Birds And Their Homes (1967)

foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] follow her flight and you can find her home in a tree see the Robin on the nest this is one of many myths that you can find of course you have to know where to look look high in a tree there's the nest of a horned owl look low in a bush there is the nest of a song Sparrow bird homes are made of many different materials the yellow warbler uses bits of grass for building along with hair pieces of cloth and any other soft materials she can find she uses her body to shape her home making it into a good secure place to lay eggs and raise her Young The Nest will help protect the young warblers until they're old enough to care for themselves in this tree we can see a bird home of most unusual design built by a Baltimore Oriole this is a hanging Nest attached to the ends of branches by long strands of grass and bark densely woven grass and bits of string form deep walls making this a secure shelter for the eggs inside at the bottom of the nest the eggs are protected from wind rain and sun here the parent Oriole will spend much of her time sitting on the eggs keeping them warm until they hatch the downy woodpecker doesn't build a nest this bird simply drills a hole in a dead tree and lays its eggs inside the holes in the wood are small enough so that few other animals can get inside so this home protects the woodpeckers from animal enemies food is found nearby also in a tree the Woodpecker is listening for beetles and other insects beneath the bark many of the insects that woodpeckers eat are found in trees the horned Lark looks for its food on the ground its nest is also on the ground hidden in the grass it's important not to touch the eggs or the nest too much if people disturb the eggs or the young of birds the parents won't come back the mother Lark has returned she will sit on her eggs keeping them warm so they will hatch the fledglings are quite helpless and almost always hungry finding food for them is a full-time job the mother Lark makes hundreds of trips each day carrying insects to her family on the ground some of the nests that are most difficult to find are found in Marsh areas in the midst of reeds and other tall plants here just above the water is the home of a red-winged blackbird the baby blackbirds are partially hidden from our view by the tall Marsh plants which also hide the birds from other animals The Nest is fastened to the tall plants with Twisted strands of coarse grass finer grass is used in the inner lining of the nest forming a soft warm bed for the babies mother Blackbird has the job of feeding the young ones another bird that lives in the marsh is the coot it builds a nest that floats like a raft here through tall Marsh weeds we see baby herons in their nest this bird home was easy to make the Reeds have been simply pushed into a bowl-like shape as soon as it is old enough to Wade the fledgling Heron begins searching for fish and insects found in the water other birds that find their food in the water are these turns huge flocks of turns swarm along the seashore and on large lake beaches look carefully across the beach and you can see many eggs just resting in the sand it seems strange to see the eggs out in the open like this the sand doesn't seem to offer much protection but the parent turns shelter the eggs with their bodies and the whole flock will use their sharp beaks to attack any enemies who may venture too near even if the parents should leave the eggs for a while they probably won't be bothered although the eggs are not in nests each egg is camouflaged by its markings which blend in with pebbles on the sand that's why it's difficult to see the eggs from far away on the side of a riverbank we can find the homes of another kind of bird which lives near the water the bank swallow the holes in the side of the bank have been dug out by the swallows as places to hide their nests flocks of these birds are generally found living together in colonies each swallow family lives in one hole the hole is the opening to a tunnel that goes back several feet into the soil where the nest is built both mother and father swallow sit on the eggs and care for their young another kind of swallow builds its home out of mud since it can only carry one droplet of mud at a time the swallow must make hundreds of trips to build its home such nests are often attached to the sides of Barns and abandoned buildings homes built by men have become the preferred nesting places of many birds this house is no longer used by people and neither is the chimney so it makes a perfect shelter for another bird the chimney swift look down deep inside the chimney and you can see the nest of this bird what a safe secure place for the chimney swift to lay eggs and raise its young can you see how a hollow chimney is something like a hollow tree such trees are the natural homes of Chimney Swifts another bird that seeks out man-made structures for its home is the Eastern Phoebe the Phoebe builds a large nest of many different materials leaves Moss hair feathers and mud are all worked together to make a well protected home for the fledgling phoebees this Robin has built her home on a nesting shelf which was made for her by Kathy and Steve With a Little Help from their dad they're very proud to have a robin nesting in their home if you wish to build a home for a bird you must decide what kind of bird it is for make the home and entrance just the right size if you've done a good job Birds such as this Wren May set up housekeeping in the home you've built a home made for purple martins is like an apartment house it has many openings and a separate apartment for each nest building homes for birds and watching them build their nest can bring you enjoyment and can help you learn a lot about birds and how they live [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you