From the Contact Station August 2019

A Fine Day for Birding

I took a drive around River ‘S’ on a late July Saturday morning as a civilian, i.e. without my volunteer vest. It was a four-and-a-half-hour trip of pure pleasure. My goal was to spot some shorebirds. It is migration time for shorebirds, and they are going south. Most of our shorebirds go far north each year to nest. If you want to see tons of shorebirds in breeding plumage, head to Alaska in June. After they are done and the young are independent, the adults take off in July and head south. The young will follow later after they have fattened up and grown in a nice set of feathers for the long flights. Ridgefield NWR isn’t exactly a hub for shorebird migration, but find a good muddy edge of a pond, and you can find some shorebirds feeding this time of year. We have had sightings of dowitcher, yellowlegs, and Ruddy Turnstone recently. But my only find on this lovely morning was Killdeer, between #2 and #3, and learning about a sighting of Wilson’s Snipe I had just missed. Both Killdeer and Wilson’s Snipe nest on the refuge so that wasn’t quite the find I was looking for.  There were a lot of Killdeer being very vocal though. Probably some of this year’s crop still wanting to be fed.

Moving along, I turned at the hunt gate and stopped just before the road opens to the field on the left, at about #5. I parked as far to the side as I could to not be on the grass, leaving plenty of room for people to pass.  Since this is the season we can get out of the car, that is exactly what I did. There was quite a lot of activity in the area. I could hear Swainson’s Thrush calling. They have such a lovely spirally echo song. A noisy Northern Flicker made itself known. There seemed to be a lot of fussing going on high in a tree near the road. That usually means nestlings saying, “feed me.”  I saw several Black-headed Grosbeaks moving in and out of the tree above me; busy parents I would guess. Berries are ripening, so many birds, like the American Robins, are feasting right now. They were everywhere.

Next, I saw a moderately sized bird moving around on a high  Ash tree branch looking like it was hunting for insects. I didn’t have a good view of any part of it. It flew out of the tree and I lost it, still not sure what I was seeing. Then, coming back over the road right above me, was a bird carrying a thin twig longer than its body. It went right to the spot I had been watching before.  If I hadn’t seen it fly in with nest materials, I don’t think I would have picked out that it was a nest in the mossy branches that I was seeing. And, bingo, I caught a good look at the waxy yellow band on the tail and the red patch on the wing. Yay, Cedar Waxwing nest building. Ok, I am not a great photographer, but here is my Cedar Waxwing with the yellow tip of its tail hanging out to the left side of the nest.

Cedar Waxwings, Bombycilla cedrarum, are among the latest-nesting birds in North America. They will initiate egg-laying from early June through early August. Lateness of breeding is probably an evolutionary result of this species’ dietary reliance on summer-ripening fruits. Sugary fruits ripen in late spring and summer months. It is suggested that breeding is cued to energy availability.

It is possible that my nest building Cedar Waxwings are working on a second brood for the year. Nest-building for a second nest may start when young from the first brood are 8 days old, and the first egg of a second clutch may be laid from the day before the first brood fledges. For breeding habitat, Cedar Waxwings like nests in riparian areas that provide nesting shrubs and trees, fruits, and emerging aquatic insects. My bird was in a tree which was surrounded by shrubs and next to a slough. Between the ripening berries and the bugs, food supply there should be more than adequate to feed nestlings.  (video below from the Kiwa Trail in 2018)

When nest building is complete, they will start laying eggs daily, averaging 4 eggs in a clutch. Incubation is about 12 days. Once hatched the male initially brings most of the food, principally insects, while the female broods. The average nestling period is 15 days. I am hoping to keep an eye on my nest and see how things go for this family of Cedar Waxwings.

That was a very satisfying experience with the Cedar Waxwings. My bonus bird came at the end of my tour when I stopped to chat with photographers who had spotted an American Bittern between #12 and #13. While watching the one, another flew low over Rest Lake. What a wonderful end to an enjoyable morning on the refuge. When you have the time, it is a great idea to stop, listen, and observe what is around you for a while. You never know what surprises might turn up.

-Susan Setterberg, Friends Board Member & Contact Station Volunteer