DEAR JOAN: We found an unusual — to us — nest is in our soon-to-be-pruned rose.
It is about 6 inches tall and 3 inches wide with no apparent openings. Any idea what creature made it and what might be inside?
Phil and Susan Grover, Concord
DEAR PHIL AND SUSAN: There’s likely not anything in it, but you might be surprised to know what it once contained. Chances are it belongs — or belonged — to either a bushtit or an oriole. We have both Bullock’s and hooded orioles in our area.
The oriole is fairly easy to see with its brilliant orange and black color pattern, while the bushtit is more on the conservative side. Given the placement of the nest — orioles tend to build theirs higher in the sky — my bet would be on the smaller bushtit.
Before doing anything to the nest, keep an eye on your rosebush for any sign that the nest is a work in progress, rather than an empty nest from last year. It’s likely an older, unused nest as mating season for bushtits has not yet begun.
If you’re certain it’s not under construction, it will be safe to remove it when you prune your roses. You might want to set it in your yard so that other birds can take advantage of the building materials.
Both the bushtit and the oriole nests are amazing structures. Well, come to think of it, most bird nests are fairly amazing considering birds have no hands, fingers or charge accounts at Home Depot. I find the bushtit’s nest markedly so, as it’s woven mostly of spider webs and plant material.
Both the male and female work on the nest, which can take about a month to assemble. It is tightly secured to an anchor point — a sturdy rosebush branch in this case — and the birds painstakingly weave an elongated nest that is closed at the bottom. There will be a small hole on the side, near the top, where the birds come and go.
The birds often sit in the bottom of the nest to help stretch it into shape and create a bowl-like shape that, once lined with plant fluff and feathers, will hold the eggs and eventually the hatchlings. By the time the nest has been completed, it resembles a warm, comfy woolen sock.
When nesting, both parents will sleep inside the nest, which may be used twice in a season, if they have a second brood.
Bushtits are small birds, only about 3 inches from stem to stern, with tones of brown and gray. Their backs, wings and head are a darker color than the rest of their body. Along the coast, the bushtits tend to have brown crowns while inland birds’ crowns are more gray.
They eat mostly insects and spiders, sometimes hanging upside down in order to reach the underside of leaves. You might hear the birds before you see them — they make soft chirps and tweets. Outside of breeding season, they frequently travel in flocks. The birds flit and flicker through the trees rather quickly.
Orioles build similar nests, weaving long strands of hair, twine, grasses and wool into a gourd-shaped abode. The female is in charge of nest construction, and she does an excellent job.
Have a question for Joan?
Use this form to submit questions. Photos should be mailed separately to [email protected].
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest Lifestyle News Click Here
