Fun Fact Friday! Nesting season edition: Understanding the nesting activities of wild birds helps us coexist!🐣 Did you know that the Northern Cardinal may have up to 3 different broods of young in a single season!?! They are one of the first baby birds to arrive at the Centre each spring and one of the last to arrive in September! The key to their success is teamwork! A year-round resident, many Cardinal pairs stay together throughout the year and maintain their strong bond through sweet courtship gestures such as gift giving. When spring arrives, they are ready to begin their nesting season together! In early spring, the female starts exploring potential nesting sites while the male follows her. They 'discuss' the nesting location with calls back and forth, often while carrying nesting material. Cardinals typically look for a forked branch, which allows them to secure the nest material tightly in place. Once they have agreed on a location, they begin building their nest. The female does the majority of the construction, using her strong beak to crush twigs until they are pliable enough to form a cup shape. Meanwhile, the male assists by gathering and delivering materials, as well as bringing food to the female during the building process. After the nest is completed, the female lays 2 to 5 eggs and incubates them for 11 to 13 days, with the male continuing to provide her with food. The young hatch with sparse grey down and a red-orange gape outlined in yellow. Although Cardinals are common feeder birds that enjoy a variety of seeds, they change their diet to primarily insects while feeding their young. Both parents participate in feeding, with the female often calling from the nest when food is needed. By two weeks of age, the fledglings are ready to leave the nest and begin learning how to fly. Once the young have left the nest, the male primarily takes on the responsibility of caring for them, allowing the female a brief period to replenish her strength before she starts nest #2 or #3! Help Cardinals in your backyard by providing piles of small sticks, rootlets, dried grass, and bark strips to collect for their nest! #NorthernCardinal #FunFactFriday (fb)

The incubators are starting to fill up at the Centre with a variety of young songbirds. 🥰 This young Common Grackle was a few days too young to be out of the nest on their own. Found weak, off balance, and dehydrated, they are lucky to have been rescued before their condition declined further. Now in the safe, warm comfort of an incubator, receiving specialized hand-fed meals every 20 minutes, this Grackle will be hopping around and flying very soon. Many young birds cannot fly well when they first leave the nest, and they can look awkward. However, healthy fledglings should be able to stand fully on their feet (not resting on their legs), have open and alert eyes, no signs of injuries or bugs on their body, and no visible skin when perched. If you are ever unsure if a baby bird should be rescued, please call us 613-854-2849. We can accept photos via text to help us determine the next best steps for each unique situation. (fb)