Who doesn't like to collect bird nests, eh? Many are such compelling objects even if they don't blow out of their trees. I liked the mud nests with the image showing the saliva glue. In southeast Asian caves (Borneo, Thailand, Phillipines) swiftlets build cup nests made entirely of saliva. These are prized for bird nest soup in Chinese cuisine, and have been for centuries (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_bird's_nest) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiftlet). Collecting such nests in several of Borneo's huge caves used to be a dangerous way to make a living, but with bird nests selling for over $4000 a pound, people now build concrete structures to induce the swiftlets to nest in them, in effect farming bird nests. I have seen swiftlet nests in a cave in Borneo that also contained a flowing creek. Very neat!
Walter, have you ever eaten bird nest soup? I have not and would love to know what it's like. Without having to taste it myself.
Thanks for the info on how they collect the nests -- I've seen videos of the dangerous retrieval of those nests from cliffs, so the farming seems safer for humans, perhaps sadder for swiftlets imagining they've found a perfect nesting site only to have it removed over and over again.
I have not eaten bird nest soup. Wikipedia reports $30 to $100 for a bowl. Expensive bird spit, yes? World production is over 3000 metric tons. Apparently, the birds can replace a harvested nest. Here is part of an abstract I found: "Removal of nests did not affect the size or quality of replacement nests or clutches, but may aggravate the lipid shortage. Nest removal did reduce breeding success in replacement nests and, in the White‐nest Swiftlet, disturbance to the colony resulted in an increased laying interval between first and second eggs." There is some evidence that the concrete nest houses increases the population of swiftlets. Globally, it's an $8.5 industry. Who knew bird spit could be that valuable.
I work at a wildlife sanctuary in Virginia. In early spring hummingbirds appear around our building to collect spider webs from under the eaves for their nests. The blue-gray gnatcatchers build works of art, also using spider silk, lichen and other materials. There is a pair that nests in the same tree, same branch every year. Some years the nest has looked like a porcelain bowl up in the tree. One year we had heavy spring rains. The nest was so thoroughly, thickly woven that the water did not drain easily from the nest and the nestlings drowned. It is hard when you become vested in the lives of individual animals in the park, and then tragedy occurs.
Oh wow, I am always fascinated by the perfect jewels of hummingbird nests, though I've only seen pictures and never an actual nest in the wild. I did read in my research for this issue that most nests drain water by design, with the parent bird sitting on top as a type of avian umbrella so to speak. But that wouldn't help if the nest was capable of collecting water. Thank you for sharing that story. I hope the hummingbirds have kept returning each year...
One of my most favorite birds is the wee bushtit. It constructs an amazing hanging bag of a nest. Last year there was one built hanging over the sidewalk a half block from our house. When one walked under it, one could hear all this cheeping coming from inside! Very endearing.
Their nests apparently look like tube socks and hang from trees like those of the weaverbird. So much depends on their constructing a strong starting knot...
Who doesn't like to collect bird nests, eh? Many are such compelling objects even if they don't blow out of their trees. I liked the mud nests with the image showing the saliva glue. In southeast Asian caves (Borneo, Thailand, Phillipines) swiftlets build cup nests made entirely of saliva. These are prized for bird nest soup in Chinese cuisine, and have been for centuries (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edible_bird's_nest) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiftlet). Collecting such nests in several of Borneo's huge caves used to be a dangerous way to make a living, but with bird nests selling for over $4000 a pound, people now build concrete structures to induce the swiftlets to nest in them, in effect farming bird nests. I have seen swiftlet nests in a cave in Borneo that also contained a flowing creek. Very neat!
Walter, have you ever eaten bird nest soup? I have not and would love to know what it's like. Without having to taste it myself.
Thanks for the info on how they collect the nests -- I've seen videos of the dangerous retrieval of those nests from cliffs, so the farming seems safer for humans, perhaps sadder for swiftlets imagining they've found a perfect nesting site only to have it removed over and over again.
I have not eaten bird nest soup. Wikipedia reports $30 to $100 for a bowl. Expensive bird spit, yes? World production is over 3000 metric tons. Apparently, the birds can replace a harvested nest. Here is part of an abstract I found: "Removal of nests did not affect the size or quality of replacement nests or clutches, but may aggravate the lipid shortage. Nest removal did reduce breeding success in replacement nests and, in the White‐nest Swiftlet, disturbance to the colony resulted in an increased laying interval between first and second eggs." There is some evidence that the concrete nest houses increases the population of swiftlets. Globally, it's an $8.5 industry. Who knew bird spit could be that valuable.
I work at a wildlife sanctuary in Virginia. In early spring hummingbirds appear around our building to collect spider webs from under the eaves for their nests. The blue-gray gnatcatchers build works of art, also using spider silk, lichen and other materials. There is a pair that nests in the same tree, same branch every year. Some years the nest has looked like a porcelain bowl up in the tree. One year we had heavy spring rains. The nest was so thoroughly, thickly woven that the water did not drain easily from the nest and the nestlings drowned. It is hard when you become vested in the lives of individual animals in the park, and then tragedy occurs.
Oh wow, I am always fascinated by the perfect jewels of hummingbird nests, though I've only seen pictures and never an actual nest in the wild. I did read in my research for this issue that most nests drain water by design, with the parent bird sitting on top as a type of avian umbrella so to speak. But that wouldn't help if the nest was capable of collecting water. Thank you for sharing that story. I hope the hummingbirds have kept returning each year...
One of my most favorite birds is the wee bushtit. It constructs an amazing hanging bag of a nest. Last year there was one built hanging over the sidewalk a half block from our house. When one walked under it, one could hear all this cheeping coming from inside! Very endearing.
Oh wow! Those are really cool nests! I found some good images here: https://scvbirdalliance.org/backyard-bird-blog/bushtit#:~:text=Bushtits%20have%20an%20unusual%2C%20well,of%20the%20sock%2Dlike%20nest.
Their nests apparently look like tube socks and hang from trees like those of the weaverbird. So much depends on their constructing a strong starting knot...