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<\/p>\nOnce I saw what a Bushtit nest looks like I was so intrigued I had to investigate.<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
He graciously consented.<\/p>\n
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Copyright Dan Gleason. Image used by permission.<\/em><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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).<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 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 \u00a0The Secret Lives of Bushtits<\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Once I saw what a Bushtit nest looks like I was so intrigued I had to investigate.<\/p>\n