When we hike in nature, we only see the things we consider important.
When I was studying to be a naturalist, each week’s guest lecturer would take us out on the weekend for field work. My fellow students and I would joke that we could walk the same path with each teacher and it would be a totally different experience. The herpetologist would see snakes, the geologist rocks, and the entomologist bugs.
By learning about nature, we can have a richer and more varied experience when we’re hiking in wilderness. We can notice the snakes, the rocks, and the bugs!
So today I would like to introduce you to yet another aspect of nature that can enrich your wilderness experience: the art of identifying birds’ nests.
The French novelist Marcel Proust wrote:
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.
– Marcel Proust
Staff Training
I often lead outdoor programs for California State Parks. And the department is gracious to run periodic training sessions for its volunteers. I have mentioned before that when you volunteer your outdoor skills, you get far more out of it than you put in.
So I find myself milling about with a group of fifteen volunteers. We’re sweltering in the eighty-degree heat, waiting for our leader, Alex. Alex is a State Parks nature interpreter. And he’s going to lead us on a training hike along a wooded ridge at the top of the Santa Cruz Mountains in northern California. I saunter into the trees to escape the sun’s scalding rays while we wait. The sky is a piercing blue and the sun grants no quarter. The canopy of Madrone, Tanoak, and California Bay offer a noticeable drop in temperature. I think regretfully of the extra bottle of water sitting forgotten on my kitchen countertop.
While we’re waiting, I snap a few pictures of a Band-tailed pigeon. These are large, stocky birds that are the size of a crow.
Band-tailed pigeons are native to the Santa Cruz Mountains of California
Band-tailed pigeons are much larger than the Rock pigeons we are accustomed to seeing in cities.
Wood Ants
As we hike, we pass a Wood ants’ nest. These are likely in the family Formica. They construct huge earthen mounds and I love to watch the thousands of workers scurrying to and fro. There are so many ants around that I can *hear* them moving. It is a high frequency sound like static on the radio, or like many raindrops falling on leaves lining the forest floor.
I’m careful not to rile them. They spray formic acid at any animal they believe threatens the nest. Breathing in formic acid can cause irritation of the eyes and nose, sore throat, and coughing. The ants have a potent defense.
The ant hill is about four feet in diameter. Compare it to the nearby stump.
Mystery Nest
Toward the end of our hike, Alex finds a bird nest lying on the forest floor.
Alex finds a bird nest
Fortunately, there are no eggshell fragments or signs of distress. This nest likely came down in a storm at the end of the season.
The bird used plants and materials that I could see around us, along the trail.
Birds are amazing architects and the nest is constructed of local grasses, lichens, and plants. This nest has a “mud cup” sandwiched between a rigid outer cup and a soft, fluffy inner cup (mostly gone).
It amazes me how a bird can construct a structure from found materials. In computer science, the “bird’s nest problem” was often held up as one that artificial intelligence could not solve.
Nest Identification
Just as you can identify animal tracks, you can also identify bird nests. Their size, construction, and location are often diagnostic of the bird species that made them.
First, know the species that are in the area. Then note the habitat in which you find the nest. It is important to remember that this is the breeding habitat for the bird. You can use this information to narrow the pool of species that could have built the nest.
Now look at the location of the nest. Was it in a tree? In a bush? On the ground? Was it in the “V” of a tree branch or close to the trunk?
What is the shape of the nest? Are there any special features (hanging, mud cup, etc…)?
What is the nest made from? Note the materials and how they are used.
I use this book (affiliate link) to help me identify bird nests.
This is the book I use to help identify bird nests. You can click on this image to go to its Amazon page (affiliate link)
Although this book has a key, I usually don’t use it. Instead, I understand which species could have built the nest from the information listed above. I then head straight for the species accounts to see if it is the bird I suspect.
In this case, consulting the book yields our nest creator: An American Robin. The size is correct and the inner mud cup is a giveaway.
So the next time you’re hiking. Notice the nests in the trees and on the ground around you. And if you are lucky and find a nest, measure its diameter. Measure the height of its cup. Notice how it is built and where it is located. Look at the materials used to construct it and how they are combined to make the structure. Then consult a book or use the Internet to learn about the bird that made it.
Remember, the real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.
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