On Sunday (6/7) I spotted an Eastern Wood Peewee nest in the back yard woodlot; approx 40 feet high on a dead horizontal limb (red oak), in an sheltered opening 1/3 way below the forest canopy approx. 60-75' from our deck and visable from the kitchen table (through bins or scope). Material was added to the nearly complete nest, by the presumed female, every few minutes. During these visits she would sit in the nest and fidget a bit to shape the nest cup, a male could be heard singing from near by. This continued on the following morning and evening, and she visited again early on Tuesday, but abondoned the nest and has not been seen since.
During the bird's last visit a recently fledged Downy Woodpecker landed a few feet from the nest, the female sat tight on the nest, "trying not to be seen". The young downy curiously hopped closer to look at the nest, and was immediately greeted with a "face full" of flycatcher and quickly fled the scene. The nest has not been visited by the peewee since. Tough to reason the exact cause of the abandonment, but perhaps the location was a bit too exposed.
During the bird's last visit a recently fledged Downy Woodpecker landed a few feet from the nest, the female sat tight on the nest, "trying not to be seen". The young downy curiously hopped closer to look at the nest, and was immediately greeted with a "face full" of flycatcher and quickly fled the scene. The nest has not been visited by the peewee since. Tough to reason the exact cause of the abandonment, but perhaps the location was a bit too exposed.
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| Easten Wood Peewe "fitting" its nest. |
