Remember my post last year when I helped Domer rid his front door of a bird’s nest?
Well, guess what? It’s nesting season.
Again.
And poor Domer is fighting the swooping birds in the Land of the North.
All by himself.
He’s not happy about it.
When he called the other day, our conversation went something like this:
Domer: They’re back.
Me: Who?
Domer: The birds.
Me: Oh, do you have a nest?
Domer: Yeah, but I didn’t see any baby beaks sticking out, so I figured they were gone and knocked the whole thing over.
Me: With your Seven Iron?
Domer: No, I used a Three Wood. I wanted something a bit more substantial.
Probing further, I learned Domer had poked the nest off the downspout where the mama and papa were constructing it; however, he failed to “drive” it into the distant marshy areas.
Mistake.
As soon as Domer went off to work, mama and papa bird reclaimed their still-functional nest.
Today’s conversation went along these lines:
Domer: It didn’t work.
Me: What didn’t?
Domer: Removing the nest. Would you believe that mama and papa bird scooped up the entire thing and reattached it, right where they’d put it before?
Me: You’re kidding. The whole thing?
Domer: Yep, and when I went out this morning, the mama had been sitting there and decided to do a fly by. Not really attacking, I think — more like letting me know she knew I was there and warning me to keep away from her nest.
Me: What are you going to do now?
Domer: I guess they’ll have babies. What else can I do?
Not being the kind of folks who want to mess with Mother Nature, we agreed he’ll just have to wait them out.
Sadly, we don’t know what he’s dealing with in the Land of the North. Central Illinois doesn’t have SWOOPING birds, and we can’t Google them to learn more about the species.
And both of us hate feeling helpless and illiterate.
Might there be a solution we haven’t thought of yet??
“They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it’s not one-half so bad as a lot of ignorance.” — Terry Pratchett
Musings by an ND Domer's Mom 
Of course there’s a solution. Remind yourselves on a daily basis that birds need homes, too, and that Domer has been selected to be the very special host for his little family.
I mean, think of it. All around the world, there are people logging on to computers so they can watch birds build nests and raise their babies via web cam. He gets to see it in real life. Lucky man!
ps – right now I know three couples who aren’t taking their sailboats out of their slips until the eggs hatch and the birdies grow up enough to fly or swim away. One mallard mama is sitting her nest in a cockpit pocket. Domer thinks he’s got a situation!
Oh, my goodness — you mean these kind-hearted souls are putting their livelihood on hold until baby birds hatch?? I’m floored. Which leads me to wonder, How come we as people can’t be as kind to others of our species??
I can always count on you, Linda, to provide a more realistic view of what I consider a problem — Thank You! Really? People are viewing birds and their babies online? I had no idea. Seriously. I guess we in rural areas just take all this for granted (though of course, I’m fascinated by web cams of penguins, ha!)
How blessed Domer is! How Fabulous.
I’d love to have birds for company in the morning! xxx
Kim, I’m pretty sure Domer would ship you the entire nest, birds and all! They’ve placed it right outside his front door, in the crook where the downspout meets the building. Safe and high for them, but it sure limits his entering and leaving home!
“Not being the kind of folks who want to mess with Mother Nature, we agreed he’ll just have to wait them out.”
Debbie, I think that’s an awesome plan. As Shoreacres shared, I think Domer has been selected to be a special host for this family of birds. And as he said, it’s probably not that she’s ‘attacking’ but more so that she’s just sending out protective ‘fly by’s’ as a protective means.
Hope you’re having a fabulous Sunday, my friend! We’re having a gorgeous day here in Philly, after having three days of rain.
X
Ron, I think I’m going to have a real hard time convincing Domer he’s been “chosen” to host this bird family! He’s more inclined to feel that he’s been burdened with the whole lot of them.
Mama birds are protective of their brood. It’s just nature. Those wee ones can’t look out for themselves, and they’re oh so vulnerable. I’m glad we were able to see the entire nesting/hatching process, right outside our window; Domer isn’t going to have that because the nest isn’t near a window. I think he’ll be glad when they’re gone!!
We’re expecting a week’s worth of storms, but this morning was gorgeous. Enjoy your beautiful weather in Philly and have a happy Sunday!
I think that the birds know that they have a soft hearted person in their area and chose it because of that. 🙂 We had robins build in the wreath on our front door. Sadly something happened —one day the eggs were there and the next I found the remnants of them in the yard. 😦 But I avoided using the front door for weeks……I am sure the paper lady was not amused to get chattered at every morning either.
