Birds of summer: Still on the gravy train or independent?

Published 10:48 am Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Summer is a different time for us and for the birds. It requires a watchful eye to spy the young birds, who are still dependent on their parents for a meal or two. Many of the first batch of fledglings are independent, but they will often do all they can to convince their parents to maintain the gravy train. Look for the white-crowned sparrow with an extra, large baby in tow. The fledgling will furiously flap its wings and open its beak as it follows its tiny white-crowned sparrow parent, and all the while demanding a tasty morsel. The chances are that the baby is an interloper whose mother is really a brown-headed cowbird. Female cowbirds pawn off their parenting duties to other smaller birds by placing their eggs in the smaller bird’s nest. One of their favorite targets is the white-crowned sparrow.

I recently watched a hairy woodpecker and family working over a dead snag. Two “babies” were creeping up the tree behind their parents. Their free ride was over so they were learning to create their own gravy train by chiseling into the dead tree and under the dead bark for insects. Do you think the parents were impressed by the success of their fledglings? I do.

Some bird species are still on nest duty and therefore working hard to make sure the gravy train is kept going in order to sustain the young until they are ready to fledge. One species that is still into nesting is the tree swallow. It may be a second brood, but nevertheless the parents are working hard to feed their babies. The tree swallows are still going in and out of the nesting boxes with tasty insects for their newly hatched young. The barn swallow is also nesting at Tarlatt again this year. The parents are still on the nest keeping their babies warm and well fed. Barn swallow fledglings will expect the gravy train to continue for a while after they leave the nest. They will perch on fence railing, a utility wire or even on a black berry vine with their mouths open for business!

The American kestrels that are nesting at Tarlatt are also still busy feeding their family. They are tireless in their efforts to feed their ever-growing youngsters. With a bit of patience, you will witness the gravy train ritual. You will see one of the adults alight on the top of a utility pole, then pluck the fur off a small mammal such as a vole or mouse it has just snagged from the ground below before flying to the nesting box to feed it to its babies. Small birds may also be on the menu along with insects.

Summer bird watching can be full of surprises. Some birds will still be on the gravy train, while others will be self-sufficient early into the summer. So keep an eye out for the entertaining antics of the birds of summer!