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May 19th - FLEDGING DAYS! Scroll down to see the progression of the
five nestlings leaving the nest. Three of the fledglings left on the
19th, at 10 days old, the remaining two stayed overnight in the box and
fledged early on the 20th.
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Last look at all five!
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Second to go!
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Dad comes in and tries to coax the remaining three young to exit the box.
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Three left!
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The third one leaves just before nightfall.
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Early the next morning, the second to last young leaves the nest for good.
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Last to go!
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ALL GONE!
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May 19 - The male feeds a youngster another huge grub. Curiously, the female hasn't been seen around the nest box lately.
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May 18 - Notice how well-feathered the
chicks have already become. Within the next few days, the chicks will
have fledged. Many neotropical migrants, such as the Prothonotary
Warbler, have to develop very quickly so that they are capable of
travelling all the way to Central and South America by August.
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May 17 - The male treats his offspring
to a giant grub. Such large swamp grubs are the staple of the
Ivory-billed Woodpecker, a spectacular species very near extinction
whose habitat once included many of the same swamps favored by
Prothonotary Warblers.
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May 16 - As this shot and the one above it make clear,
both male and female Prothonotary Warblers feed the chicks. The female,
below, has slightly duller plumage.
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May 15 - The adult male nudges a chick into a more
favorable position, thereby allowing a peek at the chick's
conspicuously unfeathered bottom, which is excreting a fecal sac.
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May 14 - Here is the first shot showing the wide-open
gape of each chick. The gapes are brightly hued so that the parents are
stimulated to feed the chicks and not themselves.
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May 13 - The adult male Prothonotary Warbler stuffs a
grub into the eldest chick's mouth; the younger chicks can't open
theirs yet.
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May 12 - The female Prothonotary
Warbler arranges the young so that their beaks are slumped over their
breasts. This way, the young are less likely to roll over onto their
backs, a position from which they cannot restore themselves.
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May 11 - Reaffirming his commitment to his mate and offspring, the male feeds the female a grub while she tends to the nest.
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May 11 - The young develop quickly,
and within only about twenty-four hours after hatching, they can
instinctively open their gapes whenever an adult enters the nest box.
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May 10 - All of the young warblers
have hatched but one. They are altricial, meaning that they lack most
body feathers, and they are unable to prop themselves up.
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May 9 - Here, the male watches the first chick completely emerge from its shell.
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May 9 - The first chick is just starting to hatch! Over the next twenty-four hours, all five of them should come out.
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May 8 - The female tends to her eggs. These should hatch any day now.
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May 7 - The female glances up at the camera as she prepares to gulp a fat grub.
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May 6 - When incubating, the female
spreads her flank feathers and presses her incubation patch, an area of
warm, bare skin on her belly, over the eggs.
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May 5 - The female rotates the eggs
about twice daily. She does this to ensure that each part of the egg
receives enough warmth to develop properly.
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May 4 - Today the male gets it right
and arrives just in time to feed the female a grub. Notice how the
male's nape lacks a green hue, whereas the female's doesn't.
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May 3 - The male has snatched a grub to feed to the incubating female, but alas, unbeknownst to him, she snuck off the nest!
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May 2 - The female makes a quick jaunt
out of the nest. Whenever she's outside, the male, whom we seldom see
in the box, carefully chaperones her.
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May 1 - Twisting her head, the female
allows a nice view of her big, black eyes. That they are big can be
attributed to the dark swamp understorey in which these warblers dwell.
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Apr 30 - The female takes a peek
outside the box. During the incubatory period (only about ten days),
the female will stay here almost round-the-clock.
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Apr 29 - A sixth egg wasn't laid
today, so the clutch will stay put at five. Here the female cocks her
long black bill, much heavier than that of most other North American
warblers.
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Apr 28 - The male Prothonotary Warbler pokes his head into the nest box to survey his now robust clutch of five eggs.
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Apr 27 - As anticipated, a fourth egg was laid this morning. Here, the female carefully rotates her clutch.
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Apr 26 - An intruder! This Carolina
Wren infiltrated the nest, but didn't harm the clutch. He was probably
just looking to steal some nest material.
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Apr 26 - A third egg has appeared. The
female will continue to lay one egg each morning until her clutch is
complete (typical clutches for this species vary from four to seven).
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Apr 25 - Careful observation will
reveal two eggs in this shot. The female will often nestle the eggs
into a lining of moss, perhaps to warm them when she's out.
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Apr 24 - The first egg has appeared!
Laid sometime between 4:30 and 7:00 this morning, the egg is a glossy
white with brownish and purplish speckles.
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Apr 23 - Here's an interesting side
note while the female tends to the nest: This species' English namesake
(a prothonotary) is a high-ranking Catholic clergyman who dons
brilliant yellow robes.
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Apr 22 - The female Prothonotary
Warbler is the nest's primary architect. Though the male may help stock
a few materials, his primary role is to guard the nest site while the
female is working.
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April 21 - Here, the male brings nest materials into the box. Though
the female (sitting on nest) is slightly duller than the male, both
posses striking yellow hues. |
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April 20 - While so far this spring very few warbler species have
reached the Lab here in Ithaca, NY, the handsome Prothonotary Warbler
has already begun nesting in Eastern Texas. |
