Feeding Wild Birds

[sourland]

One day last week I saw a broken Phoebe egg on the porch beneath the nest. A cowbird will frequently toss one egg when she parasitizes another bird's nest. Checked today, and there is a cowbird egg along with 4 Phoebe eggs in the nest. This is the first they have been parasitized in several years.

 

[Molpet]

Anybody hang the suet so it's only available on the downside, to help prevent starling and such.

 

[Molpet]

One day last week I saw a broken Phoebe egg on the porch beneath the nest. A cowbird will frequently toss one egg when she parasitizes another bird's nest. Checked today, and there is a cowbird egg along with 4 Phoebe eggs in the nest. This is the first they have been parasitized in several years.

They say not to remove the cowbird egg because cowbird will check....and if it's missing she will take revenge on the other eggs

 

[sourland]

They say not to remove the cowbird egg because cowbird will check....and if it's missing she will take revenge on the other eggs

It's all about the timing. Remove it too soon, and she may destroy the nest.

 

[ValerieJ]

Red wing blackbirds are beginning to show up at the feeder now.

 

[shawluvsbirds]

That looks like a Dark-eyed Junco. We only see these birds in the winter, I love Juncos!

Yep! I get tons of those here in the winter.

I am so tired of hearing that, that it isn't funny.

In town where we lived we had tons of robins. I know what you mean.. they do get annoying.
Two birds my husband does not like. Robins and Killdeer. He hates on these birds but builds a house for his school house pigeons so they will have a place to go when he closes off the eave where they have been living forever.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

They say not to remove the cowbird egg because cowbird will check....and if it's missing she will take revenge on the other eggs

It's all about the timing. Remove it too soon, and she may destroy the nest.

How good are the cowbirds at recognizing their eggs? Hypothetically could you get a fake that looked similar and replace it with that?

EDIT: Tangent but Google search suggests you can get a permit to remove cowbird eggs, though I would absolutely find a more concrete authority than Google to check on that.

 

[TwoCrows]

4 Western Bluebirds have fledged the nest box, 2 flew out Sunday, 2 today.


BIrdbrains?

 

[ValerieJ]

4 Western Bluebirds have fledged the nest box, 2 flew out Sunday, 2 today.


BIrdbrains?
View attachment 4150603

I'm clearly not there yet.

 

[TwoCrows]

I'm clearly nit there yet.

Keep up all the observing and IDing of birds and soon you will be a Birdbrain too.