ColumbiaMagazine.com
Printed from:

Welcome to Columbia Magazine  
 
· Home · Mobile
· Contact/Submit
· Classified Ads
· Birthdays
· Local Events
· Obituaries
· List of Topics
· Photo Archive
· Stories Archive
· Search


Campbellsville University




Dr. Ronald P. Rogers
 CHIROPRACTOR

Support for your body's natural healing capabilities

 270-384-5554
 Click here for details
 






  United
Citizens
Bank
Click here for information
 




 
Rex's
CYCLE SHOP
  
384-6018
 rexscycleshop.com

 













What's Going On
in Columbia?

see ColumbiaMagazine's
Events List

 


 
Columbia Gas Dept.
 GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL
Contact Numbers
24 hrs/ 365 days
270-384-2006 or 9-1-1
Call before you dig
 



Visit
ColumbiaMagazine's
 Directory of Churches

Addresses, times,
phone numbers and more
for churches in Adair County
 

 
Find Great Stuff in
ColumbiaMagazine's
Classified Ads

Antiques, Help Wanted,
Autos, Real Estate,
Legal Notices, More...
 





  
Witnessing a callous cowbird act

Bizarro Mother's Day event in Bird World
Click on headline for photo(s), links

By Ed Waggener

We didn't crab our cameras while the egg-napping was underway, we we all saw it and remembered recent postings about brood parasitic birds.

While enjoying a pleasant day and iced tea on the carporch at Tillie's House with Bob Chelf, Pen and Tom, we saw a gray bird fly up to one of at least four Wild Pet nests Teresa and Tom have let become a part of the family. It looked like a parental visit, but we notice that the bird flew out with a beautiful light blue egg, and left it in the grass.


Then it occurred to all of us what we had witnessed. A cowbird usurping a Robin's Nest. When we climbed up the ladder for photo's expecting to see a mixture of robin's and cowbird eggs, we were surprised to see there were none.

Maybe we'll get a follow-up from Tillie, though for the moment she's entered the fortnight before her birthday, and, as is the the Marcum tradition, observance commence two weeks before the actual birthday and and continues for two weeks thereafter - so she's in birthday, not ornithology mode.

Some deep research into the subject of cowbirds' wicked ways was found rereading the Whitehurst diaries. It can be read by clicking to The Whitehurst Diaries: A bit of a bird mystery and a Cat Watch, an indepth essay replete with a photo of a blended bird family nest, suspect parasite: Cowbird.

And, for a Perp Species Portrait, click to http://www.columbiamagazine.com/index.php?sid=66788

This story was posted on 2014-05-11 08:27:13
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know.



Birds of KY: Of Birds & Bikes & Carolina Wrens



2014-05-05 - Shelby County, KY - Photo by Ed Waggener. Until the parent Carolina Wren gets used to human neighbors, it isn't a very good photographic subject. Little by little, they become more comfortable, and some bird whisperers have developed ways to get these and other birds to eat out of their hands. What they are: They're very innovative and opportunistic nest builders. This wren family is ensconced in the Lazer bicycle helmet. Bird talk on the carporch was that wrens have even been known to build nests in drying clothes on clothes line. And talk was first of the bird habits as being that of unwelcome guests, and the problems humankind has in segregating living quarters and how to keep them away. But in every personal instance of avian invasion, everyone agreed they had first permitted squatters right, and then became involved in the birds family lives - finding wild pets the best. Some even name each baby, knowing all the while that the short lives of many species can be filled with heartbreak - as well as great joy. From the appreciative nursery audio, the Lazer wren babies seem quite happy. From the yard and the landing areas, the parents teakettle-teakettle songs may have been lunch time wake up calls. For the skinny see: All-About Birds: Carolina Wren
Read More... | Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.



Birds of KY: A bizarro Mothers Day tale



2014-05-11 - Shelby County, KY - Photo by Ed Waggener. A robin in Tillie's backyard may have been one of her kind whose nest had just been violated by a marauding cowbird. As numerous as they are, and as admirable as they are in so many ways, one wonders if they aren't a little bird brained to allow cowbirds to egg-nap at will, then be duped into raising the cowbird's children.
Read More... | Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.



Birds of KY: A bizarro Mothers Day tale - Robins' nest



2014-05-11 - Shelby County, KY - Photo by Pen . It was a pleasant surprise to see left one of at least four temporary bird residences with occupants who had become part of the family. The robin's nest, was pretty in its own right. Two Carolina wren's nest on a tool shelf - with one in a bike helmet, had skittish little birds who were becoming people tolerant. We had all recently came up almost to speed on the devious practice of cowbirds and other brood parasitic types when we witness a cowbird in the act, carrying away a beautiful blue egg from the nest. In the right frame, all that was left was an empty nest.
Read More... | Comments? | Click here to share, print, or bookmark this photo.



More articles from topic Birds of Kentucky:

Birds of KY: Cowbird or Catbird? Vote is now Cowbird 4, Catbird 1

Wendy Bird: Hummingbirds should be back any minute now

Wendy Bird: A reminder to feed the birds today

Wendy Bird: Time to clean out birdhouses

Your birds are waiting to be counted!

Merlin Bird ID App Free from Cornell Labs

Birds of Kentucky: Sandhill Crane fly over Fairplay, KY

Kentucky Afield Outdoors: Be careful around least tern nests

News from Egypt: Delightful newcomer, a baby killdeer

Cowbird inhabiting Halsey barns are attentive parents

View even more articles in topic Birds of Kentucky
  

Bank of Columbia

BankColumbia.com
Member FDIC



115 Jamestown St.
Columbia, KY.
270-384-2496
 
















The Best of
Senior Quest
Local Stories of
The Greatest Generation

Order Book or e-Book


See who's celebrating
Birthdays and Anniversaries
in Columbia:

Special Events List
 








 
ColumbiaMagazine's
Veterans List

Click Here
 

Get weather alerts for Adair County



Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency





 
 
Quick Links to Popular Features

Looking for a story or picture?
Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com.

 

Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728.
Phone: 270.403.0017

Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.