This is a blue grosbeak nest with nestlings that we had a camera on. Often the nests that we find in long leaf pines are very well hidden by the needles, but this one was out in the open and destined for destruction. The day after this video was taken this nest was depredated by a bird of prey (most likely). Unfortunately the camera malfunctioned and we were unable to get the event on film. We presume the predator was a raptor of some sort because the nest was torn apart as nests usually are when they are hit by a bird of prey. However, we can never really be sure about the predator species when we don't have video. Raccoons are also known to tear nests apart. So far we have successfully filmed over 65 nests this year. It appears that the majority of the nest predators in this area are snakes!
This video doesn't quite do it justice, but there were well over a hundred turkey and black vultures on site when the wild hogs were being trapped and killed.
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