Helping My Bird Friends

  It is always a happy day for me when I can find juvenile birds visiting the feeders.  This means that at least some of the previous nestlings survived to carry on the population.  With all of the predators that now call the Bayou home, it is a rough go for nestlings.  With their inability to fly, their veritable unprotected status when both parents are out hunting food and the sheer number of predators, it is amazing that any are able to grow to adulthood.  Then throw in the fact that some of these are ground nesting birds and the danger multiplies tremendously.  The Eastern Towhees are such birds.  They nest on the ground in a tiny, cup-shaped nest that is a mere four inches in diameter at the outer edge. The inside rim is right at two inches and the bowl is not more than an inch and a half deep.  Those tiny birds stay in this tiny nest in thickets that seem to be perfect hiding places for the many watersnakes that crawl about the place.  I watched one nest closely for the past month.  The nest was in the middle of a clump of palmettos making it impossible to photograph but I was at least able to partially peer through the blades to see the little birds.  To start there were four eggs that hatched into four little ones.  Over the first few days, one after one of the babies went missing until only one remained.  It saddened me to know that the little ones fell prey to what I assume was the nearby nesting Rice Rats.  It is not beyond their capabilities to kill a newly hatched baby bird.  Once the remaining baby Towhee grew and became stronger, the rats (presumably) found other food and abandoned the idea of a bird dinner.  That one baby bird grew to maturity and is now following its parents about the hillside in search of food.

  This morning while I was out and about, I heard the familiar call of the Towhee.  Its plaintive calls echoed over the Bayou.  Thinking this was the adult male, I eased my way around to the front gate of the garden.  There I had a perfect view of the feeders.  It was unusual to find a Towhee visiting the feeders as they are out in the middle of the yard and usually these birds are more apt to stay in hedgerows or undergrowth.  It is not their usual habit to venture out in the open areas. When the bird did finally swoop down under the feeder to pick at the fallen seeds, I realized that this was very young male and not the dominant male that usually "patrols" the territory.  Perhaps this is one of last years hatchlings!  This would explain the unusual behavior.  It was just not sure of its surroundings as of yet.

  I do hope that this young bird fares well.  What with the hawk on watch at all times, it stands to reason that the reckless action of coming into wide open is putting the young bird in danger.  The Towhee's dining habits might just improve the hawk's dining pleasure.  It would be a wise move on my part to add a bit of cover near the feeders.  Perhaps a few potted plants or at least a few cut tree branches would provide an escape for the birds.