Corpus Christi (Kiii News) — Many birds nest in the Corpus area, too many to list. Some that are nesting right now at Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve are Mocking Birds, Painted Buntings, and White Eyed Vireos. There are many others, but these three are very common at our preserve. Mockingbirds are already raising their young; the buntings and vireos are probably about to nest.
Male mockingbirds start building several nests near the top of a tree, he sings himself silly on the top of a tree in his territory trying to attract a female. If she chooses him, she finishes up one of the nests and lays in it. When the eggs hatch the male takes care of the babies as she moves on to finish up one of the other nests he started and lay a second clutch of eggs. The male sings all summer long to protect his territory as well.
Painted buntings build nests lower in the tree, and the male also sings to attract mates and to claim his territory. Thought typically in this species the female; when she chooses a male, builds the nest alone, and then they will both feed the babies.
White eyed males and females sing and can be heard all summer long claiming their territory. Their nests are low and well hidden in thick shrubs. Both male and female vireos build the nest and care for the young. I’ve noticed that our Vireos often inadvertently alert us to where they are nesting by quickly changing from their primary song to a fussing angry defensive sound if you near a tree with a nest.
In general, you shouldn’t interfere with a nest or hatchlings. Most of the time when humans interfere it is either unnecessary or harmful. For example, in this picture this baby mocking bird might not be able to fly yet, though it’s wandered out of the nest. It might be found on the ground hopping around seemingly alone. But the parents are not far, they are probably getting insects for it at that moment, and they might not re-appear till you go away. If you scoop up this apparently abandoned bird and “save it” - you are actually taking it away from it’s parents who were quite adequately looking after it, it is normally for a baby bird to wonder out of the nest before it can fly well.
We would like to thank the University of Texas Marine Science Institute and the Coastal Bend Audubon for putting this segment together each month.
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