The thunder rolled and lightning danced among the jagged peaks as a summer rainstorm soaked the alpine meadows of California’s Sierra Nevada.
Our parkas were zipped tight and heads down as we plodded through puddles en route to the next golden trout lake.
Suddenly, a large bird I had nearly stepped on exploded awkwardly from the ground as it fled from my approaching footsteps, then circled back, heading right for me.
I ducked, and the hiker behind looked like a swashbuckling swordsman as he fended off the attacking bird with his fishing rod while yelling, “Is it a chicken?”
There was hardly enough oxygen to breathe at this 11,000-foot elevation, but convulsive laughter made it even worse.
“No,” I gasped while still laughing, “it’s a grouse and there must be eggs nearby.”
Sure enough, under a bush next to the wilderness trail we spotted a crude ground nest with several spotted buffy brown eggs.
The sooty grouse had first tried to lure us away from the nest by acting like an injured bird. When that didn’t work, she attacked.
Not wanting to disturb Mama grouse or her nest, we quickly moved on.
A few days later while trimming plants here at Mt. Hoo, I was startled when a female hooded oriole flew from a nearby rubber tree while making all kinds of noise.
Investigating further, I found an intricately woven pendant nest dangling from a branch and a hungry oriole chick with mouth wide open waiting for the next meal.
Currently, the beaches of Torrey Pines are crowded with photographers hoping for that perfect picture of peregrine falcon chicks being raised in crude scrape nests placed on precarious perches, high on the sandstone cliffs.
Typically, we think of a bird nest as a well-formed, woven cup lovingly lined with small grass and soft feathers, but there are an amazing variety of nests used by our feathered friends, including no nest at all.
Bird nests can vary from crude and simple to intricate and complex. Some are even multipurpose.
I turned to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for more insight into types of wild bird nests.
There are five primary kinds: the traditional cup nest, cavity, pendant, scrape or ground, and burrow nests.
And while we think of nests being in trees, locations can range from low shrubs to on the ground, in buildings, floating on water or on cliffs.
The encounter with the grouse was not my first experience with a ground nest.
While hiking on Palomar Mountain I nearly stepped on the spotted eggs of a killdeer lying exposed on rocky ground in an open meadow. The eggs blended almost perfectly with the gravelly soil.
The killdeer and the black-necked stilts are two local species that simply lay their eggs on the ground with no obvious nest. While exposed to danger from predators, their color and camouflage of random spots are designed to make them nearly invisible.
Several small shorebirds, including plovers, terns, willets and sanderlings, also nest right on the sand on open beaches.
Visitors to La Jolla right now will easily spot cormorants nesting on the sandstone cliffs, using clumps of dried seaweed as a meager cushion for their large eggs.
By contrast, the hooded orioles build deep pouch or pendant nests that are sewn into place with the fibers from palm fronds.
So, why are wild bird nests different?
Instinct and perhaps tradition are two factors along with the primary purpose of providing a secure place to ensure survival of eggs and chicks.
Additionally, predators, weather, habitat and the availability of materials will be other contributing factors determining nest location and design.
Cactus wrens, for example, may build several pouch nests, but only one is used for laying eggs. The others are used as roost shelters from intense summer heat.
Burrowing owls are also desert dwellers and have adapted by digging burrows underground for nesting and shelter.
Some smaller birds, such as cavity nesting house wrens, will find locations with small entry holes to prevent larger predator birds from raiding the nest.
Wrens will also quickly embrace birdhouses provided by homeowners, if the entry hole is about an inch in diameter.
Other cavity nesters such as woodpeckers will make holes in trees, and those can also be adopted by tree swallows, flickers, kestrels and chickadees.
Hawks, eagles and ospreys build huge platform nests that can be more than 6 feet wide and several feet deep. These nests are often used for several years, with repairs and additions added each year.
Hummingbirds are very tolerant of people and often nest in hanging flower baskets or shrubbery just outside of your windows.
Their tiny cup nests are made with small grass, moss and spider webs that give them an elastic quality and allow them to expand as chicks grow. If you have hummingbirds around your home, you likely have nests nearby.
One of the more unusual nesting techniques is the floating nest of the grebe.
Lake Hodges near Escondido is a major grebe nesting location where birders enjoy following the nesting process that begins with the weaving of reeds into floating mats where eggs are then deposited.
Loons, coots, rails and gallinules are also floating nest builders.
The grebe nests are anchored to reeds, so they don’t drift away, but the surrounding water keeps them safe from coyotes, raccoons and marauding foxes looking to eat eggs.
This is spring nesting season, so keep a sharp eye out while in the outdoors and see if you can discover a bird nest.
House wren nesting update
Six of the seven eggs in our Mt. Hoo house wren nestbox have hatched, and hungry chicks are being fed by both wren parents.
It’s been exciting to watch through the eyes of a tiny camera inside the box.
The chicks should be ready to leave the nest around May 28.
If you would like to follow daily updates and see video clips and photos, visit the Mt. Hoo Wren Nesting Facebook page.
Cowan is a freelance columnist. Email [email protected] or visit erniesoutdoors.blogspot.com.
