Songbirds

Songbirds is the term frequently used to describe birds that are not birds of prey, doves or pigeons, precocial birds or hummingbirds. The number of species of songbirds is overwhelming. San Diego county is host to hundreds of species- some as permanent residents and some following their instinctual migratory path to points north or south, depending on the species and the time of year. Frustrated amateur bird watchers often refer to the songbirds as "LBJ's" (Little Brown Jobbers). Although few are just brown, the numbers and the volume of sub-species of songbirds can stymie the most proficient observer.

There are several basic generalities in behavior that do apply to songbirds and may be of interest to those who enjoy watching and feeding them. Nest building is an instinctual task done at the beginning of spring, often by both the male and female of the species. Nests come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are constructed using many different materials including, but certainly not limited to, mud, twigs, mammal hair, home insulation material and scraps of paper. Nests are built not only in trees, but in outdoor potted plants, under house eaves and in attic vents. Some birds, such as the meadowlark, build their nests in tall grassy patches of open fields. Some birds don't bother to build nests, rather they simply deposit their eggs in someone else's nest. Our native brown-headed cowbird is famous for this activity. It's not uncommon to find a poor little house finch saddled with a screaming baby who's twice her size and doesn't begin to resemble her other babies. Nine times out of ten, it's a young cowbird. This baby cowbird will be raised along with its unsimilar nestmates and kicked out of the nest at the same time its pseudo-siblings are ready to leave.

Egg-laying, another instinctual duty, is performed once the nest building is done. Not all eggs are laid on the same day, rather, often several days apart. On an average, a songbird egg needs a two week incubation period prior to hatching. Both parents will generally alternate egg-sitting. Once the eggs hatch, another 14 days (average) is needed for the babies to become fully fledged and ready to leave the nest. Oftentimes, a two week old fledgling is kicked out of the nest, along with his 10-12 day old siblings who aren't quite ready to leave. This unfortunately accounts for many young birds falling prey to other animals. Even the fledgling bird, the one ready to leave the nest, needs time to practice his flying before he becomes completely independent of his parents. Contrary to popular belief, fallen youngsters can be put back in their nest, or even a nest substitute, if the original nest is destroyed or inaccessible. A margarine tub with drainage holes makes a great alternate nest. The substitute nest may be placed anywhere in the vicinity of the original nest, i.e. in a nearby tree or a lower branch of the same tree. In most cases, the parent birds will find the babies and continue to care for them, locating them by their vocalizations, not by their smell.

Many birds will double or triple clutch in any given birthing season (spring and summer). This means that they may lay several sets of eggs, and raise several clutches of babies, based upon their perceptions of the weather and available food supply.

Adult birds do not use their nests year-round. Nests are only for the raising of their young. Once the baby season is over, the nests are abandoned. Often, however, adult birds will return the following year to either the same nest or the same area to begin the cycle anew.

The old adage, "The early bird gets the worm", doesn't apply to all songbirds. While some of them do eat worms, many others eat only vegetation, seeds from native plants or bird feeders, flying insects, fruits or nectar. Many others eat a combination of all of the above. The shape of a bird's beak determines what its diet will be.

Although songbirds exhibit many inherent similarities, each species is most easily identified by its colors. That tiny bit of fluorescent blue seen zipping across the meadow is most probably a Western or Mountain bluebird. Those glossy black birds with big red spots on their wings are, of course, red-winged blackbirds. The orioles, tanagers and even the common house finch delight us with their adult or mating plumage. These few plus hundreds of others are found right here in Ramona. Enjoy them, appreciate their benefits, and treasure their presence. Loss of habitat not only displaces larger birds and mammals, but the smaller ones as well. How sad the day when we no longer have the sweet music of our native songbirds.

— Cindy Traisi