Birds Nesting in Newer Suburbs

     Trees and shrubs newly planted around recently-built housing in fields are small.  But certain kinds of birds are pioneer breeders in new housing developments in farmland here in the Middle Atlantic States, as elsewhere.  Some of those bird species build their nests in young trees and bushes in the newer developments.  The birds have more nesting areas in which to build up their populations, and we can enjoy their activities in those new suburbs.  
     American robins and American goldfinches are bird species that are quick to nest in a young suburban area.  Both species traditionally build their nurseries in small trees.  Robins make cradles of grass and mud and run over short-grass lawns and nearby fields in pursuit of earthworms and other invertebrates to feed their young and themselves.  Goldfinches create soft, compact nurseries of milkweed fluff, fine grass and spider webs and eat thistle seeds and other types of seeds they gather in fields adjacent to the housing.
     Northern mockingbirds and song sparrows build nests in young shrubbery around the homes.  During warmer months these birds catch invertebrates to eat and feed to their young in their nurseries.  But in winter the mockers consume berries and the sparrows ingest weed and grass seeds, and grain from bird feeders where they are available.
     Chipping sparrows love to nest in arborvitae bushes or young spruce trees, which give ample cover to their offspring.  Chippers consume small invertebrates, and feed the same to their young in their nurseries.  
     Mourning doves raise youngsters on flimsy twig or straw platforms on the needled boughs of young spruces because the needles hold the doves' cradles better and protect the two white eggs per brood from the sharp eyes of crows, raccoons and other egg eaters.  But doves do better taking over the better built and abandoned cradles of robins, because the doves' own nurseries too quickly are blown out of the trees. 
     A pair or two of killdeer plovers may be quick to lay eggs on the gravel of driveways, on bare soil or on mulch in flower beds around the homes.  Their broods of four eggs blend into the material they are laid on.  The fuzzy, wide-eyed chicks are ready to feed themselves on invertebrates within 24 hours of hatching.  
     House sparrows, house finches and chimney swifts hatch young on buildings in the suburbs, including on recently constructed ones.  The sparrows will fill most any niche in a building with grass to make a nest.  The finches are more likely to build little cradles on porch lights or the supports under awnings.  Both these bird species feed their young seeds and invertebrates. 
     Swifts, however, create platforms of tiny twigs on the sheer walls inside chimneys, using their saliva as the glue.  They fly high across the sky all day, every day during the warmer months to catch flying insects.      
     A pair or two of tree swallows might use bluebird boxes erected in new suburban areas in cropland.  These swallows like cavities in open areas to nest in.  Like swifts, swallows fly all day, every day in pursuit of flying insects, but closer to the ground.
     Though not as lush with bird species as an overgrown thicket, new housing developments are not barren of bird life either.  Several kinds of birds have adapted to them for living and nesting.  They find additional homes and we get natural entertainment.