1. NATIVE BIRDS
My first encounter with Birds was likely from one of our cats bringing home a captured one. They never lived... died of fright even being rescued from the cat. Over the years I have seen the nests and eggs of many native birds. Chimney Swifts built their twig, half nest, glued to the bricks. The saliva glue sparkles and 6 white eggs hardly fit! Spikes sticking out from their short tails are used to support them while they cling to a vertical surface. They cannot stand on the ground or perch like most birds. In fact, except for nesting, the Chimny Swift lives most of it's life in the air. They eat tiny insects and at night fly very high and take "cat-naps" while circling downward... waking to repeat this all night. Even nesting twigs are broken from trees in flight. A very specalized bird! You can hear them with their quick trailing chirping in the evenings.
Redwing Blackbirds weave a silver nest in low bushes in and around wet areas and swamps. They have one of the most beautiful eggs. Light blue with artful swirls of black at the large end. Warblers and Oriels are also weavers.
Robins like to nest in our yards but their more secretive cousin the Brown Thrush feeds and builds an identical nest just inside the woods. Even the 4 eggs and young look like Robins. No red breast as an adult. Spotted light underside.
2. My Birds
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