cardinal's nest dilemma archived
it is a delemma..personally..I'd cut the clematis and move the whole thing a few feet away until the momma has had her young ..but I am crazy about birdies..here are some of mine..
sharkie, that won't work. the bird built a nest in between the house and the trellis where it is leaning forward unattached to the house. there is no place to move it to....on both sides of where the trellis is is where the doors are going. i feel terrible. i love the cardinals. i think i should just take it down and let her think the wind blew away her nest.
Posted By: Oldstoneam i better off destroying the nest before she lays eggs?
Absolutely.
Posted By: Oldstonei think i should just take it down and let her think the wind blew away her nest.
Probably best. It's unfortunate, but it's better than waiting until there are babies. Then you'd feel much, much worse.
Went to our lake house this weekend. A ground nesting bird had built a nest near the house, somewhat under a rock, along the path to the water, and it had four beautiful little eggs in it. The kids found it. Unfortunately, when she built the nest, no one was at the house and it probably seemed like a nice quiet spot. Then we arrive with four kids, a dog and a leaf blower, and we scared her off before we knew she was there. The next day there was no activity at all at the nest and three of the eggs were gone--I assume eaten by some critter over night. It was very sad that we scared her off and she abandoned the nest, but it couldn't be helped.
Oldstone,
if there are no eggs---do what you need to do.
Many songbirds build a couple of nests before they settle in one. Also the first clutch of eggs has probably been laid---you may see the second clutch in late June.
Calli
if there are no eggs---do what you need to do.
Many songbirds build a couple of nests before they settle in one. Also the first clutch of eggs has probably been laid---you may see the second clutch in late June.
Calli
Given the feline maternity ward, mismatched doors, diseased trees, squatting cardinals and riotous kids, it's a small wonder you haven't reconsidered Chelsea. :wink:
Oh, and I've already got five future-purchasers of FancyPants whenever my namesake line appears. Could be a hit.
Oh, and I've already got five future-purchasers of FancyPants whenever my namesake line appears. Could be a hit.
Posted By: ctrzaskaGiven the feline maternity ward, mismatched doors, diseased trees, squatting cardinals and riotous kids, it's a small wonder you haven't reconsidered Chelsea.
A LOT of trauma lately at the Oldstone homestead!
Posted By: ctrzaskaOh, and I've already got five future-purchasers of FancyPants whenever my namesake line appears. Could be a hit.
Wait, now you're stealing FancyPants! Jeez. You're the party pants man, not the fancy-pants man!
OS stole it. Party pants may have already been trademarked.
Oh, and yours had a hyphen. :updown:
Oh, and yours had a hyphen. :updown:
:rolling:
please, please, no infighting over me. no matter how funny you guys are you aren't going to make me feel better about what i just did.
i came home, went right out back to find that mama cardinal really did a lot of work today. not only were there leaves and bits of plastic but there were two colored ribbons making up the nest. she definitely had been sitting in there play-nesting because it was all curved out and ready for eggs.
well, i looked around in the trees and didn't see her and her stud anywhere so i ripped the whole nest out. a part of me cried inside. i feel terrible. but then i came inside and ate a whole package of pepperidge farm raspberry milanos and i feel much better now.
feel my pain.
please, please, no infighting over me. no matter how funny you guys are you aren't going to make me feel better about what i just did.
i came home, went right out back to find that mama cardinal really did a lot of work today. not only were there leaves and bits of plastic but there were two colored ribbons making up the nest. she definitely had been sitting in there play-nesting because it was all curved out and ready for eggs.
well, i looked around in the trees and didn't see her and her stud anywhere so i ripped the whole nest out. a part of me cried inside. i feel terrible. but then i came inside and ate a whole package of pepperidge farm raspberry milanos and i feel much better now.
feel my pain.
yeah, i did it in a sudden burst of destruction. i almost didn't recognize myself. of course, i was totally skieved by touching it that i threw it to the ground. then henry peed on it.
i'm going to hell.
i'm going to hell.
what i worry most about is that the red couple will never come to my yard again after this. they are such a treat for me to watch when i'm outstretched in my ergolounger.
