Build a flicker nest and save your house
How in the world does an animal build itself a house, in this case a nest, using just its mouth? Though not a riddle, the answer might be either one piece at a time or very carefully.
The point was driven home in the last couple of days after seeing birds flying about with twigs in their beaks. That and discussions with people who are upset about flickers — a member of the woodpecker family — drilling holes in stucco siding.
May is the month when many bird species that nest here return from their winter homes. The peak for arriving migratory songbirds, like orioles and yellow warblers, is in mid- to late-May.
At that point, the race is on to build a nest, find a mate, lay eggs, raise young and head south for the winter all over again. All of which, depending on the species, takes place in three months or so.
Most bird nests are camouflaged or at least inconspicuous, like the flicker. A bug eating specialist we love, until it bangs a hole in the side of our house. Our love-hate relationship with flickers and their woodpecker cousins begins in the spring. That’s when songbirds sing and woodpeckers peck.
Whether seeking a mate, marking their territory or just communicating with others, woodpeckers will drum on a hard surface, making as loud a noise as possible. Sometimes that hard surface is on a house, like the metal flashing around a chimney. Because of the construction of the bird’s skull, it doesn’t get a headache from the pounding. But the homeowner does.
The real pain, however, starts when woodpeckers need a nest and decides to create one by knocking a hole in a building with stucco siding. Because flickers and woodpeckers are protected by law, there are few options available to a homeowner — curse at them (doesn’t really work), fix the hole in the side of the house after the nesting season (leave a hole all summer, don’t think so), or build a house for them hoping to lure them away (interesting).
There is a good book on the subject, “Woodworking for Wildlife,” by Carroll Henderson, published by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. It’s on the Internet, as are the dimensions to a flicker house.
For birds that build nests one twig at a time, some creations are tidy and would make a finish carpenter jealous, like those put together by orioles and cliff swallows. Others, such as mourning doves, look like a teenager’s bedroom after a slumber party.
Tidy or messy, a nest usually takes less than a week to build, many times just a few days. And most anything at hand is fair game — bits of clothing, feathers from other birds, discarded fishing line, even, according to one story, a five-dollar bill.
Whatever it takes, the nest needs to be secure and protected from the weather and predators. Sometimes they are successful, sometimes not, but either way, birds and their nests are works of art.
Bruce Auchly is the information officer for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 4.