For a couple of months, I have been getting off the trail to look for a great crested flycatcher’s nest. These birds build in holes in trees. I’ve checked several promising holes without luck.
The telltale sign is snakeskin. More than any other bird in the Georgia Piedmont, great crested flycatchers weave snakeskins into their nests.
I examined yet another cavity this week. Still no luck. But The New York Times had a story on the phenomenon. The article said researchers at Cornell University had found higher survival rates among birds incubating eggs in nests built with snakeskin.
One theory: small mammals that like eggs don’t like snakes.
• Sources: Kate Goembiewski, “Snakeskin Isn’t Just a Fashion Statement for Birds”; The New York Times, Jan. 25, 2025. It’s here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/25/science/snakeskin-birds-nests.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
The original note on this quest, “Seek, and maybe you’ll find,” Dec. 5, 2024, is here:
https://hebertaylor.blogspot.com/2024/12/seek-and-maybe-youll-find.html
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