Funky Nest Entries 161-170
161. Olaf Melhouse, Dumfries, Virginia
Attached is a photo of a funky nest at my brother-in-laws place in Dumfries, Virginia. We were visiting there in May and a pair of House Finches had built a nest on top of their front porch light.Two little ones were hatched there and they were big enough to leave the nest the day I took the picture. They stayed around the yard and would show up in the back yard at the bird feeder and bird bath.
162. Amy Grubb, Philadelphia, PA
I was able to get a shot of this Cedar Waxwing nest. It's not an amazing shot but you can clearly see the nest and there is a long string of some kind hanging from it. I still see the birds almost everyday but they are clearly not using the nest. They seem to come to the tree to feed. I believe they may have a nest in the tree across the street from this one but I am unable to find it. I only see them flying to and from it. I watched them for several days building their nest and it seemed like after they completed it must have decided it was no good.
163. Susan Lindenberger, Blowing Rock, North Carolina
The picture looks quite ordinary -- a Junco nesting in a planter -- Ho-hum. But the history is interesting.My grandfather built a summer house in the North Carolina Blue Ridge in 1899 and there has always been a family of Juncos cohabiting.
Juncos would squeeze under the gap in the back door and hop down the hall to the living room to come a-calling. Once they tried to nest in a Mexican sombrero hanging from deer antlers in the hall.
Several summers they built in a large flower arrangement on the porch which meant it was inviolate until the nest was empty. A long spouted watering can kept the flowers more or less fresh.
Half Ass and No Ass were a memorable pair, so named because they had moulted half and all of their tail feathers respectively. They built in the downspout of the gutter. We moved the nest into the eaves and darn if they didn't rebuilt in the same downspout! So we stuffed aluminum foil in the downspout and convinced HA and NA to move to the eaves.
After an outdoor barbering, the pictured Junco gleaned my husband's hair to line her nest. She successfully raised two broods which undoubtedly went into higher education boosted by brain cells from Jim's hair.We expect to find the heir of the estate greeting us from the roof peak when we arrive for our vacation.
164. Rachel Smith, College Station, Texas
This Carolina Wren nest was built in this old beer bucket right next to the
door of the house on our ranch. I though it was so funny how the mother
choose one of the most high traffic areas to raise her young. There would
always be people coming in and out, slamming the door, and interrupting her
feeding! Nevertheless, we watched and she raised five healthy young wrens.
165. Angela Mangiameli, Conservation Biologist, Audubon North Carolina, Wilmington, North Carolina
I work on barrier islands locating beach-nesting bird nests and came across this Wilson's Plover that started to lay its eggs in the middle of a recent camp fire. The irony is human disturbance is such a huge factor affecting nesting success for many species and these campers had set up inside the nesting sanctuary but apparently it made a nice home. : )
166. Britt Slattery, Severna Park, Maryland
For many years, I have been planting native species in my yard to provide for birds and other wildlife. It's my job and my passion outside of work. It struck me as funny that with all the natural habitat features I've made available to birds, the Carolina Wrens chose this spot to nest (so far two years in a row)! It's a little drawer in an outside garden sink. You can just see the yellow bills of the three nestlings. Imagine my surprise the day I started to pull the drawer open to get out my hose nozzle, and a bird flew at me! I missed seeing them fledge last year, but I'm on the lookout this time.
167. Meryle Ardagh, White Rock, British Columbia
My friend and her husband were vacationing in Palm Springs in April and took
this photo of a hummingbird nesting on top of a cactus in the yard of the
town house they were renting. A pretty prickly place to give birth.
168. Glen and Maxine Moore, Unionville, Michigan
My husband and I [both in our 80's] had gone to Montana to visit our son, so was gone about 6 weeks. When we came back home, and went to unlock our front door, we found this nest atop the broom leaning in the entry corner. We tried to remember to use the back door, but sometimes forgot, and eventually the robin did not return to the nest. We were very sorry about that, but, they built their nest over the back garage door, instead.
169. Bill Herzog, Wakefield, Massachusetts
It was the end of May and my wife and I were preparing to celebrate our daughter's first birthday with a cookout. It had been a long, snowy winter in New England, and our gas grill had sat on our porch covered and unused for months. Luckily, I thought to open the grill cover before I fired it up. When I removed the cover and opened the grill, I was shocked to see a large bird's nest there! In the middle of the nest were several beautiful blue eggs. Being new parents ourselves, my wife and I couldn't imagine disturbing the nest. We
made alternate dinner plans, and left the home intact. Along with the mother bird, we kept a close eye on the nest for the next couple weeks. She would come and go through a small hole near the gas tank. One day, we were delighted to see a new baby bird in the nest! We felt a strong connection with this new little family, and continued to observe them with fascination. We quietly watched as their relationship developed. Day by day, the baby bird grew bigger and stronger. Finally, the day came when it was time for the baby bird to spread his wings. We watched with joy as the baby bird, with what appeared to be much coaching from Mom, made a successful first flight. It wasn't much longer before the pair left the grill for good. Needless to say, we later purchased a new grill!
170. Sharon Clawser, Lititz, Pennsylvania
I live in a small town right on a main street. Two weeks before Easter, a pair of doves decided to make their nest in the window above my door. It was a treat to watch them build their nest and to see their babies hatch. We had a front row seat at their feedings and were home to watch the first baby take its first flight.
