Recently, I marveled at the sight of Bushtits squeezing in and out of a perfectly-sized hole in one of their remarkable thatched nests. These very small drab, gray birds with long tails build incredible nests like the one shown at the top of the page. Picture these little birds fabricating foot-long pendulous nests made of spider webs and plant material with their tiny bills and feet. They somehow assemble these durable, camouflaged structures within a two-month time frame. Then they inhabit their nests with their families until the young fledge. At that point, they move out and sleep on branches.
The sociable and vocal Bushtits, with their soft, high-pitched, repetitive call, are thankfully not a species at risk. You will find them in groups of up to 40 searching for spiders and bugs, sometimes upside down, in a western/southwestern U.S. or Mexican shrub near you. Or they might pay a visit to your feeder (second photo).
