• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Wryneck feeding like a woodpecker (1 Viewer)

another observation...

I found 2 birdhouses near the Wryneck's nest with... one egg inside ! The nest itself had 9 eggs.
The first box is maybe 30 meters from the nest - also in a birdhouse - the other maybe 200 m.
Another intriguing detail, both of these nesting boxes with one single egg have some moss, down, etc inside (these boxes are usually used by tits), while the used nest has been emptied (wonder how they did it, it was a huge multilayer nest, but they managed to pull it outside in one piece) with 9 eggs laid.
Now I wonder if this is some weird behavior to discourage other birds to nest in these boxes ?
Anyone has heard something like this about Wrynecks ? Of course it could be another couple who had to abandon the nest, but I didn't see any fight near the nest...
 

Attachments

  • jynx_torquilla_01_min.jpg
    jynx_torquilla_01_min.jpg
    109.8 KB · Views: 34
Thanks Ken ! (for info you have to click on thumbnails under the photo I linked to see better shots), their population is apparently growing recently in my area, I had seen or heard some of them since many years, but couldn't come as close as these ones. Maybe that species will also rise in numbers in England soon, with more nesting couples ?
 
Thanks Ken ! (for info you have to click on thumbnails under the photo I linked to see better shots), their population is apparently growing recently in my area, I had seen or heard some of them since many years, but couldn't come as close as these ones. Maybe that species will also rise in numbers in England soon, with more nesting couples ?

Yes...along with Red-backed Shrike, they would be well received in the UK. Wryneck "occasionally" breeds in the Scottish Highlands, and several pairs of Red-backed Shrikes have recently bred at a "secret" location in the South West of the UK....so here's hoping. :t:
 
Yes...along with Red-backed Shrike, they would be well received in the UK. Wryneck "occasionally" breeds in the Scottish Highlands, and several pairs of Red-backed Shrikes have recently bred at a "secret" location in the South West of the UK....so here's hoping. :t:

I understand both of them were present in England/UK... I don't know why they became so rare.

Reading local reports, it seems Wrynecks respond very well to the number of nesting boxes. Apparently they prefer wood-concrete nest boxes, and they like to have a choice, several boxes not too far away, in suitable habitats... I suppose your local conservation groups are already taking advantage of these facts to allow the population to grow around any nesting couples.

Red-backed Shrikes are also quite common in continental Europe, I have both species nesting in my patch of land, typical mixed habitat countryside, not some wild area (at least not ecologically speaking).
 
Warning! This thread is more than 7 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top