This must be the breeding time for our feathered friends... After valiantly trying to construct a nest in my moss basket hanging on the front door, this mama bird decided the metal urn next to the front door suited her purposes better. The metal urn must act as an incubator as the afternoon sun warms it up. I will have to water very, very carefully.
Has anyone noticed nests in their yards or have an interesting story about where birds have nested in the past?
Oh Glitz, that is too cute, looks like Wrens eggs!! We have them hopping across my porch as I write this picking up any fuzz and hair from my puppy that they can find! I have found nests in bags of opened fertilizer to old milk jugs in the potting shed!
The saddest thing happened this week end though! We had a lot of needed rain but it brought high winds with it . While walking through the yard yesterday, with my grands, we started noticing bits of blue every where. The wind had blown down at least 3 Robin nests and the tiny eggs were all over the yard. We recovered only one still intact. My DH put it in the incubator, where I have 2 bantam eggs hatching. I dont think it is still viable but well give it a couple of weeks any way!
I believe you are correct - saw the mama bird this morning when I opened the front door. She flew out of the nest but is staying close by to protect her eggs.
It is fun to watch the nest-building process and the Mama coming in and out, etc. I had a boot turned into a birdhouse hanging on my deck and this happened to us. The problem was that after the babies arrived, Mama decided it was just too scary and abandoned them. We tried, in vain, to help the poor babies but they eventually died. Not wanting to see this happen again we moved the boothouse out to the woods. One way to avoid this nest building process in your hanging planters is to put fake birds in the baskets. It has worked ever since.
Great idea bug! I think I can pick up some fake birds at a craft store such as Michaels.
Gliz, I found mine at a yard sale and they're made out of heavy stuff, like resin or something. They had been intended as Christmas ornaments I think. If you're thinking of those little mushroom like birds at Michael's they won't last long in the weather. Check out the thrift stores, etc. for the kind that will weather well. Now, the mushroom ones will work fine you'll just have to replace them........better that than having to watch something so sad happen.
Just today I found some straw from one of my hanging baskets had been placed into a large pot of geraniums. I just moved it out. As fun as it is to watch, it really isn't natural and they need to be outdoors where they have a better chance of surviving.
What do you think brings them in so close to a house? We are surrounded by trees - live in a semi-country setting. Maybe there are too many predators out there so the small birds such as wrens seek out sheltered nesting areas?
Gliz, I hate to say it but they're just lazy! There is a perfect spot for them, all they have to do is bring in the furniture...........LOL. We are also surrounded by trees, about 12 1/2 acres of them. Now, you may have something about the predators. All we've seen are snakes but they get their share for sure. DH placed a heavy-duty chain for the hanging baskets from deck post to deck post. One day there was a snake (harmless but still.........eek) wound around that chain just waiting for his next meal.
We have birdhouses on our fenceposts. They are all inhabited by wrens right now, and I saw one checking out the little table on the porch. I hope he builds one there, that would be so cute. We have had wrens here for two years and they do not mind us one little bit, they twitter around me as I work and are very friendly. I've not seen eggs up close, how cute.
GGG
I took my muddy boots off on the porch,and a wren nested in one ,before I could reclame it.Mike
Bug - if I find a snake hanging from a basket waiting for lunch, my screams will be heard in the next county--hehe. Two things I can't abide, snakes and spiders.
Yeah Gliz.........me too. Those are the times that having a DH around are mighty handy.............LOL
We have birdhouses on our fenceposts as well. The bluebirds like those. We have a barn swallow nest in the barn (bottom made of mud-really neat) that a pair of wrens are using! When they (babies) left the nest, one had a few problems and wound up between the wall of a stall and the outside wall. I got a big net I use to get the hay and grass out of the troughs and was just barely able to reach it. When I lifted him out of the net, he just barely cleared the stall to go perch on a beam. Very cute, but I locked all the cats up for the rest of the week!
don't know if you can see but the eggs have finally hatched and I got a picture of a baby bird. Hope this bird grows fast because I have trouble using the front door - mama bird and I have almost collided a few times...
the rest of the neighborhood birds are hanging out at the bird bath - whew it's hot out there!
Birds make nests in my houseplants that I move on the front porch each year. I used to put cat fur in them and it stopped. But my long haired kitty died and my short hairs wont give up the fur- lol! A week ago, I had to put my houseplants back in the house b/c the birds were uprooting and killing my plants.
