Over the past few days I have observed a Red-breasted Nuthatch repeatedly
foraging in "this year's" abandoned Robin nest. Guess there are some insects there,
but I can't see the prey. I had not witnessed this before, so I asked David Leatherman about it.
He replied:
"I have seen birds foraging in old nests, but usually it is old squirrel nests or swallow (cliff and barn) nests. Have not seen what you saw. I suspect the target (just a guess) was calliphorid fly larvae or pupae which feed on nestlings as ectoparasites (I.e., suck blood*). Could be other critters in a used nest like dermestid beetles, other flies, bird lice, etc."
There seems to be no end to the topic, "what birds eat".
Joe Roller, Denver
* a behavior they share with phlebotomists
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