saw the female leave the area where the nest is to be fed by her mate, I looked for it again with my naked eye – without success. Out of frustration I decided to look for it through my lens, which I knew would be a very long shot because it’s field of view is so narrow and its depth of field is so shallow. But I tried anyway.
I aimed my lens in the general direction of the nest, looked through my viewfinder, and to my huge surprise there it was – already in focus and in the center of my viewfinder! Maybe you have to be familiar with the limitations of super telephoto lenses to realize what a near-miracle that was.
I took two quick documentary shots (there’s visible noise in the photo because it was taken at ISO 3200 and it’s been cropped to only 11% of the original photo) and then looked for the nest once again with my naked eye, without success. So I went back to using my lens but I’ll be damned, no matter how long I looked I just couldn’t find it again. I still haven’t seen that nest, except for the approximately five seconds I had it sharp and centered in my viewfinder three days ago.
I’m so very glad I fired off those two documentary photos.
Ron
Notes on the nest itself:
- Cornell’s Birds of the World has this to say about Yellow Warbler nests: “Nest built in upright fork of bush, sapling, or tree. Nests in forks of willow generally deep, V-shaped and usually 3-layered.” It looks to me like this female warbler studied the nest-building manual carefully before constructing this one.
- Cornell also says this: “In response to cowbird parasitism, Yellow Warblers frequently add to nest, covering cowbird egg(s)—and any of its own—producing nest of ≥2 tiers and of greater height.” Cowbirds are common in this area and this nest looks like it has multiple layers (3?) so I have to wonder if there aren’t non-viable cowbird eggs buried in its deeper layers.
“It looks to me like this female warbler studied the nest-building manual carefully before constructing this one.” You are so right!
I feel better knowing I’m not the only one who, in spite of putting a bit of effort in doing so, has never seen a Warbler nest. Thanks to your photo I have a better idea.
Know what you mean about trying to spot something like this through a long lens.
Michael, I strongly suspect that many lifelong birders have never seen a warbler nest.
I am sooo glad that luck was being a lady and elbowed Murphy out of the way. Briefly.
Nests fascinate me. Sometimes the architecture is complex, and other nests look as if the bird essentially threw things together and said ‘it’ll do’. And it does.
And some ‘nests’ are barely nests at all, just scrapes on the ground or flat places on a cliff ledge.
Weird. And wonderful. In equal measure.
I have often seen Yellow Warblers feeding cowbird chicks. The whole issue of brood parasites is a complex and fascinating one. Brown-headed Cowbirds have been recorded to parasitize over 100 different species as hosts, not all successfully. Yellow Warblers and Song Sparrows are two of the most common hosts for Brown-headed Cowbird. Some hosts, like Lazuli Buntings often raise one or more of their own chicks along with the cowbird. I find these relationships very interesting and an entire long chapter of my textbook (uncompleted) is devoted just to brood parasitism.
I agree Dan, it’s fascinating stuff – how it was selected for, how some hosts try to counter it and why some species are more affected by it than others. The list goes on…
And by the way, I’d say the three most common birds at this location are Yellow Warblers, cowbirds and…. Song Sparrows. Well, after Barn and Cliff Swallows.
Such a difference between this completed nest and the one you posted originally, which was in the early stages of construction! That one was such a mess, I was wondering how it’d ever safely hold eggs/babies. What a beauty this one is – no wonder the cowbirds approve!
Yup, there’s a sharp contrast between the two nests. I’ll have to check the other one and see what it looks like completed.
Now this one looks like the nests I have seen, complete with hatched warblers. I wonder if the first one has morphed into something more similar to this photo.
I’ll bet it has, Pam.
After all your years of trials and tribulations, you deserve to have found this nest! I know how hard it is to just use binoculars in my back yard trying to zoom in on a bird, I can’t imagine how tricky that is with your long lens. I guess Murphy took the day off or was pestering someone else for a change.
Linda, it’s my theory that ol’ Murph slept in that morning.
Very interesting Ron. Nest building is another of nature’s remarkable feats. Birds make these marvelous nests without hands. They can carry material with beaks and feat, but truly amazing how well they build these without hands.
Last year I was able to get photos for the first time of a Brown-headed Cowbird at the nest with its Yellow Warbler substitute mom.
Everett, since Yellow Warblers seem to recognize cowbird eggs as not their own, you’d think that they’d have figured out how to recognize chicks that aren’t theirs – especially because there’s such a huge difference in size.
Some of us just can’t stand seeing a begging chick without stuffing something in its mouth. In rehab, I’ve had 2 week old House Finches trying to feed 1 week old House Finches.
What a wonderful discovery!
Years ago, we had hummingbirds nest outside the kitchen window and I marveled at the whole process. Then I mused about trying to locate one in the wild.
And, yes, knowing how you managed to locate and focus on such a target is quite a feat.
“knowing how you managed to locate and focus on such a target is quite a feat”
I wish I could take credit for it Wally. But it was pure, unadulterated luck.
WOW! 🙂 Amazing how we can’t see at times even when we “know” where something is. 😉 That’s quite the nest and may, as you noted, have evolved to cover a cowbird egg. Interesting the Warbler’s “know” what it is and take steps to stop it as opposed to other birds that just treat it as if it belongs. The woven grass blades are interesting….
“Interesting the Warbler’s “know” what it is and take steps to stop it as opposed to other birds that just treat it as if it belongs”
Judy, that same concept fascinates me too. Why did Yellow Warblers develop that strategy when other species didn’t?
The only possible explanation I can think of is maybe cowbirds parasitize Yellow Warbler nests more often than other birds so there would be more selection pressure for them to develop a countering strategy. Or maybe not, who knows?
I find far more beauty in this “simple” nest than any so-called architectural behemoth of concrete and glass. Thanks for finding and posting this avian masterpiece.
I couldn’t agree more, Lyle. Wow, you’re up early!