I have literally DOZENS of huge trees in my yard for the birds. Why do they feel the need to nest sooo low to the ground- and on my porch planters??? I love birds but I have my limits!
When can I bring my plants back out?
Had lots of nests in houseplants when I was in the condo. Took some great photos of baby birds being fed by mom and dad--if our scanner was up I'd post them. I don't like it, either, when the birds dig out the newly planted plants, so I've been putting rocks between the plants. They'll peck out small rocks, so you've gotta use biggish ones. I use those nice whitish-pinkish rocks I find in our soil. Later in the year when the plants need the room, I'll remove them.
Thanks for the tip soup! I will go to Wally-world and buy some of those pebble-type rocks and put in my pots.
One more picture - the baby finally came out of the nest today and sat for a while on the edge of the planter before heading back into the nest. (I took the picture through the window so it may be a little fuzzy)
We have a gourd pole thingy with lots of gourds in our backyard for the birds. The funny thing is, there are plastic ones and "real" ones. Of course, the birds only build nests in the real gourds. What great little mosquito eaters they are! My funniest bird nest story took place years ago in SC. The school bus side swiped my mailbox and the door would not close all the way. Within just a few days, a mama wren had made a nest! I did not want to disturb her, and her nest was all the way to the back, but I had to get my mail, duhh. I tried to be really careful, but one day I must have startled her as I drove up to the mailbox and she flew into my car, pooping all over the dash, etc., before flying out the other window Poor thing never returned to the nest, but fortunately there were no eggs yet. Hey, if it hadn't been me it would have been the mailman!
Talking about birds in mailboxes...Last year I finally replaced our old mailbox that had been up without a door (Tacky I know) for about fifteen years. I decided to use it for a bird house instead of trashing the ol' eyesore. With punched holes on each side for ventilation and some holes in the bottom for drainage, up our old oak tree it went. This year a pair of finches are nesting in it.
Last week while I was deadheading I heard the worst bird alarm I have every heard. You would have thought that an army of cats had just marched into the yard. I looked behind me and the two finches were dive bombing a snake that was standing up like a cobra in the grass next to me.
After my husband took care of the snake, I rewarded the finches with a new thistle sock.
I currently have a bird nest in a hanging fern less than 3 feet from my front door. Found it the other day when I went to move the fern out to catch some rain and mama flew out and scared the bejeezus out of me.
Had the snake thing happen when we lived in NC. I screamed bloody murder when I saw it. Unfortunately, hubby was not quick enough to find a way to get the FOUR FOOT snake off of there and it ate the eggs. Disgusting site! Needless to say, this particular slithering varmint did not survive to enjoy the eggs. Note: usually hubby would relocate the snakes across the street in the woods, but this time he was a little upset...we'd been watching mama with the next for about 2-3 weeks.
One reason that birds don't nest in the big trees is squirrels. The tree rats look upon bird nests as breakfast bars, They will take eggs and, if given a chance, will also take the newly hatched young.
I am not working in the yard today because the resident mockers have a pair of branchers loose in the dogwoods and azaleas. From the calls I think that it is only two, but mama and papa are scrambling to keep them fed and safe. Now I know why papa was so deterined to chase those crows out of the area last week.
Beth
I agree, Beth. When I've read about squirrels it usually says something about eggs being a "last resort" food. I've seen squirrels find ingenious ways to get to nests, and I have a feeling that eggs are one of their favorite foods. Maybe infrequently available, but definitely a favorite. I call 'em tree rats, too. Somehow, one of the squirrels in the neighborhood lost its tail. It survived the injury, and reminded me that they are rodents. DH reminds me they're a natural part of the system. Rather have the baby birds in our little corner of the world!
I love the squirrels. People around here bring me the orphans to raise. But you would be surprised what they will eat if given a chance. Cheese has been a favorite with each of my babies. I suspect that they have to hustle for protein in the wild and eggs would be a good concentrated source.
Beth
Hey, I had no idea that squirrels would eat eggs or baby birds! Thanks for the info. I'll be sure to keep feeding both squirrels AND birds so the furry guys won't resort to eating their feathered friends. They have been eating sunflower seeds side by side with the birds that visit my feeders.
Deborah
