To all:

Recent studies now indicate removing Cowbird eggs, a practice I had done for over 40 years, may not be a good idea. 

These studies indicate that Cowbirds while enjoying free love and not raising their own young, do check back and where an egg or eggs have beed removed, they retaliate and remove and or destroy all the original eggs trashing the nest entirely. 

In most predation cases by Cowbirds they remove one original egg or more but leave some there. Of course, the earlier hatching Cowbird usually ends up preventing others from hatching or getting any share of food and eventually elbowing the others out of the nest depending a lot on the size of the victim species. 


Mike O'Brien
Fairfield, Adams Cty, PA


Sent from my Phone

On May 25, 2011, at 9:48 AM, "j. d. newman" <> wrote:

> Another possibility is to loosen the law protecting native birds to allow 
> selective removal of cowbird eggs from nests when found.  I personally would not 
> be opposed to picking off cowbirds wherever they are found.
> 
> John Newman
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________
> From: Gerald & Laura Tarbell <>
> To: 
> Sent: Wed, May 25, 2011 9:01:19 AM
> Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] wood thrushes etc.
> 
> All,
> 
> The one factor I don't see anybody talking about in the loss of Wood Thrush
> (and others) is Cowbird predation. There have been numerous studies on this
> subject appearing ad nauseum  in journals (Auk, Condor, Wilson Bulletin,
> Journal of Field Ornithology, etc) to the point that one can hardly pick up
> an issue without seeing some article about Cowbirds. I think one of the
> things that has come out of it is that small woodlots suffer the worst
> because the forest edge is never far away. Most of us live near a small
> woodlot. and that's where the song of the Wood Thrush comes from if we hear
> it at all. Down across the creek behind the lake we still have them.The lot
> betwen us and the next court up the hill had them last year, but this year I
> am not hearing Wood Thrush.
> 
> Historically cowbirds were not numerous in the east because it took a while
> for our beloved pioneers to open up enough farmland to interest them. Prior
> to that they mainly followed buffalo herds.
> 
> About the only way we can change the course is larger wood lots. Might have
> to tear down a lot of houses to do it but that's progress. I'm sure nobody
> would complain about losing their house for the benefit of birds. Right?
> 
> Jerry Tarbell
> Proposing the absurd in Carroll County
> 
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