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Rivertalk by Sandy Long

TRR photo by Sandy Long
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Swiping: unique bird behavior observed

It’s called swiping, and it’s happening just outside Barbara Leo’s kitchen window. As coordinator of the Upper Delaware Region’s Audubon Christmas Bird Count, Leo knows a bit about birds and their behaviors. When a pair of white-breasted nuthatches began eyeing up the hole left when a limb broke off Leo’s cherry tree, she recognized the early signs of nesting behavior.

The female built the nest and assumed occupancy as the male began bringing food for both. Then the swiping started. “They collected beetles and other insects, mashed them and dressed the entrance to the nest with the stinky remains of the bugs,” said Leo.

The practice is believed to ward off potential predators like squirrels, who might be interested in consuming the five to six eggs laid during successive nights. The birds repeat the swiping procedure, smearing the crushed insects throughout the nesting period to create an offensive odor at the nesting cavity entrance.

Other current bird activity includes the return of ruby-throated hummingbirds, which arrive in April and early May. After wintering in Central and South America, the miniature birds fly across the Gulf of Mexico, then work their way to northern nesting grounds by fueling up at feeders and flowerbeds along the way.

Track the migration at the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s “Backyard Hummingbirds” section on its website ((www.pgc.state.pa.us)), which includes a link to a map updated by citizen participants.

TRR photo by Sandy Long
(Click for larger version)

TRR photo by Sandy Long
(Click for larger version)

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Columns

May 7, 2009
Back to the Garden by Will Conway: Merry moon garden
April 30, 2009
Rivertalk by Sandy Long: Owl pellets
April 23, 2009
Rivertalk by Scott Rando: Spring is here - and so are the eaglets
April 16, 2009
The Complete Tangler by Clem Fullerton: You sing trout, I sing sand bass
April 16, 2009
Rivertalk by Sandy Long: Swiping: unique bird behavior
April 9, 2009
The Complete Tangler by Clem Fullerton: Opening day and Delaware flows
April 9, 2009
Rivertalk by Scott Rando: Walking on the wild side
April 2, 2009
Rivertalk by Tina Spangler: On the lookout for Sharpies
April 2, 2009
Back to the Garden by Will Conway: Hare moon garden
March 26, 2009
Rivertalk by Scott Rando: Harbingers of spring
March 19, 2009
Rivertalk by Sandy Long: Beavers, burls and more
March 12, 2009
The Complete Tangler by Clem Fullerton: Reading, writing and tying
March 12, 2009
Rivertalk by Scott Rando: In like a lion, out like a lamb
March 5, 2009
Rivertalk by Sandy Long: Ice is (still) nice
March 5, 2009
Back to the Garden by Will Conway: Wind moon garden
 
News & columns provided by The River Reporter