A few days ago I noticed a male brown-headed cowbird sitting on the wire fairly close to an active house-finch nest. The finches were not making a fuss in his presence. The next day, 2 eggs were smashed on the porch. The finches are still hanging around the nest, however, and being busy and fussy. I've not had a chance to see if the female is actually sitting on the nest or not. The nest seems to be loose and to have been disturbed.
I am finding conflicting and confusing information about cowbird parasitization – would the female cowbird actually push the finches eggs from the nest? Does the male have any involvement in choosing the nest? -- Michele Interlaken / Ovid The Hayward House Bed & Breakfast www.thehaywardhouse.com ~ -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
