one woman's cure for the empty-nester blues
by MoJo
The Carolina Chickadee pair had committed to nesting in one of the bird houses. Nest building was well-underway. For some reason, a Chipping Sparrow decided s/he was not happy having a Chickadee in the area. Perhaps the Sparrow was nesting in the nearby trees. Whatever the reason, the acrobatics of bird-war is fascinating!
by MoJo
Several years ago, I built a platform to facilitate Phoebe nesting in what had become a favorite corner for them – 14’ up in the air – under the eves. They produced 3 broods there the first year. That winter, I attached an artificial plant object to the platform to provide a winter roosting place. One of the Phoebes used that perch every night through the winter.
The second year, however, Mr. Wren went to work building his abode at Phoebe Place. It is incredible how much debris a little Wren can haul in a day! Mr. Phoebe was not happy when he came to roost that night.
The Wren won. (Maybe the much-larger Phoebe decided he didn’t want to haul all of the Wren’s mess out of the way in order to make room for his own nest.) The Phoebes relocated to the nest site 20’ above the front door.
Lesson Learned: Never turn your back on a Wren during nesting season!