Hunky Husband's find

Hunky Husband asked, "Did you see the bird's nest on top of the wind chimes?" Well, no, I hadn't; although, I had noted a few bird droppings on the front porch that told me birds had been perching on the wind chimes. Unfortunately, it hadn't occurred to me to back away from the chimes enough to give me the angle to see atop the round of wood that separates the chimes, one from another. Unfortunately, too, the weather is yucky and gloomy (I'm apologizing for another less-than-desired quality of photo.)

 

So far, I've not seen the bird(s) that go with this nest; although, HH said that he saw a bird fly away from it. (The nest is about 12 or 13 feet above the floor of the porch so I cannot see into the nest, either.) From the construction, and until proven wrong, I'm calling it a House Finch nest.

For the first several years we lived here (starting in 2000), Barn Swallows built a nest at the apex of the arch (in the photo) over the front porch steps each spring. A few years ago, when I had failed to remove the previous season's Barn Swallow nest, an Eastern Phoebe attempted to build a nest atop the barn swallow nest. We've not had any barn swallows attempt to nest there, since!  The nesting attempts, however, meant that I usually had the wind chimes hanging only during the winter - so as not to disturb the nesting birds. This year, thinking that bird-nesting days on our front porch were long gone, I hadn't got around to taking down the chimes. I won't, now. Not only don't I wish to disturb whatever built the nest; but, depending upon the species, it is illegal to remove a completed nest.

The bluebird nesting box is empty this season. My opinion is that we've put out so many bird feeders that our back yard has been too busy for the Eastern Bluebirds who have usually nested in it. There are about three strands of grass in the nesting box; but, it has been several days since I've even heard a bluebird. *sniffing in sadness*

Comments

[Kay Dennison]

Awwwwwwww I hope your blue birds re-appear post haste!!! Thanks for the mental hot foot!!!

[Cop Car]

Kay--What a super job you did. Thank you! Within a couple of hours of your comment, I observed a female bluebird carry a strand of grass into the nesting box. A few minutes earlier, I had observed a male sitting in a tree at the edge of our woods.

HH will tell you that I get my exercise by jumping to conclusions. I'm happy that this may have been just a bit of exercise for me instead of the truth.

We've seen several kinds of sparrow over the past few days that are in migration - just one apiece. They hang out with our resident flock of Harris's sparrows. So far we've seen a Fox Sparrow, A White-Crowned Sparrow, and a Lincoln's Sparrow. The brush piles that we've built up in the woods over the past 11 years are a great magnet for such birds.

[Joy]

That's a beautiful wind chime...glad your blue birds came back.

[Darlene]

I hope a wind storm doesn't knock the nest down. A dove made a nest on the pillar to my carport and a strong wind knocked it down before the eggs hatched. I also had that happen to a hummingbird nest on a branch of my Mimosa tree.

[Cop Car]

Joy--I think that someone gave the chimes to Hunky Husband. I've always liked them. Let's hope that the bluebirds stick around. Usually, the male builds more than one nest and the female chooses which nest to use - or, at least, that's what I seem to recall. I thought it strange to see the female starting a nest.

Darlene--There are three "strings" that attach the wooden circle to the hanging ring, thereby somewhat surrounding the nest. I don't think the wind would likely be able to blow the nest between two of the strings (barring a tornado!) Too, although the house faces northwest, only in a severe storm do the chimes get blown about. They are somewhat protected. On the other hand, the wooden circle already lists away from the house, so it is not a level platform.

Unless someone shows me where it is, I cannot for the life of me find a hummingbird's nest. They are sooooo tiny. What kind of doves do you have?

[Cop Car]

It is official: the wind chime nest belongs to a pair of house finches. Mama was on the nest this morning with papa singing from the nearby gingko tree.

[Hattie]

You have some native birds. Avian malaria wiped them all out below 4,000 feet elevation here. We have great numbers of introduced birds, though: mynahs, several species of doves, Chinese white eyes, finches, cardinals, etc. etc. A recent visitor who makes bird houses gave us one of his creations, and I'm debating where to put it.
We don't feed the birds; they don't need it around here.

[Cop Car]

Hattie--Chinese white eyes are new to me. I'll have to look them up. About 20 years ago, in a house about 2.5 miles from this one, we had a Hill's Myna. It must have escaped from a cage somewhere but it was hanging about with a flock of European Starlings. Why the Europeans brought starlings and house sparrows to the new world is beyond me. At least, since pigeons provided communications, I can understand why the rock pigeon was brought over.

I'm sorry about the Avian malaria's wreaking havoc. Please remind me how many species the islands had prior to that.

Actually, we should not be feeding birds at this time of year; but, did you ever try convincing a husband of that? HH keeps putting out 5 or 6 fully stuffed feeders, as he did yesterday. I can't plant my tomatoes until I can get rid of the feeding area just outside HH's window of convenience. (Oh, well, HH is cute so I put up with him. *smiling*)

[joared]

Interesting nesting location. Some years ago we had a hummingbird nest on a spark arrester on our patio. We could peek out the family room sliding door to view the nest and little beaks protruding. The wee ones came to a sad demise on their maiden flights. The adults returned another year, but needed to make some architectural adjustments to the old nest. I think they correctly determined they best build a new structure elsewhere though I regretted their departure.

[Cop Car]

Joared--How sad that the wee ones didn't survive their fledging. I'm sorry.

[bogie]

Very nice guess on the species inhabiting the nest. Glad your bluebirds returned!

For several years we had a pheobe return to a nest built on top of one of the lights at the back of the house. That was way back when the green house was there.

I'll have to pull the bird feeders in soon - the bear should just about be out of hibernation.

[Cop Car]

Bogie--I recall your phoebe and would like to put a 9" square platform, up under the eaves, to lure one to nest here. However, your dad has other ideas, terrible person that he is. *smiling*

Nest report: I checked the bluebird box, yesterday. There is a completed nest inside it, but no eggs; so, don't know what Mama Bluebird has decided, yet. Mama House Finch is spending almost all of her time sitting on the nest. Since the nest is so high, we won't know anything until/unless we see hatchlings.

We have a whole gang of house finches hanging about our house these days; so, coupled with the way the nest was built and its location, my guess was pretty safe. (I'll have to check on nesting habits of purple finches. We have one or two around here at times. Remember the days before house finches came back to Kansas?)