At Green Lake this morning, I spotted M&F Hairy woodpeckers going in
and
out of a nest cavity in a willow snag, and I watched a couple of
bushtits
working on their hanging nest in a larch tree. The nest is still
pretty thin
and when a bird gets inside and starts banging around in there, the
nest just shakes like jello. It's amazing that they can stay
together!

I'm curious about the woodpeckers. When the young ones emerge, will
they hang around the parents and the nest for some time (so I can get
a good look at them), or do they all just head out and celebrate
life, as
it were. I assume that the young will follow the parent around,
like with
other birds, but do they return from time to time to the nest? Or
spend
the night there?

Bob Mauritsen
bluetooth at csi.com