Mrs. Parker was on a field trip today so Mrs. Ebare went with us to monitor the boxes. Here is what we found.
Box 1
One of these are not like the other! We have been talking about what kind of eggs these are... Mrs. Putman, one of our teachers at Manor Woods, thinks these might be English House Wrens. We think they might be Titmouse eggs.
But in bad new... we found this bigger egg than the rest. We are sad to think this might be a Cowbird egg. This is from the Cornell Nestwatch site. http://nestwatch.org/learn/general-bird-nest-info/brown-headed-cowbirds/
The Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) is a brood parasite, meaning that it lays its eggs in nests of other species. A female cowbird quietly searches for female birds of other species that are actively laying eggs. Once she has found a suitable host, the cowbird will sneak onto the resident bird’s nest when it is away, usually damage or remove one (or more) egg, and replace that egg with one (or more) of her own (watch a cowbird laying an egg in a Northern Cardinal nest on NestCams). The foster parents then unknowingly raise the young cowbirds, usually at the expense of their own offspring. Cowbird eggs require a shorter incubation period than most other songbirds and thus usually hatch first. Cowbird nestlings also grow large very quickly. These advantages allow them to command the most food from their foster parents, usually resulting in reduced nesting success of the host species.
But in bad new... we found this bigger egg than the rest. We are sad to think this might be a Cowbird egg. This is from the Cornell Nestwatch site. http://nestwatch.org/learn/general-bird-nest-info/brown-headed-cowbirds/
The Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) is a brood parasite, meaning that it lays its eggs in nests of other species. A female cowbird quietly searches for female birds of other species that are actively laying eggs. Once she has found a suitable host, the cowbird will sneak onto the resident bird’s nest when it is away, usually damage or remove one (or more) egg, and replace that egg with one (or more) of her own (watch a cowbird laying an egg in a Northern Cardinal nest on NestCams). The foster parents then unknowingly raise the young cowbirds, usually at the expense of their own offspring. Cowbird eggs require a shorter incubation period than most other songbirds and thus usually hatch first. Cowbird nestlings also grow large very quickly. These advantages allow them to command the most food from their foster parents, usually resulting in reduced nesting success of the host species.
Oh no! What can we do?
Nothing. They are also native birds and protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. We are hoping for the best.
Box 2
One more egg! No cowbird eggs. Whew!
Box 3 and 5
No eggs, no birds
Box 4
Look at the big change! We can see fully formed feathers now. All eggs are hatched. They look very cozy in here. We are going to research what they eat and how long it will take for them to fly.