Subject: Cowbird Hosts
Date: Jul 13 15:49:57 1997
From: bboek at olympus.net - bboek at olympus.net


Dear Tweeters,

Brown-headed Cowbirds seem abundant in the Sequim-Dungeness, WA, area
this year. I'm not sure if there are more than usual, as my sample size
(no. of observation years) is small, but they do seem very apparent.

In the last four days I've witnessed juvenile cowbirds begging from and
being fed by two host parents, one time by a Song Sparrow in sedges and
willows at the edge of a small freshwater stream and one time by a male
American Goldfinch on a vegetated coastal bluff. You probably know the
scenario -- big cowbird chick, begging very loudly and persistently,
seemingly working the host parent to exhaustion. It's real ear-catching
if you're in tune with bird sounds.

I was thinking that Tweeters might be a good place to make an informal
survey of cowbird hosts observed this year. What hosts have been seen by
all you knowledgeable Tweeters folks this year, in the act of feeding
cowbird chicks or incubating cowbird eggs? Thanks for your input, if
you're inclined to respond. (This is admittedly not very scientific,
but, hey, I'm curious).

Bob Boekelheide
Sequim