Any way to protect Eastern Phoebe nests built under decks?

14 years ago

Hello Fellow Bird Watchers:

For about 10 years in a row now, we get an Eastern Phoebe couple who build a nest under the joists of our backyard deck. It is absolutely amazing to see them build the nest, and every year they also seem to build "dummy" nests, in that there are about 3-4 partially built nests, and then the one in which they eventually lay eggs.

The problem is that nothing has ever fledged in any year. Every year something gets to their nests soon after the eggs are laid or soon after they hatch, and the eggs are either eaten or the babies carried away. I have never seen a snake in the area, but we do have black snakes. And while never witnessing it, I have seen blue jays and cowbirds come from under the deck after I noticed the nests destroyed.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to possibly protect these nests, allowing the parents to get to and from, but making it hard for snakes or other birds to get to it? I am stumped and while I realize it is nature, it is quite depressing to see it occur every year.

THANKS

-- Jim

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

Konrad___far_north
14 years ago
I would try metal flashings under the post, [every post] so nothing can get
up from the ground. This would be step one,...if you're serious, put a bird cam up and monitor the situation.
Eastern Phoebe are truly fun birds to watch, about five years ago, my first pair had a failure when nesting under the overhanging roof joist on the shed, then they found a place under the bridge structure over my pond,...what a hidden safe place they have chosen, coming back every year now to the same site.
kendra2003
14 years ago
Any chance you could post a picture? It might help to see exactly where the nest is built, how high up, etc. It sounds like a tough situation, and you do wonder why they'd keep nesting there after years of failure. I have some ideas, but they may not work depending on the location of the nest.
Related Discussions
Eastern Phoebe: question re: fledgling birds' first flight from nest
Q
Comments (64)
My phoebes had skipped a year of nesting in their usual place (above the porch light fixture near my office door). My mirror set-up had scared them away. I should have realized that birds do not "like" mirrors -- but I didn't think about it at the time. I did see a bird pecking all day at the mirror, looking behind it, then pecking angrily at it when seeing the "intruder" again. That bird came back the next day to peck at the mirror again. I felt sorry for him wasting his time. But, I didn't think about the phoebes reaction being the same. So, they never nested there last year. I removed the mirror, but they still did not return to nest there this spring. Instead, they nested on another side of the house -- under our raised deck (same as last year). But, after the 1st brood was fledged -- THEY MOVED BACK TO THEIR OLD NESTING SPOT! So, the phoebes apparently got fed up with the disturbances created by our toy poodle (who is let out onto our raised deck several times a day.) The poodle would be walking directly over their nest, and possibly pissing over their nest. The nest building started May 25, 2021 and completed on the 30th or 31st. The mother was sitting on the nest on May 31, and there were 2 eggs in the nest. So, the first egg was likely delivered on May 30. By June 3, there were 5 eggs. All the eggs hatched on June 17 -- so, exactly 2 weeks after the last egg was laid. Interesting that all eggs hatched on the same day, even though each egg was laid a day apart. When I peeked, all the shells were gone. So, even tho I didn't see it, I assume that the parents removed all the egg shells. I also see the parents flying away with baby-bird poop. The poop looks like worms, and the parents carry it away from the nest. They either drop it or eat it (it is undigested food). Today is June 23, and the parents are often very busy bringing food. The bay birds are still too small to see without using a mirror over the nest. Here is a link to a very interesting article from 1937, detailing the observations of nesting habits of phoebes as studied over a 3-yr period. A few interesting details: Female does all the nest building. Incubation starts at varying times - sometimes after 3rd egg, sometimes after 4th, sometimes after 5th. The male apparently does none of the incubation. After fledging, the young birds remain close to the nest, getting farther way as the days pass. Both parents still feed the young after they fledge -- feeding them for periods of up to 18 days. Reliance on the parents gradually decreases. The parents may eventually show harsh treatment of the young to get them to go out on their own. Interesting. https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v059n03/p0410-p0417.pdf
...See More
Phoebe gone from nest platform :-( Why, I wonder?
Q
Comments (0)
We had an eastern phoebe build a nest on a nest platform we put about 25 ft. up, under our eaves on the NW side of our house. The nest site was/is/should be well protected from rain and predators. Below is a gravel driveway with bordering shrubs, stacked firewood, raspberry patches and woods. Phoebe could regularly be seen hunting insects on the wing (sallying forth as phoebes do). More and more she was on the nest, apparently warming her eggs -- I didn't hear any peeps from nestlings (our bedroom widow is 7 ft. away and usually open). Around 8 days ago, I noticed a phoebe closer to the front of the house on our front railing and mountain laurel branch, then flying up to an unused ? robin's nest on another platform under the eaves and soffit at the front of the house. Again, this nest and platform seemed very well protected from predators and rain. At first I thought it was a different phoebe, perhaps making use of what looked like a robin's nest, recently built (25 days ago), but unused. A few days later, I realized it must be the gable, NW phoebe -- as she was no longer on her nest (on the gabled NW side of house about the driveway). What the? Egg or nestling demise? Owl? We haven't had an opportunity to check either nest out (rain and we'd need to get out a tall extension ladder). Our phoebe isn't even around the "robin's nest" now. No one is at either nest. Hard to believe that their were silent nestlings in the gable nest and they've already fledged. I didn't see any or much back and forth flights with food. Didn't hear any soft nestling twitters. Do any of you have any ideas? <beginning to wonder if house is cursed or weasels can fly or....>
