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Wednesday, July 7, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Tales from a
Sisters
Naturalist
by Jim Anderson
Hot birds
are not
happy birds
Well, good people, the
heat is upon us. You and I,
when it gets too hot, can
remove clothing, just like
we can add clothing when
we get too cool. But for our
birds it9s an entirely different
story. They can not add or
remove anything; they have
to find a way to cool down.
Sure, they can get in the
shade 4 just like we do 4
and they can immerse them-
selves in water and allow
evaporation to cool them
off. But these options are
limited.
Here9s how we can help.
In the photo below, Andy
Thomas, a dedicated birder,
is showing his method of
suppling a fine mist for birds
to step into, to envelope
themselves with tiny drop-
lets of water that will then
evaporate and cool them
down. Andy has used his
household equipment to rig
up a mister by clamping a
hose with a misting head to
his porch railing and misting
the shrubs in his backyard.
In the photo to the right
is another device that Sandy
Leaptrott uses. It9s an
Aeromist, a portable misting
tower. It works slick as snot
on a doorknob at providing
just the right pressurized
water to help cool down our
birds. She also gets an <A=
for placing that terra-cotta
plant saucer under the tripod
for the drippings to fill it so
it becomes a birdbath for her
sparrows.
Unlike Andy9s device,
however, which would
require moving the house to
put it in a different location,
(ha ha) you can just pick
up the Aeromist and plunk
it down in a different spot.
You can obtain additional
info on the Aeromist at
www.aeromist.com.
A
WORD
OF
WARNING! Before you
erect or place a mister,
make sure you9re not going
to flood a bird nest nearby.
That could be a different
type of tragedy, getting the
babies wet.
PHOTO BY ANDY THOMAS
It’s not wasted water.
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Please review what I
received from Elise Wolf of
Native Bird Care of Sisters,
who has been rehabbing
small birds since Hector was
a pup.
<My guess is baby birds
in nest boxes, on homes,
and others in more exposed
areas are dying by the thou-
sands right now from excess
heat. Baby birds cannot ther-
moregulate until they have
some feathers. However,
bird temps run high, so
they can tolerate some heat.
Open-nest parents (such
as robins) will incubate to
try to cool babies. But the
excessive heat we9ve expe-
rienced lately may be more
than they can handle.=
Here9s some of her
options:
For birds in nesting
boxes: Make sure the nest
box is facing north and in a
shaded area. Do this incre-
mentally if you must move
it a long way. If the birds
are near fledging, this may
prompt them to jump out,
but better that than being
baked. Or add an umbrella
(for shade) above the box.
Or strap freezer ice packs
to the base and top of the
nesting box. (Do not spray
the box with water. That
will make it hot and humid
for the babies 4 not good.
Also, fungus grows fast in
hot, wet environments and
aspergillosis is a risk for any
bird exposed to that situa-
tion.) Make sure a nesting
box has vent holes.
If birds are nesting on the
home: If they are near the
roof, they are cooking right
now. Options are to move
the birds to an open nest box
(appropriately sized) and
install it as close to the origi-
nal area as you can. Keep it
completely shaded and not
up against the roof. If babies
are gaping and chirping, this
is an easier task to accom-
plish as the parents will hear
where their babies have been
moved to. Once the parents
are actively attending to the
babies in the new box, you
can move it incrementally
to a cooler location. About
a foot every hour or so. Just
keep watching the
parents to ensure
they are coming
and going. Be on
high alert to how
much stress you
are causing the
parents. You do not
want to cause them
to abandon the
babies. Swallows
especially are
high-stress birds.
Take more time if
that is what they
need.
Open nesters:
Other than shad-
ing the birds better,
just not much we
can do. If you try
to mist them, you
can wind up mak-
ing the nest wet,
PHOTO BY SANDY LEAPTROTT
and that would just A portable misting tower.
not be good.
These are all good interventions can be more
suggestions, but some- disruptive than the original
times unnatural human threats to life and welfare.
So, please, be cautious.
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