Today I saw:

[scarecrowsdrm]

Haven't seen any Phoebes mentioned on this thread...I have some Eastern Phoebes that have been nesting under our carport for years. This year, there were three nests, one right after the other. The female is on the third one, right over my car, but I don't know if the other two broods even hatched or not. (I try to disturb her as little as possible.)
The rapid nest building, in a different location, within a week of deserting the one before it, seems to imply no. I never saw fledglings the first two times, so I hope she is successful this time--if it is the same female.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by Hedgerowe

I'm ready for our next photo safari!

Do you think you can remember to pack your camera next time?

[dapjwy]

Welcome back, scarecrowsdrm. Nice to see you posting again.

Originally Posted by scarecrowsdrm

Haven't seen any Phoebes mentioned on this thread...I have some Eastern Phoebes that have been nesting under our carport for years...

How wonderful for you. It makes me sad to realize that I probably missed out on having a phoebe nest recurring above the sliding glass doors coming off the deck. We had one one summer...and even changed plans for a party so no one would bother her...but then we had to put on a new roof and fix some things, so she no longer has a little ledge to nest on.

I was hoping she'd move to these little shelves I put up under the eaves of the barn/garage...but so far, no luck.

[linrose]

At first I thought they were just passing through but it seems like we have resident Indigo buntings living here. I have to say one of the coolest moments was seeing a male cardinal, a male goldfinch and a male indigo bunting all on the feeder at the same time. What a colorfest!

[Hedgerowe]

That would be amazing to see. I have only ever seen indigo buntings twice. How wonderful to see all three colorful birds together.

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by linrose

At first I thought they were just passing through but it seems like we have resident Indigo buntings living here. I have to say one of the coolest moments was seeing a male cardinal, a male goldfinch and a male indigo bunting all on the feeder at the same time. What a colorfest!

All three primary colors at once!

The other year, I was very excited to see an indigo bunting here...and even got a photo or two (but nothing special). This year, I've seen them again...and am wondering if they might not have a nest here. Growing up, I only saw them pictured in a field guide. Very cool to see them live now!

[scarecrowsdrm]

Originally Posted by dapjwy

Welcome back, scarecrowsdrm. Nice to see you posting again.


How wonderful for you. It makes me sad to realize that I probably missed out on having a phoebe nest recurring above the sliding glass doors coming off the deck. We had one one summer...and even changed plans for a party so no one would bother her...but then we had to put on a new roof and fix some things, so she no longer has a little ledge to nest on.

I was hoping she'd move to these little shelves I put up under the eaves of the barn/garage...but so far, no luck.

Hi Dap, it is great to talk with you again! Last year was such a heartbreaker for us with the drought and terrible fires down in Texas.


Yeah, they must be pretty picky. I bought one of those phoebe shelves some years back, and no matter where I moved it, they didn't care for it. They like the same three or four spots ( like that light fixture) with an itsy bitsy little ledge to glue a nest to. One of the light fixtures is above my hubby's truck and I have to keep it covered. One time one of the fledglings popped out of the nest into the bed of the truck and took a 25 mile ride (unbeknownst to the driver)...and unfortunately it did not turn out well. But they sure have been working hard to make up for it since then!

[dapjwy]

Sorry to hear about how bad it really got last year.

...and sorry about the fledgling's ride that didn't go well. Glad to hear that they are making up for it.

Hopefully, you will have a lot more pleasant things to share this year.

[Equilibrium]

Today I saw.... my neighbor walking up my driveway with a worried look on his face wearing exam gloves which were clasped to his chest. I thought.... OMG.... he's having a grabber.... where's my cellphone so I can call 911. Nope... a stray cat killed BOTH of the kildeers that were tending a nest in his back yard that he'd double fenced off with chicken wire and a chicken wire cover to keep the cats AWAY from his nest. 1 of the kildeers was dead on the ground behind his shed from a week ago and the other 1 was laying on the ground about 15' away from the fenced off area dead as of this morning. So.... he was bringing em to me to put in my incubator. Problemo..... Zoe "teethed" on the incubator and the box it was stored in. It was in about 1000 pieces before I pitched it so..... I thought no time like the present to see if Oprah would sit on Kildeer eggs so she could buy my some time finding a licensed rehabber. Oprah is an Australorp and she started sitting on a golf ball about 2 days ago and hasn't really moved except to get water and to eat. I was hoping she'd go broody so I left her on the golf ball. What timing..... here's Oprah.

[Equilibrium]

Here's Oprah again.... the proud new foster mommy of Kildeer eggs until.... 1 of the rehabbers I called comes and takes em off my hands. They really need to go to somebody who has time to deal with them. I sooooo do NOT want to get stuck with these. If they all hatched.... it would be 4 hungry mouths wanting lots 'o bugs to eat and I do not have time to be making runs back and forth to a petshop for crickets and meal worms or the time to run around looking for bugs in the yard to feed them. Here's hoping 1 of the places I called calls me back FAST. For now.... they're nice and toasty warm though and it's been 2 hours and Oprah hasn't moved.