Please help identify - Randolph County, West Virginia (1 Viewer)

[Wvbirds]

Hey all! I joined this forum specifically to ask this question, but now that I’m here I anticipate being more active!

This bird occupied an old nest that was built by a previous bird. It is roughly the size of baseball when nesting.

I found it in Randolph County, WV on January 2nd 2020. It nests at night, leaves the nest during the day. I only have a picture of it at night when nesting.

I really do not have any idea and it’s baffling me. Any help is much appreciated!!

 

[rkj]

Welcome to the forum. I hope someone can help you. A blackish bird with white spots? All I can think of offhand is a European Starling. Whatever it is, at this time of year in West Virginia it would surely be roosting rather than nesting. Nesting implies it has eggs or nestlings - unlikely now. It is probably just sleeping in a safe warm place.

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Brown Creeper?

 

[ryckfour]

That was my thought

 

[ryckfour]

That was my thought

Brown creeper

 

[Microtus]

Welcome, Wvbirds. Your bird looks like a Carolina Wren that's using another species' nest to sleep in at night. Carolina Wrens start nesting in March and build a different kind of nest.

 

[The Bird Nuts]

Carolina Wren is correct. When they lift their back feathers to keep warm (or sometimes when they're singing) those spots are exposed.

 

[rkj]

Looking again, it does seem too brown to be a starling.

 

[Wvbirds]

Thanks everybody! Problem solved!

 

[Karinp77]

Hey all! I joined this forum specifically to ask this question, but now that I’m here I anticipate being more active!

This bird occupied an old nest that was built by a previous bird. It is roughly the size of baseball when nesting.

I found it in Randolph County, WV on January 2nd 2020. It nests at night, leaves the nest during the day. I only have a picture of it at night when nesting.

I really do not have any idea and it’s baffling me. Any help is much appreciated!!

At first glance I thought it wasn’t a bird but it does look like feathers! I’m going to have to wait and see what others say I have no idea! Take more pictures and maybe we can see it’s head. 😊

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Happy to learn about Carolina Wren behaviour, I would have expected brown creeper to have been roosting upright, or even in a crevice in bark, so happy to know that it wasn’t.