Feeding Backyard Birds

Once the Catbird eggs hatch, the birds are called “hatchlings”. At this point, they are partially naked, eyes closed, have very little down, and are completely helpless.

For this reason, both Catbird parents take shifts with the hatchlings, protecting them from the brutal summer heat by covering them and keeping them cool.

As the Catbird hatchlings down grows and their eyes open, they are now able to move around in the nest. However, they are not ready to leave the nest
(making them “nestlings”).

As nestlings, they are completely dependent upon their parents for food.

Along with feeding the nestlings, both Catbird parents eat the fecal sacs (waste) of the nestlings for half of the nesting period and for the remaining half they toss it outside the nest, obviously to keep the nestlings safe from disease.

In addition to hunger and heat, the need for protection from predators rises. As the issue arises, the male and female Gray Catbird will freeze with watchful eyes on the predator, hoping to escape its notice.

If, however, a predator were to come too close, one Catbird parent would fly out from the bush in an attempt to distract the predator from the young.

Soon, the Catbird nestlings develop their tiny wings, and become somewhat self-defensive and independent of the nest. However, they still stay in the bush waiting for their meals.

By now, sometimes the female Catbird leaves the male to feed the nestlings as she establishes a second brood.

The male is then left to feed his nestlings until they develop flight feathers at which time they are known as “fledglings”.

They are soon taught to fly and find food, becoming able to protect and defend themselves without the aid of their parents.

- Craig Curtis

I do not think that the other two eggs will ever hatch because enough time has passed for the nestlings to grow six times the size of the remaining two eggs.

The nestling period lasts 10-11 days.

- Craig Curtis

After laying 1-6 (usually 4) eggs, the female Gray Catbird broods her young for the first few days.

This indicates that the male might give the female a break from incubation as he broods the eggs for the remaining time. The incubation period lasts 12-15 days.

I have been watching the male and female and taking pictures along the way.

With the aid of the following two photos, you can see that both the male and the female are involved in brooding or incubating the eggs.

One parent facing away from me:

The other very watchful parent staring directly at me:

- Craig Curtis

The night of May 26, 2011 was a challenging night of bird survival for our backyard birds, with a Gray Catbird and its nest surviving a particularly brutal storm of fierce winds, hail and rain.

Tornadoes, hailstorms, and fierce winds whipped through much of South Central Pennsylvania. (My family and I were very fortunate not to experience a tornado).

Although fierce winds disturbed many of our backyard birds, a Gray Catbird and its nest survived the storm completely unharmed.

Before I go any further, I would like to educate you about the Gray Catbird’s nesting habits.

Gray Catbirds nest in late May with a well-founded, tightly woven cup made of varying materials.

The primary material is twigs and mud as well and trash, which made up the nest pictured here.

You can see four beautiful tiny eggs in a plain teal color in this picture.

Though the mud is not visible in these pictures, I am certain that it is there, for when mud hardens, it provides a very sturdy foundation inside this holly bush.

Two American Robin families were unfortunate to lose their nests to the extreme winds they faced that stormy night. Though American Robins make their nest with a mud base, the deciduous tree branches did not hold the nests in place.

The Gray Catbird’s nest, however, was in a Holly bush.

Moreover, the holly branches provided the mud and twig nest a very sturdy foundation.

Gray Catbirds have 2 – 3 broods per season and American Robins have 2 – 3 as well. So, although the American Robins lost their first broods, they have more opportunities to raise further broods.

- Craig Curtis

I noticed a male Mourning Dove gathering nesting material, and put a short segment of the effort on my Digital camera.

The male Mourning Dove gathers nesting materials while the female Mourning Dove builds the nest.

The nest is a loose pile of twigs lined with pine needles and grasses, which Mourning Doves prefer to place in the thick foliage of a horizontal tree branch.

Though Mourning Doves prefer coniferous trees, they have observed nesting in deciduous trees as well eaves, gutters, and abandoned equipment.

- Craig Curtis