You are here:

Birding/Removing wild bird nests

Advertisement

Expert: Julia Booth - 11/8/2008


Question

3 Babies in a Gourd
Hello, my name is Melody and I live in East Texas.  We have woods and lots of birds. We have birds that I believe are phoebes that build on ledges on our porches.  Sometimes they will build nests (mud and other materials)on top of the old nest after the first babies have fledged.  Should we be concerned about this because of parasites and remove the old nests before they rebuild?  Also, we have a very small bird that I have not been able to identify that builds its nest every year in a small gourd on the side of the house.  I have been removing the nesting material after the babies fledge.  Is this appropriate, or should I leave the nesting materials in the gourd?  We have always cleaned out our bird boxes as we understood parasites could remain in the old nesting material. Are we doing the right thing in each of these situations??  Also, do you recommend putting any materials in the bird boxes for wintering birds, and if so, what types of materials, or do you think it is best to just have some materials available for the birds to choose what they want? (Hair, twigs, dried grass).  Thank you in advance for your expertise on this. I can't even believe there were 3 babies in that little gourd.

Answer
Those are wrens in the gourd. Good Job. Wrens will nest anywhere. The smaller the crevice, the better.

If you think you can successfully get the nesting materials out of the gourd, do it. Mites can be a risk, especially in tight places with little air flow.

The same with the mud nests -probably Black Phoebes. Feel free to clean the area off. They will re-assemble the next year anyway, whether you leave it there or not. It can sometimes be destructive to the building, if it's left too long. I always say, when in doubt, clean it out.

There are pre-packaged nesting materials that you can buy from birding websites and stores. But you can always make your own. Just steer clear of anything with perfumes or dyes. Don't use human hair, if you think it's been dyed or permed. Anything natural is fine. Do not give them dryer lint, as the chemicals in the detergent and dryer sheets can harm them. Nesting materials vary greatly from one species to the next. Hummingbirds use spiderwebs to hold theirs together. Others use mud. So, I'm sure you can come up with something suitable, from around your home and yard.

Hope this helps,

Julia

Julia Booth

Expertise

I can answer questions about bird identification (by sight or sound), behavior, distribution, population, conservation, mating, nesting, fledging and feeding. I do have some practical knowledge about foreign species, but identification skills are limited in that arena. Bear in mind that as much as I know, it's possible that at least some of you will ask a question that I am unable to answer. At which point I would direct you to wherever or whomever I thought could provide you with that information.

Experience

I have 15 years birding experience in Southern California.

Organizations
Audubon Society

Education/Credentials
My education is in art and photography -but I have a substantial portfolio of nature related work.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.