Nests Pop Up In All Shapes, Sizes & Locations

Many of you are seeing nests of different shapes and sizes in all kinds of places around your house this time of year. We’re no different here at the Center, where we’ve observed a robin nesting on an exterior light and a flicker using a nearby hollow tree as a nest site.

Cavity, cup, platform, and mounds are among the many types of nests that birds build and we’ve seen two types under construction near the Center this spring. "Our" robin built a cup shaped nest out a variety of materials, including some shiny white gift bag stuffing that you can see in the photo.

The male flicker is responsible for picking the nest site and excavating a cavity nest. Wildlife Rehabilitation Coordinator Amy LeMonds observed a Flicker excavating the nest in a rotting tree near us for 10 - 14 days. Both the male and female incubate the eggs for about 14 days and both feed their babies for about 25 days before they fledge or leave the nest.

“Our” baby robins should be hatching any day. The normal cycle calls for the mom to incubate her sky blue eggs for about 14 days and then share the responsibility of feeding the nestlings with her male partner for 14 days before they fledge.

The photos of these two birds at their nesting sites were taken by Seasonal Wildlife Specialist Tim Jasinski.