My trusty assistant and I did extensive research on the bird causing the trouble at the practice green. It is a Wood Thrush wreaking havoc. I have observed this behavior over the years. Please see the excerpt below, speaking of the parents removing fecal sacs from the nest; thus the problem we have at the practice green. However, it is an interesting bird, one that is in danger due to several reasons.
From an online source:
Typically, the female chooses the nest site and builds the nest. However, there has been some indication that the male is able to influence the selection of the nest site by perching nearby and singing. Usually, though, the female chooses whether or not to accept or reject the nest site suggested by the male.[18] The nest is usually sited in a dense patch of vegetation in a tree or shrub that provides concealment and shade. It is usually made of dead grasses, stems, and leaves, and lined with mud, and placed in a fork at a horizontal branch. The nest is not reused. Usually, two broods are attempted, although three to four separate nests may be built before a pair succeeds. Two to four pale blue eggs are laid at the rate of one per day.[19] Theeggs are incubated by the female only for 11 to 14 days, with the average being 13 days. Like all passerines, the chicks arealtricial at hatching, mostly naked with closed eyes.[20] The female broods the chicks during the first four days after hatching. Both parents feed the nestlings and remove fecal sacs from the nest. The chicks fledge 12–15 days after hatching, but the parents continue to feed them until they become independent and leave the parents' territory at 21–31 days old.
