A Sure Sign that Spring Hath Sprunged (1 of 2)

tags: birds, Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, ornithology, Image of the Day

Bob Levy writes:

A sure sign that "spring hath sprunged" is the appearance of songbird nests. I found my first one this season in an unexpected fashion but then I have come to expect the unexpected when bird-watching. For several minutes I had been standing beside a wrought iron fence where the sight and sound of a singing male House Finch mesmerized me. I could not recall having witnessed this before and it was a treat but then you already knew I am easily entertained. I was also vaguely aware of the calls of White-throated Sparrows, House Sparrows, European Starlings, and Blue Jays all muffled by the din of traffic coming from Fifth Avenue. At some point a faint Northern Cardinal call joined the mix. Gradually I realized the soft cardinal voice was not far away but instead it was close: very close. I turned my head a few inches to find Papa Museum (the name I assigned to the dominant male in this particular territory) perched slightly more than a yard away from me on top of the fence. He stood just outside my peripheral vision as he and others of his species often do. They position themselves that way so often that I am convinced it is deliberate. I can only speculate why I think this is so but I won't launch into that discussion because it would be more than a little hypothetical.

Once the bird and I made eye contact the volume and frequency of the cardinal's calls increased but his body English communicated more to me than his vocalizations alone. He was leaning forward with his torso perpendicular to the ground as if he were ready to leap into the air. His left eye was unwaveringly eye fixed on mine. These observations combined with previous encounters enabled me to know what he wanted and I was glad to provide it. As I put a peanut on top of the fence he repositioned himself on a branch directly in front of me. I backed away the short distance that I knew would make him feel secure and he unhesitatingly hopped onto the fence to claim his meal. He took it with him to the ground where he ate it or at least gave the appearance of eating it. He returned twice for more. After crunching up the third morsel he zoomed off to a large evergreen, a Yew I think, twenty feet farther away. As he slipped behind the leaves the "nest alarm" went off in my head. I remembered I had seen him in this same spot two days ago. Northern Cardinals often nest in evergreens in early spring because they provide the leafy cover that the thorny or brambly plants they prefer later in the season do not yet have. In a few seconds he returned to the fence loudly expressing his desire for more food. He took it again to the Yew and disappeared from view. Seconds later his mate popped out of the same spot. I surmised that the male had carried the food to her where she had either been constructing her nest or sitting on it. The latter is doubtful because it has been unseasonably cold here.

I had to take a circuitous route to get to the Yew because two fences stood in my way. Actually I had to exit the park because the bush stands on a small traffic island outside, of all places, the entrance to the Metropolitan Museum of Art parking garage. Behind the shrubbery I found Papa and Mama Museum foraging on the ground. I waited until they had gone off before I examined the Yew. It took no effort to find the nest. It was inside a small shallow opening close to the edge of the bush. I thought its location did not bode well for the future: it was too easy to see and in extremely close to vehicular and human traffic. Not wanting to overstay my welcome I snapped a few pictures and left. In my haste I had not looked at the nest very closely. After seeing my images of it later I discovered telling details. This nest has a characteristic wiry frame I expected but it is missing the typical birch bark lining of cardinal nests I have found in Central Park. Instead there is an abundance of thin pieces of torn plastic and some paper. Note the paper teabag wrapper in the photo. I think it adds a "New Yorkish touch" to its construction. I've seen this brand of tea packed inside Chinese food home delivery bags. No, I'm not suggesting the cardinals ordered the teabag for a home, er, a nest delivery. Instead I think the presence of these materials demonstrates that Northern Cardinals are adept recyclers of natural materials and human detritus. We should all be as proficient.