Tree buds are a large part of their staple diet during winter and spring. Breaking a twig off complete with swollen, sticky buds and giving it to a brooding female could explain the behaviour of the Elton bird. Surprising its not more common. Will be interesting to see if it spreads across the local population.
The mystery remains as to why the bird at Elton was carrying a stick. Obviously not nest lining but maybe as a tool of some sort. These are highly intelligent birds. I have seen a Grey Heron repeatedly poke a stick held in its bill into a pool - presumably to stir up small fish or disturb frogs
Bird studied in their home range generally do not line the nest holes with anything. There has been no published research into the northern populations breeding any differently than their southern cousins. It is something a few of us have been trying to establish over the past few years but as yet, it's very much data deficient.
My only experience of breeding Ring-necks has been with captive birds a long time ago but I do remember them taking stuff into the nest box. This was possibly because they couldn't do any excavation of their own ?? The boxes were only lined with a couple of inches of saw-dust.
I do know that the nesting holes of wild birds are very hard to study due to the nest holes usually being inaccessable and that they like to select a hole with a "twist or turn" into a chamber ...... helps to stop predation but also stops nosey people having a peep inside !
Roger.
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Blessed is the man who expecteth little reward ..... for he shall seldom be disappointed.
From my own observations, the Parakeets will be egg laying around mid March and the young will be fully fledged by the end of May. Activity around the nest hole (excavating or just a bit of Spring cleaning) will typically start in January. From what I've read, they don't line the hole with anything apart from the odd green feather, so I can't imagine the Elton bird's twig was meant for a nest. I've never seen a Parakeet carrying anything, so it's quite an unusual sighting.
-- Edited by Tony Darby on Saturday 25th of April 2015 05:01:32 PM
