ML111478171
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Adult Female - X
- Sounds
- Song
- Playback
- Playback not used
Observation details
Continued monitoring of an ad. female Sinaloa Wren in upper Huachuca Canyon, Cochise County, Arizona, USA. In this recording, the bird is foraging along and near the ground on a steep slope, giving many "ratchet" calls as she works through yuccas, debris, leaf litter, under the edges of boulders, etc. This individual flew into and out of a woven purse- or basket-like nest throughout these observations. Detailed notes were recorded concerning time in/out of nest, foraging strategy, prey items, vocalizations, etc. No deliveries of food, nesting materials, or anything else observed coming from or going to the nest. By this date, it is almost certain that there is only one Sinaloa Wren involved in the nesting attempt, an adult female. This is unusual, as the male in this species (along with other close relatives) is highly involved in tending to the female while she incubates, as well as helping to raise the young once they hatch. This "single mother," as it were, appears to be trying to do everything on her own: feeding herself to stay fit and healthy, yet apparently also trying to sit on eggs in the nest for prolonged periods as well. 8/8/28: 06:54: arrival *bird out of nest on arrival* 07:04: First detection. Racheting 2-3 times up-canyon. 07:06: Back to nest. Staged briefly in sapling just before going in. 07:33: left nest. Fairly extensive/complex song given, as bird descended and just after landing in vines and branches. Climbed to about 5m, then across wash to ground to forage. Observed eating a small worm/larva and an unknown small insect. Much ratcheting (r). Then quiet for a long period of time; may have moved up-canyon. 07:48: back to nest; staged briefly in sapling before going in 08:32: sang once inside nest (r). left nest 08:33-35: much ratcheting (r), foraging 08:36-08:40: foraging, sporadic ratcheting. Pulled small worm/larva from foliage at ground level, ran a short distance, smacked it against boulder and ate it. Forages on ground, probing leaf litter; forages in very low vegetation, probing into dense pockets; forages under edges of boulders, probing along underside; forages often in yuccas, probing into dense debris, detritus, and spider webs “packed in” around core of plant. Probed into rotting log on ground, pulled out a worm, smacked it against log and ate it. Became quiet, foraging in cover. 08:45: back to nest *missed one or two exit/enter sequences* 09:46: sang once inside nest, then flew out into brush a bit down-canyon; occasional ratcheting
Technical information
- Recorder
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 5.63 MB