I love robins, Beth Ann, but thankfully, we’ve never had any build a nest in our front door wreath. That would be inconvenient, to say the least. But I guess yours decided Kitty couldn’t scale the door, so they were safe! You’re right — Domer is a soft hearted person, but his patience is wearing thin, I’m afraid, with these repeat offenders!
Persistent birds. Perhaps they believe they have squatters rights. I can ask my dad the bird watcher about swooping Il birds but chances are he is going to want a little bit more information. Perhaps, Domer can document this process for us all. Pictures, his observations about what they eat and nesting habits. The color of the eggs. I know he doesn’t have a birds eye view but he might be able to find out a little more. The incentive will be once we know more well….I don’t know exactly what the incentive will be just be creative and make something up. In any case, it’s always nice to put a name to your feathered house guests.
You both have nests with baby birds. I think it is a sign. A good sign.
HaHa, Domer doesn’t stick around long enough to snap a photo! Remember, he, too, grew up with a feisty “mama bird,” so he learned long ago NOT to cross a mama. Still, he told me they have kind of a curved beak, are dark-colored on top and yellowish on the underbelly — if that helps. And apparently, they’re quite territorial. I don’t think he’s seen the eggs. Or the babies — yet. Isn’t it odd how we’re both surrounded by birds this year?? I can’t believe the number of posts I’ve written about birds of late. Any help your dad can provide would be appreciated.
I’ve got news for you and Domer….there is no solution other than Domer getting a helmet!
We have a BIG bird problem here on Long Island. We have ducks, swans, Canadian geese, parakeets, and many other birds. Our cars are poop bombed everyday. They hold up traffic…and on and on. Birds will do what birds will do and that’s it! We have a small pond by our house that connects to a canal in front of our house and Saturday I saw 2 huge white swans with their kids and they were so beautiful it was breath taking. Next to them were ducks and they were quacking. I was amazed because I’ve never seen swans that close or heard ducks quacking. I know at 61 years old….something new to me! LOL! Old MacDonald had a farm……..
A helmet? Well, that’s one option he hasn’t thought of yet, Tanya — Thanks!
I love the picture you described of the swans and their babies on the pond — along with the quacking ducks. Isn’t it heart warming how these creatures manage to peacefully coexist in nature, when humans can be so mean to one another??
Well, it seems like war to this professor! But that’s because I’m a warrior. I have birds atop my roof. And they really don’t bother me. But if I didn’t want them…I’d get wicked!
I can be a warrior, too, Professor (it’s the Celt coming out, I’m afraid!). Domer, however, tends to be more peaceful, so maybe that’s why the birds “chose” his place to nest. Besides, he rarely uses the front door, preferring to enter and leave closer to where his car is parked.
Awe, the birds chose Domer to be their landlord! Perhaps, they have a sense of trust with him.
I can see why they would, Suzi. He doesn’t use the front door all that often because there’s another door closer to where he parks. Guess that gives the birds a false sense of security (or maybe it’s a ‘true’ sense of security?!)
Haha, I like how the mama bird came back to let him know she was there. I dare him to mess with her again! I know it’s highly inconvenient to have the nest right by his door, but I’m glad he’s decided to go with it rather than harm them. The pigeons were so bad in Phoenix, I didn’t have a kind heart toward them at all 🙂
Pigeons can invade and take over an entire town, Janna. They tend to be somewhat brazen, too. I wish we could figure out what species of bird Domer has, though, because I’d like to call them by name and possibly research their habits a bit — in hopes of moving them along to another nesting spot, naturally!
Oh, poor Domer. I hope the birds move on soon. I have no solution but I’m rooting for a happy solution soon!
Thanks for your support, Monica. Since we don’t even know what kind of birds these are, we can’t research their nesting habits and learn just how long this “problem” is going to exist. Sigh. The upside is, ALL kids eventually leave home (don’t they??)
Looks like Domer’s new friends have come to stay. As you say ALL kids eventually leave home. Here’s to an empty nest.
Let’s *hope* these “kids” will leave, Pat. Since we don’t know what kind of birds they are, we don’t know that they’ll leave! I’ve never heard of birds that stay in their nest, though, so I imagine this is a temporary “problem.” Thanks for dropping by!
I wonder if they are Swallows? We’ve battled them a few times and they are the most persistent birds! No matter what species they are, I find it funny that they insist on building a nest in a place so frequented by humans. You’d think they’d want to put some distance between their family and Domer!
Well, Domer isn’t nearly as feisty as his mama, so perhaps the birds sensed his peaceful spirit! Swallows?? Hmm, I’ll Google that and tell Domer to as well. If that’s what they are, at least he’ll be able to put a name to his squatters, ha! Thanks for the tip, Terri.