Painted Redstarts usually nest on the ground on some sort of steep footing such as a bank or slope. At Slate Creek Divide, I was enjoying a hike in a few remote drainages in the area. One drainage had a creek flowing perfectly for most of the mile that I walked of it. At one point, a bird flew out seemingly underneath me while I climbed up and down through the drainage. I realized it was a Painted Redstart, and when I took a closer look at the bank I was immediately walking along, I quickly looked for a nest, and found a nest. It was awesome!
I love the fact that many (most) bird species construct and build their own nests and have their own requirements. One can tell how much careful detail goes into the nest to maintain a safe environment for both the pair and the young. There were four eggs in the nest, and I took a quick five seconds to take a look, snap a few pictures, and get out of the immediate Redstart zone as I worked my way up the drainage. I kept the nest in mind for the way back.
Slate Creek Divide is an adventure of a place, and I had a lot of different birds I was keeping an eye out for. While Painted Redstart is a bird I always enjoy seeing every time they pop up, I didn't think they'd turn out to be my biggest highlight of they day. When I came back down the drainage, I came to the spot where I thought the bird was. The nest was extremely hard to see, and I tried backing away from the bank as I went. As I moved slowly, I somehow managed to see the female for a few seconds and she flew off of the nest again. There was nothing I could've done to stop from flushing her, but I decided to go back and watch from a respectful distance. The pair of Redstarts both came into the site and started working their way around the area. It took the female a little while to go back to the nest, and I backed up a lot further. As I watched the pair from much further away, I saw the female go back into the bank to continue incubating her eggs. During the wait, I snapped a few photographs of these awesome warblers.
A few minutes after the female went back into the nest, I moved up and well onto the bank that was opposite to her nest and on the other side of the drainage. Although the look I had of her incubating her eggs was distant, it was awesome to watch for awhile before leaving. What amazed me is that if she wouldn't have flushed in the first place, I wouldn't have seen her. When I was about 40 feet away, she was tolerant and didn't budge the entire time.
By reading up on breeding biology for Painted Redstarts (Arizona Breeding Bird Atlas), it takes about two weeks for the eggs to hatch after being incubated by the female. Once they hatch both parents will feed the young for another two weeks until they fledge, the family group of birds will often spend another 2-3 weeks together until the young become independent enough to feed and forage on their own. And amazingly, these birds will often nest again after the first family with a second brood for the season.
It was awesome to observe what goes on in the life of these birds for a short amount of time. It represented a short time out of a day of what goes on in the lives of most birds. Something fun in the coming weeks would be to go back to Slate Creek Divide and seeing progress on this family. After all, I know exactly where the site is now and could easily walk up and around the nest. Fun stuff!
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