Observations: December 3, 2003 Time: 9:30 am Weather: Cold and snowing

Nesting at Irving Nature Park A walk along the trails in winter will reveal a number of bird nests, now more easily seen since the leaves have dropped. Unlike some birds of prey which return and repair an old nest, the majority of the park's bird species build a new home each year. If a pair raises more than one family (a brood) in a single season, they may even construct a new nest for each new brood. (Despite a nest's “disposability”, please leave any nests as you find them in the park so others can see their beauty and engineering.) Nest building material varies greatly with each species, but within the park, the most often used materials are leaves, sticks, feathers, lichens and mosses. At times the building birds may weave man-made fibres like strands from shredded plastic tarps into their nests. One extreme example now in the New Brunswick Museum is a Rock Dove nest constructed entirely from 15 - 25 cm (6 – 10 inch) lengths of wire.

Tree Top Hammocks Some nests are built very high in treetops. The nest of the Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satraa), constructed only by the female, is built 2 -12 m (6.5 - 39 ft) high in the spruce and fir of the park. The mother bird weaves together the span between the branches with a combination of spider silk and moss to form a hammock with a twig or two edging the structure. More twigs are woven into the silk/moss hammock as supportive ribs to the nest. The female stretches the hammock out and adds more material until her golden crest is hidden behind the nest's wall. The final nest is roughly 7- 9 cm (2.75 - 3.5 inches) across and 8 –10 cm (3 - 4 inches) deep. The kinglet uses feathers of other more neutral- coloured birds such as ruffed grouse and hermit thrush to line the top and help conceal the eggs. More information on the golden-crowned kinglet may be found in the February 1995 issue of the Irving Nature Park 's Naturalist Notebook . The Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) is another park bird with an easily recognized nest. It is usually saddled on the lower limbs of softwood trees, but occasionally found in hardwood. Early in the twentieth century, this bird was often referred to as the “hair bird” as it used horse hair as a nest lining. In Irving Nature Park , you are more likely to see the nest lined with hair from a deer mixed with hair of porcupine or fox. The outer nest is constructed of fine twigs and grass stems. This nest built, by the female alone, is roughly 8 -15 cm (3 - 6 inches) wide and 5 - 8 cm (2 - 3 inches) deep.

The Naturalist's Notebook is a regular publication. If you have any questions or topics that you would like to see addressed, please call John Gilbert, Manager, Fish and Wildlife, J.D. Irving, Limited, (506) 632-7777 or email honeyman.kelly@jdirving.com