Animal Homes Of Feathered Friends

foreign [Music] the nests of birds are usually located quite close to the feeding area the chicks may leave their home within a few hours of hatching or they may remain in the nest for several months Rufus hummingbirds nest over or near water where mosquitoes provide a plentiful supply of food the tiny Nest is hidden away under the overhanging branches of an evergreen it is truly an artistic wonder of the bird world the two eggs are the size of small white beans the entrance of the nest can be completely covered with a 25 cent piece [Applause] the hummingbird covers the sides of its beautiful creation with tiny lichens fastening them in place with the silk of spider webs and moth cocoons the young chick is covered with dark pin feathers it looks a little like a spiny Bumblebee if the nest is over water the chicks must make it safely to land on their very first flight Robins build their nests in many different places the male is more brightly colored than the female The Nest is very different from that of the hummingbird first the outside is made of course weeds and twigs then a layer of mud is added and finally a lining of fine soft grass the chicks leave their home in about a week and a half as soon as they can fly a short distance the spots on the breasts tell us they belong to the thrush family seabirds spend most of their lives on the open ocean but in Spring they return in their Millions to steep Cliffs where many of them Nest on narrow ledges [Applause] one would wonder how they could possibly nest in such surroundings especially when nesting materials seem so very scarce foreign most of the birds are scattered along the nesting Ledges each shot its egg or eggs but where are the nests there are very few here most of the birds are nesting on bare rock gulls are constantly cruising overhead a gull has stolen this egg pecked a hole in the side and eaten the contents why don't the eggs roll over the cliff they are pointed at one end and roll in a small circle [Applause] Janet's nest in dense colonies overlooking the sea though crowded closely together each pair has its own small territory which it defends the many nests are constructed of coarse grass weeds and a few feathers the single egg is covered with the adult's feet until it hatches since gannets are such very large seabirds the youngsters require about three months to grow up and leave the nest Arctic terms make no Nest at all they simply lay their eggs on the ground in the open Tundra [Applause] oyster catchers build a simple nest of Pebbles or vegetation [Applause] the chicks will be ready to leave the nest within hours of hatching the silly old coot is not so silly when it comes to building a temporary home its nest is carefully constructed of grass Reeds and bull rushes everyone has heard of The Ugly Duckling which became a beautiful swan but here we have an unbelievably beautiful chick which grows up into a plain old mud hen an older family of Mud Hens has already left the nest in search of food but for a time they will return to the nest at night to be brooded there by the mother most of our blackbirds prefer to Nest near water a bright male Yellowhead and his drab mate are no exception The Snug Nest is woven firmly into The Cattails and lined with brown inner fibers of reeds The Nest is strong enough to withstand violent storms red winged blackbirds make their homes among the Reeds and Cattails too the female lacks the bright red shoulder patches so characteristic of her mates their nest is lined with soft dry grass the newly hatched chicks are almost naked and quite helpless rails are funny little chicken-like birds they are so secretive that they are more often heard than seen listen what a nest full of beautiful eggs rails certainly know how to hide them so raila's returning to its nest again canvas back Ducks know how to hide their nests too they often build them in clumps of Willows and always line them with a wealth of light colored down the nests of pin tail ducks are much the same except that the down is a good deal darker the nests of Ruddy ducks are quite different they are made mostly of green stems and Blades of grass and are so well hidden that they are almost impossible to find the eggs of the blue winged teal have hatched into tiny ducklings which have just dried off while a blackbird and Robin chicks must remain in the nest for many days ducklings are able to leave the nest in a few hours these mallard ducklings have already been out of the nest for several days a marsh in springtime is an exciting place to look for Feathered Friends at home a rednecked breed or Hell diver is covering its eggs before slipping quickly into the water what a strange nest it's just a mound of sodden vegetation dredged up from the bottom of the marsh the eggs are stained by the wet decaying plants thank you the greed returns in a moment and begins to uncover its eggs it's well-oiled silky feathers are hardly wet its narrow pointed beak is well suited for catching minnows and fingerlings though the placement of the legs far back on the body make the grieve Awkward on land this is an advantage in water where they are expert swimmers and divers the common snipe hides its nest in Tangles of Long Grass we can hear the mail winnowing overhead the long slender beak of the snipe enables it to probe deep into the mud for its food tiny nerve endings at the tip of the beak even tell the bird what it is feeling so far below the surface she prefers to be almost completely hidden from View and pulls the blades of Grass more closely around her a king bird must have a nest nearby its nest is made mainly of course weeds and is generally located near water colorful eggs are nestled in soft plant fibers the funny little saw wet owl doesn't build a nest at all it uses an old woodpecker cavity the great gray owl doesn't build a nest either it uses an old Hawks Nest instead you just about need an elevator or a helicopter to get up to the nest in which it has laid its eggs thank you it's a good thing that great Grays don't become dizzy with hype It's a Long Way to the ground the handsome Magpie builds its own nest closer to the ground it is a huge home of coarse Twigs a nest with even a thick roof over the top and a doorway in the side the rough-legged hawk usually builds its very large nest on the side of a steep cliff but they sometimes use the top of a hoodoo like this coarse branches and Juniper Roots make up most of the building material the youngsters lived mostly upon ground squirrels caught by the parents Rock Brands occupy a whole lower down on the side of the hoodoo their nest is placed far back in the hole the rock band is probably the only bird in the world that uses bits of rock to form a little sidewalk leading into its nest they surely have a great many interesting calls this building surely can't have been erected for Feathered Friends but there does seem to be a nest up there a mirror will help us to see it it's a Phoebe's nest and here is the Phoebe herself last year's Nest is right beside the new one speaking of strange nesting sites This Barn Swallow built its nest on a River ferry we must get dozens of free rides across the river every day Cliff swallows have a white patch on the forehead and a small but broad beak for catching flying insects they gather mud along streams and rivers with which to build their very unusual nests they generally locate them on vertical surfaces such as the sides of steep Cliffs the nest looks a little like a jug or bird with the entrance on the side when Gathering sticky mud the swallows hold their wings above the body in order to keep them clean and dry finally all of the nests in the large Colony are completed and ready for Edge kiss walls may also build their interesting nests under bridges colorful flamingos use mud for making their nests too often both male and female work together during the construction of the nest their mud nests are very different from those of Cliff swallows they are short and cylindrical with a slight Hollow in the top we have seen that different kinds of birds build different nests each chick is hatched with the ability to construct a certain kind of Nest without being taught how to do it foreign [Music]