Friday, April 25, 2008

Phoebe Nests


We always have phoebes nesting here in at least one if not two or more locations that I know about. There could even be more. Two definite locations are the front porch and the barn rafters. It amazes me how these birds can fit up to 5 babies in those tiny nests. Before the babies are about to fledge, they are almost adult size and they all somehow cram into the nest. Of course the cats are always milling about but they rarely catch them thank goodness. The phoebes obviously think it's safe. The nest on the porch is made from twigs and mud so it sticks to the stone wall. The one in the barn is just composed of hay and twigs. Are these the same family members year to year and just different generations? They pick the exact same spot in the barn each year. There are remnants of the porch nest stuck to the wall after the winter so that's a no-brainer for the following year.


The phoebe song is always fun to listen to. It sounds just like their name... pheeee beeee.....
And their bobbing tails make them very easy to pick out from a distance.