Kip’s Comments - February 5, 2025

Clean Living Neighbors

Once again, at the risk of sounding like Cliff Clavin from Cheers, I have what I think is interesting information to share.

Today’s photo shows an eastern bluebird nest that was inside a river birch tree that blew down at our cabin. Notice what is missing from the nest. You see no debris - no strings, wrappers, or trash, just all natural items. Notice too there are no fecal sacs in the nest left by young bluebirds before they fledged.

My tree toppled before the eggs and young were reared. In past years I have watched bluebird nests in bird boxes and noticed/photographed adult birds carrying fecal sacs from the nest. Only on the last day in the nest, as the birds were preparing to fledge, were fecal sacs left in the nest.

Compare this to house sparrow nests. House sparrow nests are made of natural stuff and any other material they can find. Kestrel nests have whitewash all over the insides of the boxes. Both species live very messy lives compared to eastern bluebirds.

If you want to see a really pretty nest, look at a black-capped chickadee nest. Their nests are comfy homes that include moss and feathers for their young.

OK - enough of typing like Cliff Clavin. Time to do something else.

Eastern Bluebird Nest - Image 941389