Bob Grier’s From the West: Vertically Challenged

Young and egg in the nest

Rarely can a “vertically challenged” photographer look, and photograph directly into a bird’s nest unless we’re talking about ground nesting birds. At the Gilbert-Baker Wildlife Management Area yesterday, I noticed a bird nest slightly below eye-level along Monroe Creek. Gilbert-Baker WMA is located north of Harrison in the Pine Ridge and the small creek and nearby deciduous and pine forest attract a good variety of nesting birds in season. This nest belongs to a breeding pair of Black-Headed Grosbeaks and three newly hatched young and a colorful egg. Bird books show the Black-Headed Grosbeak’s range extending from the West Coast eastward to the High Plains. Not wishing to endanger the nest required a very quick look and moving back a respectful distance and all of the photo subjects–mom, pop and young did their best for the photo-op. Photographers like to think of themselves as “non consumers”, but by calling attention to a nest or den we can attract predators, including other humans as well as the wildlife predators that feed on eggs and nestlings.

Female Black-Headed Grosbeak

Male Black-Headed Grosbeak