Comments on: Help!

By: m&m

m&m — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 04:19:59 +0000

Ah, drat. I was all ready to come over and show the kidlets.

Isn’t it great to have smart people around who know stuff like this, though?

By: Melissa

Melissa — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:32:47 +0000

Oh darn! It’s probably for the best, though. I’ve always thought it was sad that starlings have such a pretty name and are such an awful bird.

By: Justine

Justine — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:06:23 +0000

Well, I took it down this morning. It was a starling, and it started to get kinda confrontational with the kids when they were within 20 feet of it this morning. No mess, yet, thankfully, and the wreath is even unscathed.

I felt terrible about the four eggs in the nest, though! Even if it was a pesky starling.

By: elizabeth-w

elizabeth-w — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:18:10 +0000

Hope I’m not too late. This happened with us with an Easter wreath by our front door. They were a lot of fun to watch, but when they left the nest, all their fecal matter was all over the wall the wreath was on. And it does NOT COME OFF! I guess there’s enough acid or something in it to sort of eat at the paint/wood.
As much as we loved watching those featherless, pink creatures it was an awful mess afterward.

By: Justine

Justine — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:11:58 +0000

Oh, Silverrain, thanks! I’m going to try and find out this morning. I don’t want this to cause problems. I’ll go get my bird book and try to figure out what it is!

By: SilverRain

SilverRain — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:00:36 +0000

Oh . . . and also, it is a myth that the birds will abandon the nest, eggs or nestlings if they smell humans on it. They built their nest on a human door. If they were that squeamish, they wouldn’t have.

There are, however, multiple other reasons not to touch bird nests, etc. Salmonella is one that easily comes to mind. Oils from your hands can keep the birds from breaking out of their eggs, and some eggs are very delicate and easily broken. Also, most fallen nestlings are unharmed if you put them back in the nest, but they will fall again soon. Nestlings are usually out of the nest for two reasons: 1) they are trying to learn to fly, and will just jump right back out again, or 2) they are somehow diseased and are rejected by their nest mates or the parents. The parents/nest mates will just push them out of the nest again.

By: SilverRain

SilverRain — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:55:45 +0000

Here’s the voice of a cynical pre-vet med student.

First, what kind of birds are they? If they are robins or sparrows, I’d spare them. Not starlings. Starlings are pests that drive away and kill other birds and their eggs/nestlings. I probably wouldn’t be overly concerned about pigeons, either, since they carry diseases. (I doubt your nest is a pigeon nest, though. Pigeons usually nest on flat roofs.)

If you do decide to get rid of them, do it soon. There will still be enough time for the parents to find another nesting place and lay another clutch of eggs. The longer you wait, the harder it is for them.

If you choose to spare them, be prepared for a lot of noise and filth on your front door. Birds are not clean animals. I’d also warn with a sign for visitors to go to the back door.

By: Zina

Zina — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 05:04:03 +0000

I would have made the same suggestion everyone else did — use a different door for a while.

For anyone in the Provo/Orem area who wants to see some eggs in the wild, we saw a duck nest with six eggs in it among the rocks on the west side of the pond at Nielsen’s Grove on Monday. Although there were lots of kids poking around, the mother duck appeared to have not abandoned the nest yet — she did come and sit on it shortly after we noticed the eggs.

(I wonder how well the duck, nest, and eggs will have done in the snow.)

By: Brenda

Brenda — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:25:13 +0000

I think it’s sweet and so adorable! Your kids will enjoy seeing the mama bird take care of her babies. They won’t be there forever. Use the garage door for now.

By: Carina

Carina — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:15:12 +0000

p.s. never touch the nest. Birds will abandon the nest and eggs if they smell like human. Mama bird might abandon the babies if your babies go to close. Best to watch from the window.