A White-eyed Vireo caught my attention with his singing, then he filled his beak with potential nest material.
Unfortunately some of it didn’t want to detach from the tree.
So he pulled…until it snapped…
Then he checked out the underside of the branch to see what else was there.
Nothing there that satisfied him, he took another look around then zipped into the underbrush.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
April 23, 2024
I happened upon a pair of White-eyed Vireos today that were working diligently on their nest. It would be fascinating to know how long it took them to get this far. (All About Birds says it takes 3-5 days to complete.)
They brought all sorts of little bits and took turns working them down into the bowl of the nest.
One of them got right down in there, presumably smoothing out the interior.
A lot of the pieces looked like shredded leaf or lichen.
They were flying into the woods and on most trips landed in this nearby tree…
before zipping to the nest.
March 21, 2023
I saw a White-eyed Vireo nest one other time, in June 2020. You can see that post at White-eyed Vireo on Nest
I knew he was there, given away by the rustling of the branches, but wasn’t sure what it actually was. Finally a White-eyed Vireo popped out of the underbrush.
And just before he popped back in.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
January 31, 2023
A White-eyed Vireo on a quick stop to somewhere else.
I’ve checked back on the White-eyed Vireo nest from my June 15th post a few times, and about a week later got a similar image, without the rain.
Two weeks later, the nest was empty. Could chicks have hatched and fledged in that short time? All About Birds says their nestling period is 9 – 11 days, so yes it is possible.
Once I was sure there were no birds in the nest I got closer for a side view. Although a bit shabby looking at the bottom, what an engineering marvel this nest was.
Also from All About Birds:
Males and females build a pendulous nest suspended from a Y-shaped fork. They collect insect silk and spiderweb and attach it to the fork until it makes a lacy shell. They then stick leaves, bark, plant fibers, rootlets, and bits of paper to the spiderweb shell. They also stick lichens, moss, or leaves to the outside for additional camouflage. The female lines the nest with rootlets, fine grass, or hair. It takes the pair around 3–5 days to complete the nest.
White-eyed Vireos are a fast, elusive song bird.
This one was intent on food. He picked a worm off a leaf and flew down to an open branch to eat it.
But first he beat it a few times.
I’ve seen song birds gather a stack of worms or insects in their beak and thought he might be rendering this one ready for a flight to a nest.
No, this one was for him.
One gulp and it was gone.
The nest of this White-eyed Vireo is quite intricate and well placed to protect it from the rain.
A sharp-eyed friend had spotted the nest being constructed and pointed it out to me as we passed by.
White-eyed Vireos are small {0.3-0.5 oz (10-14 g)} song birds that are usually difficult to spot due to their preferred habitat of thickets and scrubby trees. I could hear this one singing just in front of me on a narrow path and was surprised to see him on an open branch.
And when he flew I could still see him!
Although White-eyed Vireo was my first thought, I used the Merlin Bird ID app to verify the ID.
