Funky Nest Entries 171-180
171. Amanda & Nicholas Jones, Lexington, Kentucky
The nest in the attached photo was on our neighbor's house. It is from the American Robin, or Turdus migratorius (my 7 year old son still loves to tell that one!). It was built on top of the electric meter. It was in the perfect spot for my son and I to sit in our upstairs window and be able to see into the nest and watch the birds without disturbing them. We were able to watch the whole process from building the nest, laying the eggs, to fledglings leaving the nest. The birds didn't mind, but the neighbors were maybe wondering what we were doing with a camera pointing towards their house!
172. Margaret Harris, Lexington, South Carolina
Here's a good one! Back in the spring a Carolina Wren decided to make
her nest in an up-turned toilet plunger! The plunger was on the back porch of our office building (Trinity Presbytery). She began building and we watched as, over the days, the nest was completed. She eventually laid 5 eggs. We crossed our fingers that the office would not need the use of the plunger before the babies left the nest! All ended well, with 5 new Carolina Wrens and
no bathroom emergencies.
173. Val Murphey, Richmond, Virginia
This robin family nested in plain sight on the ledge of a bulletin board at a busy playground in an urban neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia. The nest was within two yards of the gate into the park, which was constantly opening and closing as moms with strollers and tots came and went. The robins were undisturbed by children (and their parents) coming up to within a foot or two to observe them---or even by folks stashing "sippy cups" and water bottles right next to the nest! All the visitors to the park were entranced and it was a great lesson for the kids to watch the nest as the birds first sat on the eggs and then fed the nestlings until they fledged.
174. Nigel Foster, Newton, Massachusetts
When I first saw the nest shown in the attached picture I thought our Eastern Phoebes had lost their tiny minds. Why on earth would they build their nest on top of the electrical outlet beneath our deck?
Since 1997 they'd been using a nest located only a dozen feet away,on the massive beam that supports the deck. The old nest was still intact. And it had a near-perfect record as an incubator for young phoebes. It was sturdy, closer to the open space of the back yard, and -- best of all -- already built. Why not use it? Well, it turns out that the original nest was already in use! Before the phoebes could lay a single egg, a Brown-headed Cowbird had contributed one of her own. Phoebes aren't exactly geniuses when it comes to counting. They often don't notice if a cowbird adds an egg (or three) to
the ones that are already there. But they do know the difference between some eggs and none.
So they realized that the old nest had been tainted and built an entirely new one nearby. Ironically, the cowbird noticed too. The nest you see in the picture contains four white phoebe eggs and three spotted cowbird eggs. Two of the white eggs are nicely illuminated by the sunlight seeping through the gaps of the decking. A cowbird egg can be see on the opposite side of the nest. The remaining eggs lie hidden below the rim. After taking a few pictures I removed all of the cowbird eggs. (I'm protective of the phoebes and not above a little social engineering.) A couple of weeks later, three of the four phoebes hatched. In 17 more days, all three left the nest. And as I walked out into the yard that day, the momma bird dived toward me, repeatedly, snapping her beak shut loudly to drive me away from the newly-fledged youngsters. I beat a hasty retreat, mumbling something about the bird's total lack of gratitude.
175. Rolanda Tovey, Spring Bay, Ontario, Canada
The robins built their nest on the ladder overnight. My husband said that he would leave it because he didn't need the ladder. Of course, about a week later he needed the ladder but can't use it until the eggs hatch and the babies fledge.
176. Eileen Saunders, Sarasota, Florida
This dove nest, located in Sarasota FL on Lido Key, is at the door to a condo recreation room. There are two entrances to the room: one from the courtyard and one from the parking lot. Apparently, the entrance from the parking lot is not used so this dove decided to use it. The picture was taken the week after Easter of this year (2009). I have since moved out of state and do not know the fate of the nest.
177. Gayle Mikel, Fort Worth, Texas
Found these beauties (don't know the species) on 5/07/09 while mowing my
front pasture. Mama had flown at me several times before I finally realized she had a nest close by. After climbing off my tractor, I asked her to show me what she had and she led me straight to her nursery. The eggs were perfectly laid against the fence line. Needless to say, I cut her a wide path and several days later, I saw they had hatched. Gotta love a bird nest on the ground!
178. Connie Owen, Cape Charles, Virginia
We have enjoyed watching these osprey grow and fledge in this field in Cape
Charles, Virginia on old construction equipment. The birds seem unconcerned
by frequent foot and vehicle traffic on the way to the beach .We have a vacation home nearby in Bay Creek, a golf and resort community. This picture was taken in the resort.
179. Karen Frieder, Wheatfield, New York
The attached pictures are from last year. I hung a planter outside my front door. When I took it down to add new plants, there was a half-finished nest inside. I replaced it and left it for about three days. When I checked, there had been no activity, so I removed the partial nest and filled the planter with flowers. Two days later there was a complete new nest in the middle of the planter. A couple of days later, the robins had moved in and began laying eggs and harassing us whenever we opened the front door. The birds drove my cat crazy! She likes to sit on the ledge inside the door and look out. Every time she did so, she was 'verbally abused'. If we attempted to use the front porch, the birds would sit in the nearby maple tree and harass us. We finally gave up and stopped opening the door or using that entrance. When the eggs hatched, I began taking pictures of the young ones when the parents were away. It was fun, but this year, I forgot to put the planter out so we have our front door back!
180. Mary Chamberlain, Lorimor, Iowa
My 16 year old daughter was sunbathing in our back yard one afternoon. Rather than bring the blanket into the house, she tossed it over one of the posts of our clothesline. A pair of wrens had taken over by the next day. They had built the nest and were laying eggs. Needless to say, it will be awhile before this blanket gets used for sun-worshipping!
