The bluebirds alternately perch on the box, then poke inside and once again rearrange the nest they’re building. When a starling drops by for a visit, they aggressively defend their turf and chase the intruder away. But still no eggs.
The phoebe keeps checking out and repairing its nest under the eave of our house, but seems in no hurry to lay eggs, either.
The bald eagle, on the other hand, has been committed to parenthood for weeks. The first of 3 eggs at a nest at the Decorah Trout Hatchery hatched on April 4, after a month-long incubation period. (Check out the web camera at http://www.luther.edu/eaglecam/stream/)
While not on a live camera, a pair of Canada geese has built their nest in a highly visible wetland adjacent to Iowa Highway 3 where it crosses the Wapsipinicon River in Bremer County. With cars a trucks zooming by, the goose hunkered down on her nest atop a muskrat house. The gander stretched out on the water in front of her, trying to make himself invisible – but ready to defend his mate, if necessary.
To each his own. The canary-yellow goldfinches won’t even think of breeding for months – waiting until late summer so they’ll have an ample supply of thistle down to line their nest.
We’ll have a whole season of entertainment with mating rituals and songs from a host of birds. Look. Listen. Enjoy!