Entertaining Bushtits
by Steve Frye
A voice on the other end of the telephone yelled 'sharpie', and then the line went dead. What could explain this? I was not offended or confused by this odd behavior. I knew that my friend had seen a sharp-shinned hawk out of his office window and he would call me back soon.
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bushtit nest
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It was our agreement that whenever we were on the phone together, if one of us saw a "good" bird you could simply call out the name of the bird and hang up. Then after watching the bird, you call back and regale the other with your story. Even without such an agreement, birders are very tolerant of conversation interruptions when caused by birds. At our rehearsal dinner friends preformed a skit poking fun at trying to have a normal conversation with Julie and me while being constantly interrupted by birds. Many of you who come on the Saturday Bird Walks also know this phenomenon because I am always cutting
out mid-sentence when a bird flies by.
A few weeks ago I was on the phone with a birder and friend, when a pair of bushtits came to the suet feeder. I started exclaiming, motioning, and calling to my family to look at the birds outside. All this time my friend was quiet, she understood what was going on and indulged me for a few moments. Bushtits are not a common bird for Boulder County, especially not a common backyard bird. So my friend understood my excitement. Many of our customers also understand my excitement because bushtits have been showing up in backyards all over this winter. Some folks even have 10-15 birds at a time on their suet feeders! It's great to have a "new" bird at your feeder to observe.
Bushtits have been expanding their range to the east, west, and to the north of their historic range in western North America and Mexico. Boulder County has always been on the edge of this historic range, but the bushtit population is increasing, especially this winter. Bushtits occupy a variety of habitats including deciduous woodlands, arid brush, parks, and suburban gardens. Around here the best places to find bushtits have been Rabbit Mountain and residential areas near Lyons where mountain mahogany grows. This winter they have been widely reported in Boulder County including my yard in northwest Longmont. I was first alerted to their presence in my yard because of their high-pitched, piping alarm calls. I stepped out my front door and heard these familiar alarm calls being delivered with great emphasis. Out by the road, a group of ten bushtits were gathered around the neighbors' cat (i.e. non-native species) trying to drive the predator away.
Bushtits usually have a very pleasant disposition; many people liken them to chickadees and not just because of their size. Like chickadees, bushtits are seemingly friendly garden birds that are easily approachable. They are social and travel in small flocks constantly calling to each other to keep in contact. Their manner of feeding is also chickadee-like. They hop quickly from place to place looking for food, clinging onto branches every-which-way just like chickadees. One unique foraging trick for bushtits is to hang upside-down on just one leg while the other moves leaves and twigs looking for food like insects, spiders and their eggs, scale, and occasionally fruit.
In the spring, the flocks of bushtits separate into breeding pairs. In some areas of their range breeding pairs may also have helpers. These are young, often related, bushtits helping the more experienced pair raise their brood. This situation usually occurs in areas where all available territories are taken so the young assist and eagerly await a chance to replace the existing couple and the corresponding territory.
The nest of a bushtit is an object to behold. They can look a little disheveled and amazingly engineered at the same time. Somewhat like an oriole nest, the bushtits weave a gourd or sack-like nest in a tree or bush from 5 to 15 feet off the ground. It usually is about 8-10 inches long and about five inches in diameter. Some nests have been reported up to 20 inches long. Why such a big nest for a small bird? The nests can be rather thick walled and both parents and all the young sleep together in the nest until the young fledge. That can be as many as ten young ones! The couple starts their nest at the top, weaving a cap for the nest attached to several twigs. They proceed by weaving the hole near the top and then go about weaving the main part of the nest hanging down from the cap and hole. They use all kinds of plant material, grasses, and even trash to weave their structure. As with almost all small birds, the nest is also held together with collected spider webbing. After the main structure is complete, the couple will line the nest with softer plant fibers, feathers, and hair. Another finishing touch is to add a hood over the entrance hole.
You can recognize these cute little birds by their overall gray coloration, accented with a brown wash on their cap and flanks. Bushtits have long tails and a short stubby beak. Male bushtits have a coal black eye, but females have a pale yellow eye as adults. If you have hopes of attracting bushtits to your yard make sure it has plenty of bushes and small trees. A good bird bath can help terrifically. They don't seem to be too interested in seeds, but they go for suet. I'm not sure which flavor they prefer, but peanut suet is always a good bet. It can be really exciting to have these little ones show up at your house! If you happen to be on the phone with a non-birder when they arrive, just excuse yourself politely so you can observe these friendly visitors. If you are on the phone with a birder while the bushtits arrive, just yell 'bushtit' and hang up.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds: Bushtit
Avian Web: Bushtits
On Youtube by diegoratliff: Bushtits
On Youtube by MartinJMuller: Bushtit visiting nest
Bill Schmoker's Website: Bushtit Photos
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