Singing in the Spring
Chestnut Sided Warbler
By: Pat Coate
The symphony of bird song has been truly wonderful this spring and here are a few shots of various birds in action. Some things to note about ‘singing in the spring’:
• Male birds of many species migrate first. They sing to stake out their territory and then to attract the females when they too begin to move north.
• In many species the females don’t sing.
• Birds also defend their territory against birds of the same species to reduce competition for food since both birds would hunt for food in the same manner
• It is believed that changes in sunlight/length of day trigger hormonal changes in birds that trigger ‘singing in the spring’.
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Female Chestnut-sided Warbler
Last Saturday Jeremy and I followed a male Chestnut-sided Warbler over to this female gathering some nesting material. It was interesting watching her “carefully” selecting . . . . then reaching into the Tent Caterpillar nest without getting herself entangled. I am “assuming” that this material was being gathered for a nest that she is building!!
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