1953Sudbury Valley Trustees2013Celebrating 60 Years of Conservation, Collaboration and Community

Todd Boli photographed this song sparrow feeding and immature brown-headed cowbird in his Saxonville yard.

Steve from Stow photographed an eastern phoebe, immature brown-headed cowbird, eastern towhee, northern cardinal, and house finch in his back yard.

 

Steve from Stow photographed an indigo bunting and an American goldfinch at his backyard feeder, as well as a chipping sparrow feeding a young brown-headed cowbird. Brown-headed cowbirds don't build nests, instead the females lay many eggs each year, depositing them in other birds' nests. The resulting chicks are often larger than the host parents' chicks and have a competitive advantage in the nest.

 

Craig Smith photographed the following at SVT's Greenways Conservation Area in Wayland: American kestrel, brown-headed cowbird, eastern bluebird, gray squirrel, mourning doves, northern flicker, tufted titmouse, and a pair of wood ducks.

 

Janet Pesaturo photographed this bird's nest, we think of an eastern phoebe, at Forty Caves in Berlin.  The two speckled eggs are from a brown-headed cowbird.  Cowbirds lay their eggs in other birds' nests in a behavior known as brood parasitism, to learn more see Cornell's All About Birds site.