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old nest question

18 years ago

I have been gone for several days and had not had a chance to clean out the old nest since the last brood fledged on 18 June. I thought I had plenty of time because Mom and Dad normally concentrate on the last brood for at least 4 weeks before building a new nest and starting again. Well, I got home last night and went to feed them mealies this morning. Normally they would grab worms and head for the trees to feed the brood but this time Mom came out of the nest box and both Mom and Dad ate mealies and just flew to a nearby limb. Made me suspicious so I went and looked in the nest box. Right, 4 new eggs. Surprise.

As I had not removed the old nest, of course they just used it as it was. It is pretty dirty and lots of dried up meal worms. Would it be a good idea to build a new nest from pine needles and dead grass and replace the old one or let it alone and just check on them often? Kind of hate to see the babies raised in that but I guess it is what they do in the natural setting all the time.

Dean SE-GA

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Comments (2)

anita55
18 years ago
Hi Dean I always clean the nestbox out as soon as I know they are safely gone. My opinion is that I would leave it alone.

Anita
blue_belle
18 years ago
Dean, If this were my box, I would make them a new nest. You can fashion a pretty good one in something like a Cool Whip tub. Be sure the pine straw/dry grass you use is dry. Remove the eggs from the dirty nest with a plastic spoon and put them in a small container lined with scrunched up paper towels or something else soft. Take the dirty nest out, scrape the box as clean as you can get it, put the new nest in and replace the eggs. Don't worry if your nest isn't as good as one she would make--it won't be! But she'll work on it and make it into what she wants.
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