I doubt they will blame you... I wonder if it would be possible to create another spot they might like for a nest. Not sure how you would go about that. Clearly, they liked the gap between the trellis and the wall, only you don't plan to reproduce that. Tricky stuff... I really got lucky with my wren's nest this year. I literally threw the house on a hook that was on the back wall of the house overlooking our deck and beneath the eaves. I didn't think much about it because I thought I would move it to a "better," permanent location. But the wrens moved in three days later! You never know what will work.
i was so excited to see her building a nest in there but then the dread set in. she can't have her children there because of my construction. i have a mourning dove nest in my front spruce tree. and i have an upstair/downstairs birdhouse for very small birds. both apartments are occupied !! this must be bird baby time because i see so many birds flying around with crap in their beaks.
OH, yes, indeed it is. And my wren couple are so funny. One of them is quite inept. Every time I see it approaching the nest with a tidbit, s/he manages to drop it! One time it was a huge feather, another time some twigs... and they all end up on the ground, rather than in the nest. Poor ditzy thing.
:rolling:
i know, same with the little bird in the upstairs "apartment". she sings quite a song for so small a thing. back and forth she would go, to the hole with a twig, drop it trying to get it in, fly back up to the branch above, sing, then do it all over again ! i wanted to help her !!
i know, same with the little bird in the upstairs "apartment". she sings quite a song for so small a thing. back and forth she would go, to the hole with a twig, drop it trying to get it in, fly back up to the branch above, sing, then do it all over again ! i wanted to help her !!
:rolling:
I've had the same urge! I'm dying to get all these nice, soft fuzzy things and cram them in the hole! But somehow I don't think the gesture would be appreciated. :wink:
I've had the same urge! I'm dying to get all these nice, soft fuzzy things and cram them in the hole! But somehow I don't think the gesture would be appreciated. :wink:
we need a life, peggy !! i refuse to tell my city friends that this is how i spend my weekends now. :shamed:
Peggy and Stoney---try putting out the lint from your dryer---they love that
Posted By: Oldstoneyeah, i did it in a sudden burst of destruction. i almost didn't recognize myself. of course, i was totally skieved by touching it that i threw it to the ground. then henry peed on it.
i'm going to hell.
Don't worry OS my hand basket is all packed and at the ready.
We can sit by the fire, enjoy martinis and laugh at everyone at MOL.:rolling:
Posted By: calliopePeggy and Stoney---try putting out the lint from your dryer---they love that
Ooooooo, done deal! I have a ton of that in a bucket downstairs, waiting to be "decanted" into the garbage. I also got some plants mailed to the house a few weeks ago, and I put out the straw they had used as packing material, and that vanished instantaneously.
May 27, 2008 at 3:23pm Edited
Posted By: Oldstonewe need a life, peggy !! i refuse to tell my city friends that this is how i spend my weekends now.
Well, I tell my friends what a gardening maniac I've become, which is somehow an acceptable hobby, and the bird stuff is an adjunct activity to that.
:shamed:
I assumed it would be enough to put the bucket of fluff out on the deck and let them pick at it... :confused:
Oldstone, I did this last year when some birds tried to build a nest in my floodlights. It's much better to have done it now than to have allowed them to lay eggs there.
Not sure about cardinals, but some species build multiple nests in case of situations like this, or predators getting wise to their location. You did the right thing, and the circle of life will continue.
Not sure about cardinals, but some species build multiple nests in case of situations like this, or predators getting wise to their location. You did the right thing, and the circle of life will continue.
We get birds' nests in our gutters every year, and this year I was very anxious to have the gutters cleaned BEFORE any eggs were laid. We did that, and within a week, we had nests from all the usual suspects on four corners of the house, on two different floors! Unbelievable. Next year, gutter guards. I love having the birds around and nesting in our yard, but I draw the line at nests in places that will cause our gutters to back up into the house under the roof!
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Oldstone