...See More
Advice needed for Eastern Hemlock.
Q
Comments (56)
Just might do that! lol I may later on do more in the way of 'islands' around some of the trees and add something or other under them. Something to think about next winter. I'm leaving the center of the yard open, so when the grand kids come we can throw foot ball etc. As viewed from the deck almost directly SSE. The wife decided we should leave things so we can 'drive through' past the house in to the front yard for furniture/appliance moving etc. Front yard not so big but I had to move the lily station because after we added the bb hoop, we couldn't drive around that side of the house without running them over. You can see in the grass where it used to be. It was so root bound it hardly bloomed anyways. I'm standing in the neighbors driveway to take this pic. My yard ends several feet this side of the green ash in front of me. All this and my deer farming in the countryhas been quite enough for this year. I just finished my third week of full retirement. Well at least I got everything I wanted done for this year. Sometimes our Autumns can be quite wet so not much gets done.
...See More
Rooting Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis).
Q
Comments (50)
Update: June 17th, woke up to heavy, pouring rain in the night, wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't came down at a 45d angle perfectly from the NE. Found the covering on my totes compromised. They were in a corner, up against the north side of the house and east side of cement front steps with a 2 foot overhang on the single story roof and a 6 ft. tall, fully branched/leafed sand cherry shrub protecting them on the North side. Nice bright area with a little evening sunset hitting the north wall of the house just above the totes. So there I was at @ 2:00 in the morning putting things back to normal. The pail with the Thuja was half full of water. Brought things into the garage. The cups were floating around at different angles with media mostly outside the cups. Checked for roots and found no sign of anything happening there so decided to discard the Thuja so that is finished. Tsuga wasn't hit as hard, water was plenty high and a few of the cups partially tipped. They were tighter grouped and only one or two had the media partially disturbed. All of them were thoroughly soaked from the rain. The Tsuga looked reasonably good, some have a few dead needles but there are a few, if not several, that are entirely green and some of them show what appears to be a small amount of new growth along the stem and branch tips. I can see no signs of mold or fungus. There is some algae evident but I assume this is because of the small amount of diffused sunlight the tote receives now that it is outside? We'll know more in another month or so. I don't plan to do anything with them until at least the first week in August. Picture of what things looked like before the storm: We (almost) never get rain at that angle. I had rubber binders around the top, holding the plastic on but the rain came so hard and fast that it stretched the plastic downward and filled up the sag in the plastic until it was so heavy that it pulled the plastic out from the binders allowing the water to pour in. Murphy's law?
...See More
donald lucius
14 years ago
i don't know if it would work for you but around my area people put up plastic or woven netting around decks and porches to keep cats and dogs and skunks and raccoons out.
with a few well placed small holes the little birds could get in and the larger stuff out i don't know if the snakes would climb the netting to get to the holes?
terrene
14 years ago
I would consider some type of cage like structure that you could put around the nest once the birds have laid eggs. Perhaps made out of hardware cloth or chicken wire, with openings that are large enough for Phoebe but too small for mammals or larger birds?
Jim
Original Author
14 years ago
THANKS for the responses so far. We now have 5 BEAUTIFUL white eggs in the nest, and so far so good. Although I have not put anything up to protect them so far, but am working on a solution from everyone's ideas. I have included a link if anyone would like to see the nest location. THANKS AGAIN! -- Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: Picture of nest
lisa11310
14 years ago
That looks like it would be easy to build a chicken wire box around. You just need to place it when you have time to watch to be sure She accepts it. May not keep out snakes but your not sure whats getting them so it's sure worth a try. You may need to extend an opening to 1.5 inches ( I think they are about the size of Blue Birds) But it would still keep Jays, Cow Birds, Owls, Crows & 4 legged critters out! Just be sure the larger opening is far enough from the nest a Raccoon cant reach in to the nest. Good Luck and keep us posted!
kendra2003
14 years ago
Lisa's idea is excellent. See if you can find some kind of hardware cloth or fencing with 1 1/2 inch openings and cage it in. Like she said, it won't stop snakes, but it will stop other birds and mammals from taking the eggs/chicks. And as Lisa said, make sure it is large enough (far enough away from the nest) that a raccoon can't reach in there.
HU-196239597
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Phoebes need to be able to swoop — they fly in and out of their nests —-and they need lots of clearance !!!! Not like box nesters! Do not enclose the nest in a chicken wire cage !!!!! Watch some videos of phoebes flying to see or call Cornell or Tufts wildlife center.

Maybe You can make a baffle u see it, one that a squirrel can’t get around- so predators can’t get to the nest- - we have made many different kinds over the years - one year screwed plexiglass sheet over the wall under the nest (on a flipped up outdoor outlet cover!) so predators couldn’t get purchase to climb!

Any way to protect Eastern Phoebe nests built under decks?

Comments (8)

Konrad___far_north

kendra2003

Related Discussions

donald lucius

terrene

Jim
Original Author

lisa11310

kendra2003

HU-196239597

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Any way to protect Eastern Phoebe nests built under decks?

Comments (8)

Konrad___far_north

kendra2003

Related Discussions

donald lucius

terrene

JimOriginal Author

lisa11310

kendra2003

HU-196239597

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Jim
Original Author