Every spring, we are delighted to see our phoebes returning to the overhang above our garage doors. The female tidies up last year's nest with fresh moss and settles in. They return much earlier than other birds, sometimes as soon as March, and do not build a new nest, preferring to "remodel" last year's.
This particular nest has long streamers of moss although most are actually neatly made and quite tidy. According to Cornell University's All About Birds website, the female may take up to two weeks when building a new nest. They generally prefer to place their nests under structures such as bridges, or in this case, as I previously mentioned, in the overhang area of the garage roof.
After another 15 to 16 days of sitting on two to six white eggs, her young ones will hatch. Here are three little heads peeking out of the nest. When they first hatch, their eyes are closed, and they have sparse gray down.
Their time in the nest is brief, being only about 16 to 20 days. Sometimes the female may chase the male away as early as the egg laying period although he usually hangs around defending his territory and running off predators These little ones are growing up fast, and it takes a lot to keep them fed.
I love having them near my garden because they feed on insects. The phoebes like to perch on the eight foot locust poles that surround the vegetable garden and hold the deer fencing. The birds will fly out, grab an insect, and then fly back to the same pole to watch for more.
One of my favorite Internet birding aids is the Cornell University All About Birds website. This link will give you more information about the phoebes as well as allowing you to listen to their song.
On page 4 of this Perdue University PDF, you can find information and instructions for building a nest shelf for phoebes.
These two are just about ready to fledge. They are looking down at me as if to say,
"We see you strange creature."
This one seems to be saying,
"I'm thinking about it, but it's a long way down."
Opps, rough landing on that first flight.
I wonder if this little bird is saying:
I don't think I like this. I want my comfy nest.
Mom, help!!! It's hot here!
The fledglings usually leave very quickly, but some experts believe the parents may take care of them for up to two weeks after they leave the nest. I'm looking forward to their return next year when once again the little ones will be fun to watch. Sometimes we have to rescue them when they make a wrong turn and end up in the garage, but they usually take off and are gone before we know it.
Until next year....
